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Shukto
Bengal's gently bitter mixed vegetable stew with mustard, poppy seed and milk
Shukto opens a traditional Bengali meal: a mild, slightly bitter stew of bitter gourd, raw banana, sweet potato, drumsticks and aubergine, eaten with the first mouthfuls of rice to wake up the palate. The vegetables are fried, then simmered with a paste of mustard and poppy seeds and finished with milk and a spoonful of ghee, so the bitterness is balanced by a creamy, faintly sweet sauce. It is a dish of West Bengal's home kitchens, cooked especially in spring. Chef's tip: fry the bitter gourd separately until well browned and add it at the end; this keeps its bitterness pleasant and stops it spreading through the whole pot.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the vegetables
For the paste
For cooking
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Soak 1 tbsp yellow mustard seeds and 1 tbsp white poppy seeds in 4 tbsp water for 15 minutes, then grind to a smooth paste. Grind mustard briefly and with a little salt; over-grinding makes it bitter.
15 minStep 2: Heat 3 tbsp mustard oil in a kadai over a high heat until it just smokes, then lower to medium. Fry 1 bitter gourd (karela) for 3–4 minutes until browned and crisp at the edges; lift out. Fry 8 dried lentil dumplings (bori) too, if using, for 1 minute until golden, and lift out.
5 minStep 3: In the same oil, fry 1 raw green banana, 5 ½ oz sweet potato, 5 ½ oz aubergine, 3 ½ oz flat green beans and 2 drumsticks (moringa pods) in two batches for 3–4 minutes each, just until lightly golden in patches. They don't need to cook through yet; this browning gives depth.
8 minStep 4: Add 1 tsp panch phoron and 2 bay leaves to the remaining oil; when they crackle (a few seconds), add 1 tbsp ginger paste and the mustard-poppy paste and stir for 1 minute.
1 minStep 5: Return the fried vegetables (not the bitter gourd) to the pan with 1 cup water, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp sugar. Cover and simmer over a low-medium heat for 8–10 minutes, until the sweet potato and banana are tender but still holding their shape.
10 minStep 6: Pour in ¾ cup whole milk, add back the bitter gourd and bori and simmer gently, uncovered, for 3–4 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly and looks creamy. Keep the heat low so the milk doesn't split against the mustard.
4 minStep 7: Stir in 1 tbsp ghee and sprinkle with ½ tsp panch phoron. Rest for 5 minutes before serving with steamed rice, as the first course of the meal.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 210 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 25 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does shukto take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of raw green banana?
- Mango, same weight (in smoothies and shakes).
- What can I use instead of sweet potato?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
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