Shukto

I gave my best try to create a Bangla cuisine, though I haven't lived in Bengal. A traditional Bengali meal consists of six dishes (each dish of each taste bud). After researching here and there all over the cyber world and my personal treasure of Indian recipes, I confirmed that a bitter dish is eaten first and at last is sweet which is quite 'sweet' after tingling with the taste buds. What I love about Bengali cuisine is fish and sweets. The very mention of my favourites make me drool now.

Coming back to the point, Shukto is a Bengali dish which contains bittergourd and other mixed veggies. The veggies shouldn't be cooked in such a way that they're mushy. This reminds me of aviyal. It should be eaten in the afternoons with rice only, and that too during summers. The reason? Very simple. It causes indigestion if consumed at night.

Personally speaking, I recommend bitter gourd lovers all over the world to enjoy this dish. It gets your digestive enzymes rushin' and gushin' in the stomach when you're having a meal at a Bengali restaurant.

Ingredients:
Bittergourd/uchche - 1
Beans - 8
Drum stick - 1
Green plantain - 1
Potato - 1 (medium)
Radish - 1/2
Pointed gourd/parwal - 2
Brinjals - 2
Ginger - 1 tbsp. (finely grated or paste)
Panch phoron - 1 tsp.
Bay leaves - 2 (small)
Asafoetida - 1/4 pinch
Milk - 2 tbsp.
Mustard oil
Salt (to taste)
Sugar (to taste)
Bori/wadi/sun-dried lentil dumplings - 2 (optional)
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp.
Poppy seeds/posto - 2 tbsp.

Method:
Soak poppyseeds and mustard seeds in warm water for a few hours ( I soaked overnight). Grind them into a paste. Keep aside.
Dice all the veggies. Cut the drumstick into 1.5 inch long.
Heat the oil and fry the bittergourd and wadi (if using and I didn't use) till golden brown colour each separately.
In a pan, add mustard oil and temper with panch phoron, bay leaves and asafoetida.
Now add the hard vegetables and then the tender ones. Saute till lightly brown.
Mix ginger and mustard-poppy seeds paste with vegetables.
Now add the fried bitter gourd and mix.
Add salt and required water.
Cover and cook in low flame. Don't allow the vegetables to become mushy.
When the vegetables are cooked, add 2 tbsp. of milk and sugar. Mix well.
Add the wadis finally and mix.
Enjoy with rice for lunch.
Bon Appetit!
Sent off to "Flavours of Bengal" hosted by Priya and started by Nayna.

Posted in: lunch, side dish