Sukto- The Bengali starter

A traditional Bengali meal usually consists of five to six courses, starting off with something bitter and ending with a sweet dessert. Dal–bhaja, a vegetable, fish and chutney find their way in between and are served as well as eaten in that order. I think the six courses were to give importance to the six basic tastes or rasas. The first course which is bitter can be a dry preparation of Uchche (bitter gourd), fried neem leaves, neem-begun or the culinary epitome of bangla cuisine the Shukto.

With the summer on, sukto is a must at every bengali home. As my mom used to say, it keeps the body away fom all diseases, and hence keeps you healthy. Shukto is a mix of vegetables with an emphasis to the bitterness, a preparation where instead of hiding the bitterness , it is the taste around which the dish evolves. The bitter taste is said to be good for cleansing the palate and also for letting the digestive juices flow and so no doubt it is a good start off to the meal to follow.

Shukto is also a culinary experience for whoever eats it and a culinary achievement for whoever cooks it. In fact a Bengali cook is judged by his or her shukto preparation. Though I don't understand what's so diificult about cooking it, but that might be because I haven't reached the desired culinary height of tasting and neither has my Shukto been dissected and analysed by the Shukto patrol. My shukto doesn't turn out as good as my Ma's or my Ma-in-law's but then that's natural, that's what Mothers are for.

All said and done I am not a big shukto fan though my husband is and thinking of all the goodness that comes out of eating it, we do have occasional Shukto weekends.

Before going into the recipe I would briefly describe the medley of veggies that go into this dish. Lots of veggies to be chopped so be sure to get your bitter (uh-oh better) half to chop them up.

What you Need

• Uchche or Bitter Gourd – 1 chopped
• Jhinge or Ridge Gourd – 1 chopped
• Begun or Brinjal – 1 chopped
• KanchaKola or Raw Cooking Banana – 1 chopped
• String Benas – 10 chopped
• Potato – 1 chopped
• Vadi (nuggets made of ground lentil and later dried )~ 10/15 small ones (Optional)
• For Phoron or Tempering
• Methi or Fenugreek seeds – 1 tsp
• Tejpata or Bay Leaves -- 4
• Hing or Asafoetida Powder – a pinch
• For Paste
• Mustard seeds ~ 2tbsp soaked in water.
• Poppy Seeds ~ 1 tbsp soaked in water
• I always make the above paste and keep it in the fridge for later use during the week so I use more. Often the grinder is such that it is difficult to make a fine paste with little amount.
• Ginger Paste ~ fresh grated ginger about 1 tbsp
• Milk – 1/3 cup
• Salt
• Ghee

How I Do It

• Chop the vegetables as shown in the picture. Try to cut them in the shape as in the pic.
• Wet grind the mustard seeds and poppy seeds to a fine paste. While grinding put a little salt. If you are using a dry grinder make a paste of the dry ground mustard powder in a little vinegar and salt, this is because dry grinding sometimes makes the mustard taste bitter.
• Saute the vegetables, bitter gourd being the last, lightly and keep aside
• Fry the vadi till they are brown and crispy
• Heat 2 tbsp of ghee in a Kadai/Frying Pan
• Add the methi (fenugreek) seed, tejpata (bay leaves) and the hing (asafoetida powder)
• When they start sputtering and you get the smell of hing rising add the veggies.
• Add about 1 1/2 to 2 tbsp of the mustard & poppy seeds paste.
• Add the Ginger paste
• Mix well, add salt add water and 1/3 cup of milk. Enough water to cook the vegetables, this dish is not gravy based so don't add too much water.
• Cover and cook till the veggies are cooked and there is very little water.
• Once the vegetables are almost done add a little suagr.
• Add the fried vadis at the end.

Note: If you wish to make it a gravy, then you can add a little water. it does taste good with a little moist in it.

Have this with white rice and remember to start off your lunch with this.