Shukto with rice
The bitter-sweet vegetable stew that opens a Bengali meal: bitter gourd fried crisp, then raw banana, sweet potato, drumsticks and brinjal cooked gently with panch phoron, a paste of mustard and ginger and a splash of milk, finished with ghee and a pinch of roasted spice. No onion or garlic and no chilli heat; it is eaten first, with plain rice, to wake up the appetite. Many homes add fried bori (lentil dumplings) and temper it with radhuni instead of panch phoron.
- 55 minTime
- 38 minHands-on
- 4Portions
- 13 gprotein per portion
- 660kcal per portion
Ingredients for 4 portions
- 1 ½ tbspMustard seeds
- 1Bitter gourd, thinly sliced
- 1Raw banana (plantain), raw, peeled, in batons
- 150 gSweet potato, peeled, in batons
- 1Potato, peeled, in batons
- ½Brinjal, in batons
- 2Drumsticks (moringa), in finger-length pieces
- 1 tbspGinger, grated
- to tasteSalt
- 3 tbspMustard oil
- 1Bay leaf
- 1 ½ tspPanch phoron
- ≈ 200 mlWater
- 1 tspSugar
- 250 mlMilk
- 1 tbspGhee
On the side
- 350 gRice
Method
- Soak the mustard seeds in a little warm water.
- Slice the bitter gourd thinly. Peel the raw banana, sweet potato and potato, cut them and the brinjal into finger-sized batons, and cut the drumsticks into finger-length pieces. Keep the raw banana in water so it doesn't darken.
- Wash the rice and put a large pan of water on to boil for it.
- Boil the rice uncovered in the bubbling water until the grains are soft, 12–15 minutes. Drain off the starchy water and keep the rice covered.
- Drain the mustard seeds and grind them in the mixie with the ginger, a pinch of salt and a few spoons of water to a smooth paste.
- Heat the mustard oil in a kadai until it smokes, then lower the heat. Fry the bitter gourd until crisp and golden, about 4 minutes, and lift it out.
- Add the bay leaf and 1 teaspoon of the panch phoron to the oil and, when they splutter, the raw banana, sweet potato, potato, brinjal and drumsticks. Fry gently for 5 minutes, turning, until lightly coloured at the edges.
- Stir in the mustard and ginger paste, then add the water, sugar and salt. Cover and cook on a low flame for 10–12 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
- Pour in the milk, return the fried bitter gourd and simmer uncovered for 3–4 minutes without letting it boil hard.
- Dry-roast the rest of the panch phoron in a small pan until fragrant and crush it. Stir it into the shukto with the ghee and serve with the rice, as the first thing on the plate.
