Shukto (A bitter sweet medley of vegetables stewed in a milk base)

This is one of the most appetising and nourishing foods we consume, especially in the summer months, when it is sweltering hot outside and the body needs to cool down. As opposed to the notion that Bengalis never eat anything else except non-vegetarian food, I would like to mention that we actually consume more vegetables and leafy greens than any other states of India. And most of it is locally produced and sourced. This is also beneficial for the local farmers and sellers in sustaining themselves. Additionally, these type of foods also define our culture, and I think it is important for all of us to know and respect our individual cultures. I am writing all the because anyone who reads the blog, will get a bit of understanding about a typical Bengali culture as well. Fun fact: West Bengal produced the highest amount of vegetables in the year 2019 in the entire country! Essentially, shukto is a vegetarian recipe, but can also be made vegan by just changing one ingredient, hence it can cater to a large number of people. Shukto is served during occasions to the guests as a part of the meal and also made in the households on a regular basis as the ingredients are readily available in the market. This dish is typically devoured as the first course of the meal as it contains bitter gourd, and we Bengalis are used to having bitters in the form of bitter gourds (korola or uchhchhe) and neem leaves with rice and begin the meal. Ever since we are babies, and when we first consume rice after were six months old during the rice ceremony (annoprashon), the meal will surely start with some kind of bitter (preferably bitter gourd) and everything else will follow. Thus, it becomes a habit for us to eat bitter vegetables and leaves since our childhood. I will just share one last memory from my childhood over here before proceeding to the recipe. I was raised up in my maternal grandmother's house with my maternal aunts (mashi) and uncles (mama) and grandmother (didima) around. I had a weak immune system then, and I was regularly fed with the juice of Kalmegh leaves (Andrographis paniculata) and Shiuli leaves (Nyctanthes arbor-tristis). Though these leaves have superb medicinal properties but they are extremely bitter in taste. They help build the immune system better and also have properties such as cleansing the liver, alleviating cough, fever, and various skin ailments. And these two plants were grown in abundance in my maternal grandmother's house, so they used to feed me the fresh juice every morning in empty stomach. Now you will probably understand why we never say no to anything bitter, rather we enjoy the taste in most of the traditionally cooked dishes. Well, we will proceed to the recipe as I believe I have spoken much to give you all a background now.

Ingredients:

Dal bori/ vadi - 9-10 pieces (bori made with masoor dal or urad dal will do)

Shojne danta/ Drumsticks - 3, peeled and cut into 2 inch long strips

Aloo/ Potatoes - 2 medium sized, peeled and cut in rectangles

Begoon/ Brinjals - 1 medium, cut in rectangles

Korola/ Bitter gourd - 4 medium sized, cut in rectangles and de-seeded

Kanchkola/ Raw bananas - 2 regular sized, peeled and diced

Borboti/ yard-long beans - 8-10 pieces, cut in 2 inch long strips

Radhuni masala bata/ celery seeds paste -  3/4th tablespoon

Panchphoron/ Bengali 5 spice mixture - 1 teaspoon

Tejpata/ Bay leaves - 2

Salt - as required

Sugar - 1.5 teaspoon

Milk - 250 ml (I used Amul toned milk, boiled and cooled; you can use any other milk as well. And for vegan version, replace this with coconut milk)

Mustard oil - 3 tablespoon or as required (you can use refined oil as well, but shukto is traditionally cooked in and tastes best with mustard oil)

Ghee - 2.5 teaspoon (I used locally sourced cow ghee and strongly recommend you to use the same)

Water - 300 ml or as required

Procedure:

Firstly, add oil in the pan and fry the bori and keep it aside (you will see the color changing to brown and that is an indication that the bori has been fried). Then slightly fry the potatoes, brinjals, and bitter gourd pieces separately, and keep them aside for later use. Now in the same oil, add panchphoron and bay leaves for tempering. When it starts to sizzle, add the yard long beans, raw bananas, and drumsticks in it and saute it for 2 minutes with continuous stirring. Add some salt to it in the process and then add the potatoes and the bitter gourd pieces again and mix well. Keep the flame low to medium and make sure the vegetables do not burn. Splash little water if needed. Then add the radhuni masala bata to it, and give it a nice mix. Keep mixing for another 2 minutes. Now add some water to it and let it come to a boil. Cook it till the vegetables are half done. Now at this stage, add the fried brinjals to it, followed by milk. Mix well and keep the flame low. Check for the seasoning and adjust as per requirement. Cover it and let it cook till done. It should take around 5 minutes to get cooked completely. Now, add ghee to it and mix well. Switch off the flame and cover it for another 2 minutes. This way the flavour and aroma of the ghee will get infused in the dish. Now transfer it to a big bowl and place the fried boris on top of it. Use a spoon to take little broth and put it on the boris as well. This ensures that the boris remain crunchy and juicy at the same time. If you add it to the broth while cooking, it breaks and becomes very soggy, which mars the taste of it. One should pair up shukto along with steaming hot white rice, always!

P.S.: You can use vegetables like hyacinth beans (sheem), or sweet potatoes (ranga aloo), or french beans or carrots (gajor), or even green peas (koraishuti) in shukto.