Shukto

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Shukto is a popular vegetable dish in Bengali cuisine usually served with rice in the West Bengal state of India and in the neighbouring country Bangladesh

prep time

20 mins

cook time

35 mins

serves

1 Bitter Gourd
1 Potato
1 Aubergine or Eggplant
½ Green Papaya (optional)
1 Green Banana
4 French Beans
½ tsp Panchphoron
1 tbsp Ginger paste
½ cup Milk
1 Bay Leaf
Salt to taste
½ tbsp Sugar
Panchphoron/Cumin Powder to top it.
1 tsp Ghee or Clarrified Butter
3 tbsp Mustard Oil to cook

Heat some oil in a pan and fry the Bitter Gourd that has been sliced earlier.
In the meanwhile, dice the vegetables in large pieces.
Once the Bitter Gourd slices are fried to the crisp, keep them aside.
Heat some oil in a pressure cooker. Temper it with some Panchphoron and a Bay leaf.
Now, put in the veggies which has been cut. Give them a gentle stir for next 5-7 minutes. Add the fried Bitter Gourd and mix everything.
Pour a cup of water and put on the lid. Let it whistle 4-5 times or till the veggies are soft and mushy.
Open the lid and put it on medium heat. Mix the milk, ginger paste and sugar together. Pour this mix into the cooked vegetables. Stir it vigorously and mash a few pieces of veggies with the back of your spoon. The consistency should be that of a light gravy just covering the veggies, but not runny at all.
Serve it hot with some roasted cumin powder and Ghee or Clarified Butter on the top.

Do checkout the other recipes in our Bengali Food Journey: Green Pea Kachori, Baigan Bhaja, Aloo Posto, Shukto, Chanar Korma, Cholar Dal, Ghee Bhat and Steamed Sandesh

Dietary Information

Nutritional Information

Typical values*	per Serving	contents
Protein	10 %	22 Kcal
Fat	24 %	56 Kcal
Carbohydrates	66 %	151 Kcal

Factoid

Shukto is mix vegetable dish Bengali dish. It has slightly bitter taste and is especially served in the banquets of Bengali The tradition of starting a meal by consuming bitters, considered to have a medicinal value, dates back to the ancient times and was promoted by the authors of Ayurveda. Shukto was consumed as a cooling agent in the hot and humid climates of the ancient kingdoms of undivided Bengal like Anga, Vanga and Kalinga. Shukto is also said to have mentions in Mangal-Kāvya, written during the medieval period and in the biographies of Sri Chaitanya.

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