I have many memories associated with Aloo Posto but I’ll tell you about the one from Pune. I was away from home studying Engineering. I missed the food made by mom so much, so often that it became a part of my routine.
Then I met a senior in my hostel who was also Bengali. She took me to an old, tiny restaurant near SB road. It happened to be an authentic Bengali restaurant and we ordered everything on the menu. The Aloo Posto was so homely, I ate two plates alone and got one to take back with me.
But the next time I went to the restaurant, it had been closed down by the municipality.
So I tried to make Posto at home. It was a disaster. I realized that it’s very crucial how you grind the mix. Do it wrong and it turns bitter. Now I’m a pro at making Posto. I have fed it to each of my friends. But I wish I could go back to the restaurant and have it once.
My experience making, eating and feeding Posto
- I was never fond of potatoes and that baffled people. I have heard many arguments in its favor, the most potent of them “it’s so versatile, it can be made in many formats” I always thought it meant potatoes were flavorless on their own. Later, I added aalo paratha, roasted potatoes, tikkis for chaat, and chips to my palette. Now Posto, which when dadi tasted, said it’s a yummier version of ‘aalo usal’ that she has been eating since she was little. I guess a version of it made in every culture. If that’s the versatility people were referring to, I think it’s warm.
- I was so worried about making authentic Aloo Posto that I spent a whole evening skimming through recipes on the internet. I thought I wouldn’t do justice to the experience shared with me if I did not. While it led me into beautiful tangents of taxonomy and culture, it didn’t feel right. I thought I would ask Adrija for her recipe. But that didn’t feel right either. I started this project with the aim to take what I have-ingredients, experience, and recipes-to borrow memories from another life and add to it mine. The recipe wasn’t the part to be focused on. So I made mine the way I made it and that will be the authentic one, till I add Adrija’s mum’s food to it.
- Adrija lives in the same city as me. She invited me to visit her house and learn to make Aloo Posto from her mother. I will stew in the warmth of an invitation extended to a stranger over food and shared memories till the pandemic is over.
Excerpt from our conversation: Are you in Amravati by any chance? Then maybe you should come over and we can serve you complete Bengal cuisines. Our ancestors are from Bangladesh. So you’ll get to taste authentic food. Maybe you can learn from my mother and then try it at home.