Simba Alu Posto ( Flat beans and Potato cooked with poppy seeds )

The quintessential quality of Odia cuisine is that it needs to be wholesome and fuss free. Not too many ingredients nor too many steps. The focus is usually on one core ingredient and that is allowed to be the star of the dish. And flat beans is the star of this dish without any doubt. The potato and the nuttiness of the poppy seeds add a mellow touch to the otherwise robust flavored beans.

Read on for this recipe -

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 1/2 cup Flat beans ( cut into inch long pieces )
• 1/2 cup potatoes ( cut into small pieces )
• 1/2 small onion
• 2 tsp poppy seeds paste
• 2 dry red chilis
• 1/2 tsp pancha phutana ( panch phoran )
• 2 pinch turmeric
• 2 tsp oil
• salt to taste

Cooking - Add 1 tsp oil to a wok. Add the Flat beans and potato. Stir fry till 3/4 th cooked. Remove from wok and keep aside.

Add more oil to the same wok. Throw in the broken red chilis and pancha phutana. When it starts spluttering, add onions. Fry till translucent.

Add the fried beans and potato to the wok along with the poppy paste and 1/2 cup water. Season with salt and add turmeric.

Cook on a low flame till the vegetables are cooked and coated with a layer of the poppy seeds paste.

Serve hot with white rice and dal.

Simba Chadchadi

Cooking Time Required: 10-15 mins
Cost of preparation: 20-25 Rupees

Ingredients: Tender Simba/Sem/Flat beans ( 200 gm ), red chillis ( 2-3 nos ), thick
mustard-garlic paste ( 1 tsp ), pancha phutana ( 1/3 tsp), gota muga/biri dali (
de-husked) ( 1/3 cup ), turmeric, salt, mustard oil for cooking ( 2 tsp ).

Preparation: Clean and de-vein the flat beans. Cut into very small pieces.

Cooking: Take the cut beans in a sauce-pan. Add mustard-garlic paste, salt and just
sufficient water to cover the beans. Cover with a lid and cook for 7-8 mins or till
tender.

Remove from fire and keep aside. Do not throw away any excess water.

Heat the oil in a pan. Add the broken red chillis and pancha-phutana. Add the muga/biri dali and fry for 2 mins; follow with the boiled flat beans. Stir fry on a high flame for 2-3 mins.

Serve with rice/rotis.