Chana Postor Borar Jhal

Have you ever thought of adding poppy seeds paste to the chenna/ paneer/ Indian cottage cheese and make balls with them. The poppy seeds / posto makes the chennar bora / cottage cheese balls incredibly fluffy and velvetty in texture. The curry is flavoured with simple ingredients like ginger, hing / asafoetida and our very own Bengali panch foran, and if you can add ghee and garam masala in the end, they will act like the cherry on top and will make the curry even more irresistable in it's flavour. Do not skip the sugar. I have learnt the hard way that in vegetarian dishes sugar acts like a magic ingredient and that just makes all the difference. The curry is thin, like we make it in our everyday menu, and not luxurious or rich like makhani or any north Indian curries you know. The chenna - postor boras soak up the thin curry and swell up. This curry is a delight to eat on vegetarian days, when there are not too many options to reach out. 

Chana Posto Borar jhol

Bengali thin curry with dumplings made with indian cottage cheese and poppy seeds paste 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the bora

2 cups of fresh cottage cheese

3 tbsp poppy seeds - soaked in water for 2 hours at least

2 green chillies

For the curry

2 medium potatoes - peeled and cut into cubes

1 thumb size ginger root

4 green chillies

A pinch of hing / asafoetida

1/4 tsp panch foran

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/4 tsp coriandercpowder

1/4 tsp homemade garam masala powder

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp ghee

1/4 cup of oil

Salt to taste

2 tsp sugar 

Method:

Make the bora:

Knead the cottage cheese in a wide large plate with the heels of your palm until it becomes smooth and comes together like a dough. Try making a small  ball from it. If it comes out without any cracks, it is ready.

In a stone grinder or using a machine grinder grind the poppy seeds with the chillies until it is roughly smooth. We do not need it perfectly smooth in texture. Do not use too much water to make the paste. The paste should have a scoopable consistency.

Add this to the kneaded cottage cheess.

Add the salt.

Mix them until everything is properly incorporated.

Make equal portion balls out of the dough. You should be able to make 15 balls at least. Press them with your palms and smooth out the edges. Keep them aside in a plate.

Cover with a damp kitchen towel to prevent them from drying.

Heat enough oil to fry the boras in a pan.

Once the oil is hot enough place the cottage cheese boras in oil.

Once the bora is sufficiently brown flip it and fry the other side. This should take no more than 2 minutes to fry them on both the sides.

Take them out of the pan as soon as they are fried well on both the sides.

Keep them aside.

Make the curry:

Make a paste of the cumin seeds, ginger and green chillies in a mortar and pestle. Keep asidr.

In the remaining oil add the potatoes.

Sprinkle some salt over them and fry them until golden.

Add the panch foran, hing / asafoetida, bay leaf, ginger-cumin seeds and chilli paste to the potatoes.

Mix and stir for half  minute on low flame.

Add theturmeric powder, red chilli powder and coriander powder.

Mix and stir until the oil starts to ooze out.

Add 2 cups of water to them and cover to cook.

After 5 minutes check the potatoes.

If they are cooked add the fried cottage cheese boras into them. Cover and cook for 3 minutes more.

Finally add the sugar, ghee and homemade garam masala powder.

Switch off the flame.

Serve hot with white rice.