Allergens in Shukto: milk, mustard.
Ingredients
Quantities for 4.
- 1 medium, in thin rounds Bitter Gourdthe shukto in shukto. Do not leave it out
- 2, cut into 7cm lengths Drumstick
- 1, peeled and cut into thick batons Raw Banana
- 1 small, in 2cm cubes Sweet Potato
- 1 small, in 2cm cubes Eggplant
- 1 small, sliced into half-moons Radish
- 200ml, full fat Milk
- 1 tsp, ground to a paste with 2 tbsp water Mustard Seeds
- 1 tbsp, soaked and ground Poppy Seedsadds body to the gravyoptional
- 1 tsp Panch Phoron
- 1/2 tsp, lightly crushed Fennel Seeds
- 2 tsp, grated to a paste Ginger
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 3 tbsp Mustard Oil
- 1 tbsp Ghee
- 1 tsp Sugar
- to taste Salt
- 300ml Water
Cookware
stovetop, kadhai
Checked against the ingredient list for ten allergens: milk, egg, fish, crustaceans, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, mustard, soy and gluten. Brands vary, so read the label on anything new to you.
Before you start
- Soak the poppy seeds in hot water 30 minutes, then grind with the mustard seeds and 2 tbsp water.
- Cut all the vegetables to roughly the same length so they finish together.
- Have the milk out of the fridge. Cold milk added to a hot pan is more likely to split.
Method
- Heat 2 tbsp mustard oil to smoking, cool slightly, then fry the bitter gourd rounds 3-4 minutes until browned at the edges. Lift out and set aside.Frying the bitter gourd separately keeps its bitterness pleasant rather than dominating.
- In the same oil, fry the eggplant and raw banana for 3 minutes until just coloured. Set aside.
- Add the remaining 1 tbsp oil, the bay leaf and the panch phoron, and let it crackle for 15 seconds.Panch phoron burns fast, count the seconds.
- Add the ginger paste and cook 30 seconds until it smells sweet rather than raw.
- Add the drumstick, radish and sweet potato with the salt and 300ml water. Cover and simmer 12 minutes.
- Return the fried vegetables to the pan and simmer uncovered 5 minutes more.
- Stir the mustard and poppy paste into the milk, then pour it in and bring to the barest simmer.Never let it boil once the mustard paste is in. Boiling turns mustard sharply bitter.
- Cook 4-5 minutes until the gravy is the thickness of single cream.
- Add the sugar and crushed fennel, taste for salt, and finish with the ghee off the heat.
- Rest 10 minutes. Shukto is served slightly warm, not piping hot, at the start of the meal.
Storage
Best eaten the day it is made. It will keep 1 day refrigerated; reheat over low heat without boiling.
Nutrition Good estimate
One serving of Shukto (280 g) is about 299 calories, or 107 calories per 100 g.
Low protein: 4 g a serving, 6% of the calories
| Per serving280 g | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 299 kcal | 107 kcal |
| Protein | 4.5 g | 2 g |
| Carbohydrate | 35.9 g | 13 g |
| of which sugars | 17.5 g | 6 g |
| Fibre | 4.5 g | 2 g |
| Fat | 17.2 g | 6 g |
| of which saturated | 4.3 g | 2 g |
| of which unsaturated | 11.2 g | 4 g |
Ingredients given to taste count as zero, so the real figures run a little higher. Nearest database match used for panch phoron. Estimated from raw ingredients using USDA FoodData Central.
More like this: Vegetarian Indian recipes · Gluten-free Indian recipes · No onion no garlic recipes · Bengali recipes
Times, yields, allergens and nutrition are guidance. Use your own judgement on doneness and on storing. More in About.