Shukto - Low Spiced Bitter Bengali Vegetable Dish

Name: Shukto - Low Spiced Bitter Bengali Vegetable Dish
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Bengali Muslim (Dhaka & Kolkata)
Ingredients: 50 g bitter melons; 100 g raw papayas; 2 piece raw bananas; 100 g pumpkin; 100 g eggplants; 1 piece medium sized potato; 1 tbsp ginger paste; 1 tsp panch phoron; 1 tsp cumin powder; 1 tbsp poppy seed paste; 1 tbsp rice bran; 0.5 tsp sugar; salt; 500 ml water

Oven-baked aubergine, bitter melons and papayas, warmed with ginger and cumin. It comes to the table with rice.

50 min · Serves 4 · Medium

Method

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Time: Prep 20 min · Cook 30 min · 50 min total
Difficulty: medium

1
Dice all vegetables in inch long pieces. wash & keep aside in water as raw banana turns black when in direct contact with air.
2
Heat Oil in wok/pan. Add panch phoron. As soon as it splutters, add ginger paste. After a minute, add cumin powder. Add all vegetables, stir for 5 minutes. Add salt to taste & poppy seed paste. Stir and pour water. Bring to boil, sim and cover the pan slightly.
5 min
3
Keep stirring & checking in between for vegetables to be cooked completely. As soon as the vegetables are done(test by taking a piece each and mash/slice with spoon wihtout any difficulty), add sugar. The gravy should not be very thick. Remove from gas oven and serve with rice(brown).