Shukto is a traditional Bengali cuisine of mixed vegetables cooked in a light milk and mustard based gravy. This dish is a blend of flavours. "Bitter Gourd" and "Radhuni" are the main flavouring of this recipe. Shukto is mainly served at all ceremony houses, but it can also be cooked in normal days.
Preparation of Shukto
Shukto is a plethora of vegetables, cooked in the most unique spices with creamy milky gravy with the slightest hint of sweetness and a core taste of bitterness. The dish is prepared with lots of vegetables of ones choice. This recipe does not require any tomato. Traditionally, all the vegetables are deep fried separately. The bitter gourd is fried at the last. The fried lentil dumplings which are known as "Bori", is another delightful part of Shukto which adds a nice bite to the dish. The other ingredients which add an extra uniqueness to the signature taste of Shukto are bitter gourd, eggplant, plantain, white radish, hyacinth beans, drumsticks, potato and sweet potato.
Ingredients:
•Bitter Gourd: 1
•Eggplants: 1
•Plantain: 1
•Potato: 1
•Sweet potato: 1
•Drumsticks: 2
•White Radish: 1
•Hyacinth Beans: 4-5
•Bori: 10-15
•Poppy seeds: 2 tbsp.
•Mustard paste: 2 tbsp.
•Ginger paste: 1 tbsp.
•Panchphoran: 1 tsp.
•Randhuni: 2 tsp.
•Sugar: 1 tbsp.
•Salt to taste
•Mustard Oil: 4 tbsp.
•Ghee: 1 tbsp.
•Milk: 1 cup
•Water: 3-4 cup
Method:
1. Wash all the vegetables and cut bitter gourd, eggplant, plantain, potato, sweet potato, white radish and hyacinth beans into rectangular strips and drumsticks into 2 inch strips.
2. Heat mustard oil in a wok and fry "Bori" in medium flame and strain from oil.
3. Now sprinkle some salt and turmeric powder to the pieces of eggplant and fry in the remaining oil.
4. After that fry bitter gourd.
5. Now fry plantain, potato, sweet potato, drumsticks, white radish and hyacinth beans one by one.
6. Temper remaining oil with "Panchphoron" and "Randhuni".
7. Add ginger paste and cook for 1-2 minutes and add poppy seed and mustard paste and again cook for around 2 minutes.
8. Add salt and sugar again cook for 1-2 minutes and then add milk and water to the spice mix and bring it to boil.
9. Add all the fried vegetables along with raw drumstick and cover the wok with a lid.
10. Cook for around 8-10 minutes in low flame or till the vegetables are cooked properly.
11. Check the water level and if required add some more water since Shukto should have sufficient gravy.
12. Add ghee to the curry and boil for around 2 minutes and switch the flame off.
13. Shukto is ready to serve. It is mostly served with plain Rice.
Notes:
•The important thing to remember is to understand what kind of taste we are aiming for the gravy to have.
•The gravy needs to be slightly creamy, slightly sweet but mostly savoury and absolutely not hot.
•Also it is very essential to retain the shape of the vegetable chunks avoid overcooking.
•It is also required to cut all the veggies except drumsticks in equal size.
