Shukto

Shukto -

A traditional Bengali recipe. A classic melange of vegetables cooked with poppy seeds and mustard and my all time favorite menu by my super Mom.... :P

Ingredients:

5 types of vegetables in combination from this following list-
1 Kanch kola- raw or green banana
1 cup of chopped  Green papaya
½ Mulo/white radish or 8-10 red radish
9-10 Sojne data/ drumsticks pieces of roughly 1-2 inch
Aloo/potato
Mishti aloo/ranga aloo/sweet potato
Begun/brinjal/eggplant
Potol/parwal/pointed gourd
Sheem/hyacinth
Jhinge/ridge gourd
Borboti /beans or may use yard long beans
Uche/Korola/bitter gourd- Uche is different from Korola

Other Ingredients:
Oil 5 tablespoons
Poppy seeds (khuskhus/posto) 2 tablespoons
Mustard seeds 1 teaspoon
Ginger 1 inch piece
Panch phoran 1 teaspoon (Panch phoron is a mixture of 5 spices in equal amount - Cumin seeds, Fennel seeds, Nigella seeds, Fenugreek seeds, Mustard seeds)
Bay leaves 2
Sugar 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Ghee 1 tablespoon

Method:

Wash and cut the bitter gourd into thin roundels. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a pan and fry bitter gourd slices lightly. Drain and keep aside. Make a thick paste of poppy seeds, mustard seeds and ginger. Heat the remaining oil in a kadai. Add panch phoron and bay leaves. When the seeds start to crackle, add the chopped vegetables and stir lightly. Add the ground spices and stir for five to seven minutes. Add two cups of water and cover. Cook on medium heat stirring occasionally till vegetables are almost cooked. Add the fried bitter gourd, salt and sugar. Stir and add a tablespoon of ghee. Cook for another two minutes till gravy is not too thick nor too dry. Serve hot with rice.