Shukto is the dish that opens a traditional Bengali meal: a medley of vegetables, gently bitter from karela and softened with a little milk and sugar. It’s served first, with rice, before the dal and other dishes. It has no onion or garlic.
Ingredients
- 1 small bitter gourd (karela), thinly sliced
- 1 raw banana, 1 small sweet potato and 1 potato, cut into batons
- 1 small brinjal and 1 drumstick, cut into pieces
- 3 tbsp mustard oil and 1 tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp panch phoron and 1 bay leaf
- 1 tbsp ginger paste
- 1 tbsp mustard seeds, ground to a paste with a little water
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tsp sugar, salt to taste and about 1 cup water
Instructions
- Fry the karela. Heat the mustard oil and fry the bitter gourd until crisp. Lift it out.
- Fry the vegetables. In the same oil, lightly fry the raw banana, sweet potato, potato and brinjal in batches. Lift them out.
- Temper. Add the panch phoron and bay leaf to the oil, then the ginger paste and the mustard paste. Sauté for a minute.
- Simmer. Add all the vegetables, the drumstick, salt and water. Cover and cook on low flame until everything is tender.
- Add the milk. Stir in the milk and sugar and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes more.
- Finish. Add the fried karela and the ghee, and serve with hot rice.
Siddhi’s Tips
- Add the fried karela at the end so the bitterness stays gentle and doesn’t spread through the gravy.
- Make the mustard paste with cold water to keep it from turning bitter.
- Use whatever mild vegetables are in season. Ridge gourd and radish also work well.
For the panch phoron and mustard, see Siddhi’s guide to Indian spices. Follow it with aloo posto and cholar dal for a full Bengali meal.
Prep time: 20 minutes · Cook time: 30 minutes · Serves: 4