Gathi Kochu er torkari(Arbi or eddoe curry)- simplest way to cook vegetable

Eddoe( Photo from wiki)

What You Need

Gathi Kochu /  Creamy Arbi / Eddoe-500gm
1 potato

A couple of green chili 

Whole Jeera/Cumin-1 tbsp
Cumin powder-1 and half tbsp(Format:  Jerra Bhaja guNro i.e. Cumin sauted dry in wok and grinded to powder)

Salt and sugar to taste. Mustard Oil

How I Did It 

1-If arbi are big in size ,cut in half. or whole.You can peel the skin or not.Also same do for a potato.
2-Boil in pressure cooker or in an open pan.
3-When boiling is done, cool ( If you did not peel the skin earlier,now peel off)
4-In a Kadai/Pan heat little musturd oil. Add a tbsp whole Jeera/cumin.
5-Add the boiled content,salt and sugar if you like.
6-Mash the content little with your laddle/spoon.
7-Cover and let it cook and absorb flavour of spice.
8-Add Jerra Bhaja guNro & green chilli and cover for few minutes. You can add little           water at this step if content is too dry to make it mashy. 9-Taste and adjust salt+sugar to get balanced taste.
10-Drizzle some ghee (and Garam Masala powder if u like its flavour) and cover.
11-Serve with steamed rice and enjoy.

Chingri diye kochu and a bliss

Being brought up in a Bengalee family now I truly believe that we can make food from anything. Khosha, Danta , bij kichui bad jay na....Vegetable peel, Stems, seeds nothing is left out from kitchen. We can make delicious dishes which sooth our taste. Every dish is wrapped into love, unique touch, Bengalee taste and most important is that every household makes each dish with its special touch. Lets talk about Kochu.
Kochu ( TARO) is something which I have seen to grow into our back yard , beside ponds in childhood. My grandmother used to take it off and then my aunt used to make 3-4 items from its whole body, except using the leaf.  Now-a-days its not that well seen because e backyard and ponds are just gone under multistory buildings. From the stem we make Kochur Shaak along with either Macher matha (fish-head fry) or Chola () or Narkel kora(coconut grind). Root here are we use to make curry or siddho makha(boil and smash). There are more formats of making this tree parts.
I do not get Kochur Shaak or Stem now in market. I get a different type of  TARO which we call Gathi Kochu /  Creamy Arbi / Eddoe .
  To refer I copy from wiki:
  Eddoe is a tropical vegetable, a variety of Colocasia esculenta, closely related to taro (dasheen), that is primarily used for its thickened stems (corms). It has smaller corms than taro, and in all but the best cultivars there is an acrid taste that requires careful cooking.The young leaves can also be cooked and eaten, but (unlike taro) they have a somewhat acrid taste.
Gathi Kochu chingri diye is just a trick from transformation from veg to non-veg. Lets cook this.

 
What You Need

10-12 Gathi Kochu /  Creamy Arbi / Eddoe
1 potato
4 green chili
1/2 tsp Whole jeera.
Salt to taste. SUgar to taste

Mustard Oil
Chingri/  shrimp ~8, Peel, clean and DE-vein shrimp.

 

 




How I Did It 

If arbi are big in size ,cut in half. or take in whole. Boil in pressure cooker or in an open pan.
Also take 1 potato .Boil with arbi.
When boiling is done, cool and peel the skin.
Cur into cubes- Only potato
In the mean time, Lightly saute the shrimps with salt and turmeric powder.
Rest for 5 minutes/ Fry in oil , Remove and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan.
Add Whole jeera.
When starts spattering, add potato and arbi in oil.
Add salt.
Stir well, its is stage which is to sense.
Boiled Arbi will leave a creamyness which is good, but do not mash those.
When its fried and cooked to brown, add little turmeric powder, green chilli and shrimp.
Cover and let it cook , you will get a nice smell when it is done.
Taste sugar and salt. Adjust.

Posto bata diye lau / Bottle gourd in Poppy seed paste

Ohh its always summer at my place. Though I am about leave this place in 2 days. Yeah, I am shifting from one city to another . Mind is full of joy, tension, hope and emotions. I can not bother summer at all. I feel that's why I am here in this city near sea where its always summer...even when it pours or at December. We cannot stand a minute under sun any season.

Though I am not at all fond of summer, but I like summer for its special foods. Bottle gourd is one of them. Its a vegetable which I have seen that many people does not like. But its good and contains lots of water . Cools body and specially its a regular thing for household in summer days.

The Posto diye lau which means I used Postobata aka Poppy seed paste to cook along with the gourd while my Mother makes it this way. My Ma makes this very often and we like the simple Lauki sabji also at home.

What You Need
 Lau/lauki/bottlegourd. Chop in thin cubes. How fine you can cut it, the soft will be vegetable.
 Kalonji /Kalo jeera
1/2 tsp of turmeric powder
Salt to taste. 
A couple of green chili slit through.
Posto bata / Poppy seed paste
Oil

How I Did It

Heat Oil in a Kadai/ frying pan.
Add some kaloni/ Kalo JeeraAdd the chopped lau aka bottlegourd. 
Add about 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder and mix well .
Add salt to taste. 
Add a couple of green chili slit through. 
Let the bottle gourd cook. It will release a lot of water but don't panic, let it cook with some quick stirs in between.
When the bottle gourd is almost done add posto bata/ poppy seed paste. Mix well and let it cook together. 
Check and adjust for salt. Add about 1/2 tsp of sugar.Mix well.
DO not cook for long time after adding Poppyseed paste, it will loose its flavor

Gathi Kochu- alu Sidhho makha / Mash potato and Arbi(Eddoe)

Being brought up in a Bengalee family now I truly believe that we can make food from anything. Khosha, Danta , bij kichui bad jay na....Vegetable peel, Stems, seeds nothing is left out from kitchen. We can make delicious dishes which sooth our taste. Every dish is wrapped into love, unique touch, Bengalee taste and most important is that every household makes each dish with its special touch. Lets talk about Kochu.

Kochu ( TARO) is something which I have seen to grow into our back yard , beside ponds in childhood. My grandmother used to take it off and then my aunt used to make 3-4 items from its whole body, except using the leaf.  Now-a-days its not that well seen because e backyard and ponds are just gone under multistory buildings. From the stem we make Kochur Shaak along with either Macher matha (fish-head fry) or Chola () or Narkel kora(coconut grind). Root here are we use to make curry or siddho makha(boil and smash). There are more formats of making this tree parts.

I do not get Kochur Shaak or Stem now in market. I get a different type of  TARO which we call Gathi Kochu /  Creamy Arbi / Eddoe .
To refer I copy from wiki:
Eddoe is a tropical vegetable, a variety of Colocasia esculenta, closely related to taro (dasheen), that is primarily used for its thickened stems (corms). It has smaller corms than taro, and in all but the best cultivars there is an acrid taste that requires careful cooking.The young leaves can also be cooked and eaten, but (unlike taro) they have a somewhat acrid taste.

I will like to share a simple loving smash arbi with plain rice tossed in mustard oil and green chilli. Its just knocking in heaven when you will have it with hot rice and may be with a spoon of ghee instead of oil.

Mashed Arbi

What You Need 

Gathi Kochu /  Creamy Arbi / Eddoe
1 potato
Salt to taste. 
A couple of green chili Mustard Oil

How I Did It 

If arbi are big in size ,cut in half. or whole. Boil in pressure cooker or in an open pan.
Also take 1 potato .Boil as wholw with arbi.
When boiling is done, cool and peel the skin.
Mash the content with a masher or your hands.
Add few drops of mustard oil, very finely chopped red onion(optional), very finely chopped green chili.
Add salt to taste.
Make rustic looking balls and serve with steaming rice and ghee.

Alu-Piazkoli Bhaja and Saturday morning breakfast

The mehendi from my hands had just started to fade.Always shaken about the dos and don's. It was a typical Indian marriage for me.I can imagine a scenario of busy railway station. The train rolled into the platform. The coolies ran towards the bogie carrying passengers large suitcases. Passenger run and sit .Match the ticket and settle down. I am now settling down. Mind is heavy with memories. Eyes are full of tears for Baba. Food is amazingly spiced for me.

A Saturday morning I was given responsibility to make Piazkoli bhaja and Roti.
Thank Almighty. Its so easy and fast.Now I make it often in winter.Sharing the recipe.

What You Need

Piazkoli chopped in 1 inch pieces
Potato in same amount i inch pieces

1 tsp of black Cumin Seeds/ Kalo JeeraSalt
2 dry red chilli

Ingredients

 
How I Did It

In a deep bottomed frying pan heat Oil
Add black Cumin Seeds, dry red chilli and saute
Add Potato and Piazkoli .Add salt and saute.
Lots of water will release. Open the lid and water will vaporize.
Fry till done.
 
Serve with Chapati or rice. As a side dish with lentils/Dal.

Simply Side dish: Jhinge Posto and Alu Posto

It was work, work and work . It was August and yet as far as the eyes could see it was BUSY.

Today was different though.Sunday and a leisure Sunday ensures I can take off from work. Dusting, cook for lunch,  argue with husband.

This post is specially for my bachelor friends who love cooking and like fast simple tips for cooking.These dishes' main attraction is Poppy seeds (Khaskhas/Posto).

And potato.This round shaped vegetable,Ahh,It is not simple vegetable..It is life saver at times.An awesome gift with which I can do anything.If I boil it, it just mesmerizes me with help of salt and ghee,if I tamper it with dry red chilli it stands by with rice/roti.I can handle it anyway.

 

Jinge Posto

What You need

Jhinge/ ridge gourd  ~ fresh  chopped about 2 cups. Can be substituted by veggies like cauliflower, beans etc
Potatoes ~ 1 large sized cut in cubes
Green Chillies ~ 2-3 slit
1.2 tsp kalonji
Poppy seeds (Khaskhas/Posto)- 5-6 tbsp of the Poppy seeds paste or posto bata.
Salt
Oil

How I Do It
Heat Oil in a Kadhai/Frying pan
Add Kalonji. Wait for the seeds to pop.
Add the green chilies and the potato.
Sprinkle a little turmeric powder and saute
Add the chopped green gourd and saute
It will release water, do not panic, let it be cooked covered.
Open over, if you want let it dry a little.
Add Posto bata.
Cover and cook by stirring off and on. Do not add water, you may sprinkle a little only. 
Taste and add salt.Remember to stir and mix frequently.Cook till done.Enjoy this dry dish with Roti or Rice. 

Alu-Posto 

What You need
Potato chopped in cubes -3 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cubed
Poppy seeds (Khaskhas/Posto)- 5-6 heaped tbsp of the Poppy seeds paste or posto bata
Green Chillies – 2-3
kalo Jeera
Salt
Turmeric Powder
Sugar -1/2 tsp
Oil
Mustard Oi

How I do it
Grind the posto/poppy seeds to a fine powder. The consistency of the paste should not be too watery. If you are wet grinding make a paste at one go.
Cut the potato in cubes and soak in water , else they develop black spots.
Chop or slit the green chillies.
Heat oil in a Kadai/Pan. Mustard Oil is preferred.
Add the Jeera/Cumin seeds and wait till they sputter.
Add the potato cubes in the oil with a pinch of haldi/turmeric powder.
Saute the potato lightly till they develop a golden tinge.
Add the posto/poppy seeds paste
Fold potatoes uniformly with paste
Add little water , salt, and the chopped green chillies.
Cover and cook till the potatoes are done.

Take care that the potatoes don't get mashed up though.

Potol Post / Pointed gourd/Parwal in poppy seed

Summer summer...
Hooh Haah
Pit Pat with sweat
I am bored with summer this year. Though I have no leave from kitchen. Its like a resort. Even in hot of oven. Summer is for bottle Gourd and Pointed gourd. Now in days of globalization though we get every vegetable all over year, still there is some special in mind always that this one is of summer, this one is for winter.
Every other day now I cook Potol for us. Lets share quickly potol posto with rice . Make it and serve it with love.What You Need
Potol/Pointed gourd/Parwal – 8 pieces large
Turmeric Powder ~ ½ tsp
Green Chillies ~ 8 cut in slits
1/4 cup of posto aka poppy seeds
1/2 tsp of Kalo Jeera/Kalonji 
Salt
Oil

How I Did It

Peel off Potol/Pointed gourd/Parwal and chop each potol in 4 along the length.
Paste Poppy seed with little water, little salt, 1 green chilli.


Heat Oil in a Kadai/ frying pan.
Add some kaloni/ Kalo Jeera.
Add the chopped Parwal Add about 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder and mix well . Add salt to taste.  Add 4 of green chili slit through.  Fry the potol till they develop brown . let it cook with some quick stirs in between. When the Potol is almost done add posto bata/ poppy seed paste. Mix well and let it cook together.  Give sprinkle of water. Its just by your measure, choice of gravy in curry.
  Check and adjust for salt. Add about 1/2 tsp of sugar.Mix well.
DO not cook for long time after adding Poppy seed paste, it will loose its flavor.

Palak Paneer - Vegeterian delicacy

One of my fond memories of my childhood is sit beside my aunt , grnadma and lick a piece of raw vegetable like cucumber,tomato in kitchen . Though they did not allow me to sit for a log time and returned me back to room . But I think that seeded the sense of cooking inside me. Otherwise I could not be able to cook without even  doing a simple dish before my marriage.
I used to make simple dishes earlier, later I have started experimenting or test hand in tricky one.This time palak paneer was a grand hit for me.

Palak Paneer

What You Need

 Paneer in small cubes. There were about 28-30 paneer cubes.

 1 clove of garlic chopped

 4 slit green chillies.

 4 cups of blanched  spinach

1 tsp of Whole Cumin Seeds/Jeera

1/4 tsp of sugar

 1 tsp of Ginger paste, 1 tsp of Cumin Powder/Jeera Powder, 2 tsp of Corriander Powder/Dhania Powder, 1/4 tsp of Red Chilli Powder 

Salt

 1/2 cup of 2% Milk

1/4 tsp of Garam masala powder

1 cube butter for garnish.

How I Did It

~Spinach Puree
In a deep bottomed frying pan heat Oil
Add 1 clove of garlic chopped, 4 slit green chillies and saute
Add 4 cups of blanched spinach
Add salt and saute til the spinach softens
Cool the above mix and make a paste in the blender. Do not add water while doing this. This is referred to as the spinach puree .

~Final dish
Heat a little Oil in the pan

Little fry Paneer Cudes.

Add 1 tsp of Whole Cumin Seeds/Jeera
Fry with 1/4 tsp of sugar
Add the spinach puree that you made
Saute for a couple of minutes
Add 1 tsp of Ginger paste, 1 tsp of Cumin Powder/Jeera Powder, 2 tsp of Corriander Powder/Dhania Powder, 1/4 tsp of Red Chilli Powder and salt
Mix the masala and saute for some more minutes (about 3-4 minutes)
Add 1/2 cup of yogurt + 1 cup of water, mix well with all the masala and let it simmer
When the gravy comes to a boil add the Paneer pieces and let the gravy simmer at low heat for 10-15 minutes (approx. timing). By this time the gravy should be thick and creamy and there should not be any raw smell.


Just before taking it off the heat sprinkle 1/4 tsp of Garam masala powder .

 Mix well .
This goes very well with Roti or Naan and even with a Rice dish with a cube of butter in it.

Chicken tandoori - My Home version and the Best one!

This is one of the Microwave dishes  me and my husband tried when we started  experimenting with it  and I wasn't still comfortable cooking meat or chicken. So I would stick to a chicken curry and stay safe with the rice.  

But this  Tandoori was definitely magical - good times assured and some very satisfied diners. Every. Single. Time. Don't take my word for it - go ahead and try it. Its a great snack, a blissful apetitizer and a must hit in guests party.

I do have a confession though - THIS IS ENTIRELY MADE BY MY HUBBY , S. The taste definitely can compete with restaurant expertize.

The Tandoor is a clay oven and dishes cooked in it are called Tandoori dishes. When meat cooked in Tandoor it forms a light crust on the outside, sealing the juices of the meat, leaving the inside moist after it is cooked. It is possible to achieve perfectly satisfactory results by using a conventional gas or oven setting it at the highest temperature, though the distinctive flavor of the clay-cooked Chicken Tandoori will not be achieved.

Chicken Tandoori

What You Need  

Chicken (legs or breast or a combination of both) : 1/2 kg

Lemon juice : 1 tbl spoon

Garlic ~ 1 large clove coarsely chopped
Ginger ~ 1 tsp
Green Chillies ~ 3 slit

Yoghurt (thick and set) : 75 gms

Tandoori Color ( available at all Indian grocery shops) : 1/2 tea spoon. You may not add color,taste will be same .

Coriander powder :  ~1 tea spoon

Cumin powder ~ 1/2 tea spoon

Black pepper powder ~ 1/4 tea spoon(Optional)

Garam masala :~ 1 tea spoon

Salt to taste.

How he Did It 

Wash the chicken pieces thoroughly with  water. 

Make length-wise incisions (cuts) with a sharp knife on each piece

Make a paste of ginger , garlic , green chillies.Add coriander powder, cumin powder into it.

Add black pepper powder(Optional), garam masala,  Mix well. 

Prepare the marinade by adding some yoghurt, salt  to it.Yoghurt should not be watery, as much dry ,tight, hanger as possible.  

Now add 'tandoor food color' to the above prepared mixture. 

Coat the chicken with the freshly prepared marinade and allow it to marinate for atleast 4 hours in refrigerator.  

Place the marinated chicken pieces in Microwave Grill tool and arrange it in an oven tray. Place it in the oven.And allow it to cook for 15 mins at 320 degrees. 

Once the meat is cooked, turn the other side . 

Test with a fork.It will be tender to touch. 

Remove the meat from the oven and gently place the meat onto a plate. 

The juice of the lemon may be squeezed onto the meat .

Muro Ghonto

Bengali kids  when they have not tasted anything beyond mother's milk ,at their Annaprashan or Rice Ceremony, an occasion to mark the intake of first morsel of rice by a Bengali baby, they are offered to suck Payesh and then presented with a silver plate with rice, dal, bhaja, maacher muro(fried fish head), fish curry, chaatni, mishti. A moment with the fish head is captured on either a film roll or a piece of digital memory .For fish loving Bongs anything fishy is "not fishy" but auspicious and might even bring good luck.

When we were kids we were pushed into this barbaric activity (of eating fish head) with an incentive that devouring fish head especially the brain part of it would enrich our brains and also make our vision stronger."Khub buddhi hobe (You will have a high intelligence)", my Ma or Aunt would shout.

By the time we were teenagers and had lost sight to myopia and also lost faith in "more buddhi" when we saw veggie eating South Indians topping the IIT-JEE every year.

The deed was done, we were now fish head loving converts for life.

Muri Ghonto is a dry dish made with fried fish head (known as maacher matha or muro in Bengali), potatoes, very little rice and spices. Don't turn up your nose, it smells nothing but heavenly and tastes more so. If you haven't sucked onto a piece of fish head and pondered on the complexities of life while doing so, you have not lived a full life.

To eat and relish Muri Ghonto you need a long leisurely afternoon, enough time to deal with fish head pieces without being rushed, company that will let you sit cross-legged on your dining chair and rest your elbows on the table, people who will not make fun of your facial expressions and of course a nice nap afterward.

When I made this,my husband had with Rice,I itself.One of friends(Paku) called then and gave a great comment "Bhat diye bhat khli tora?"(Have you guys had rice with ric as side dish?)

Muri Ghonto

What You need

Fish Head (Rui/ Katla)

Oil

Bay Leaves
Cardamom
Cinnamon
Green Chilly
Onions
Ginger
Salt to taste
Ghee
Coriander powder
Garma masala
Red Chilly powder
Turmeric
Rice
Water
Potato
Prep: Wash and clean fish head, sprinkle salt and turmeric and let it sit for 15-30 minutes. I used half of a regular sized fish head for fish like Rohu or Rui. I have not used fish head of salt water fish or any other fish than Rohu for this dish ever and do not know how it might taste.
How I do it

Heat Oil in a Kadhai/Frying Pan

Fry the Fish head till its nicely fried. While frying try breaking it into medium sized pieces, kind that is easier to suck on but will not choke you. Remove and keep aside.

Fry 2 cut and cubed potatoes to a light golden, remove and keep aside

Temper the Oil with a large Bay Leaf, 2 green cardamom and a 1/2" cinnamon stick

Add the paste of one medium sized onion and fry till the oil separates and the onion has taken on a light brownish hue

Add 1-2 tsp of fresh grated ginger, 2-3 slit green chillies, 1 tsp of Cumin powder and saute the masala with a sprinkle of water for couple of minutes. Now add back the potatoes

Saute for a minute

Add 1 cup of uncooked and washed Gobindo bhog( a variety of rice).  Basmati Rice also works.

Fry for a couple of minutes and add the fried fish head pieces.

Add 1 tsp of fresh Garam Masala Powder, 1/4 tsp or less of Red Chilli Powder, salt and mix well.

Add about 1 cup of water and cover and cook at low heat.

Check to see if you need water in between, and stir in between.

Cook till the rice and potatoes are done. It should be moist but will not have a gravy.

Add Ghee on top.(Optional)

 

Dhokar Dalna -the master piece of Bengali Cuisine

I always try to avoid things that are hard. Force me in a difficult situation and I will be fine coping with it and coming out stronger but given a choice I will try to avoid the difficult route.

Dhokar Dalna, the master piece of Bengali Cuisine has eluded me all these years. I love Dhokar Dalna, to eat that is, to cook, I always dismissed it as "too difficult". But I do it cause its yummy.

So I made it today, I wouldn't say total success, there are these small nuances that need to be taken care of next time. I am yet to get the right texture for the lentil paste to make the cakes and some of my dhokas or lentil cakes were cracking which shouldn't happen.

Dhokar Dalna, is one of the pillars of Niramish(Vegetarian) Bengali Cuisine, just like Shukto. The lightly spiced lentil cakes or dhoka are fried and then simmered in a gravy made with tomatoes and ginger, spiced with cumin and coriander. This dish traditionally is a purely satvik dish, sans any onion or garlic like most Bengali Niramish(vegetarian) dishes. Bengali widows were not allowed to eat onion or garlic and the Bengali vegetarian cuisine is mostly their contribution, that explains why it is satvik.

The dhokas are such a delight and the gravy is so fragrant that you wouldn't even miss onion or garlic in here. Enjoyed best with plain white rice, the dhoka sure brings joy, though it actually means "to cheat".

Dhokar Dalna

To Make the Dhoka or the Lentil Cakes
Make powder of 1& 1/2 cup of Cholar Dal/Chana Dal/Bengal Gram in mixer
or Soak 1& 1/2 cup of Cholar Dal/Chana Dal/Bengal Gram in water overnight and drain the water.

Now the grinded lentils + 6 green chili + little salt
to a fine paste. Add little water as required for grinding

Heat Oil in a Kadhai/Frying Pan. Temper the Oil with
3/4 tsp of Whole Cumin seeds/Jeera,
a pinch of Asafoetida/Hing,
1/2 tsp of sugar,
and 1& 1/2 tsp of Ginger paste.

Add the lentil paste/ground dal to this and cook until the mix comes off the sides clean. The dal should be cooked so that is moist and soft but not runny or hard. Note: This step is really tricky.You need to stir vigorously else the paste will stick to the sides and you need to be careful to remove the moisture without making it hard. Add little oil as needed to avoid sticking.

Smear a flat plate with oil and pour the soft dal mix on this. While it is warm, pat lightly with your hands to form a flat, slightly raised round structure

With a knife make squares or diamond shapes

Heat some more Oil and fry the lentil cakes till golden brown on both sides. Take care that they do not break

To Make the Gravy

Heat Oil in a Kadhai or any other thick bottomed pan

Fry 1 potato chopped in eights till golden, remove and keep aside.

Temper the Oil with
2 small Bay leaf/Tej Patta,
3/4 tsp of Cumin Seeds/Jeera
and a pinch of Asafoetida/Hing(For better taste)

Add 1 tomato finely chopped and 1 tsp of freshly grated ginger. Saute till tomato is reduced to a pulp and there is no raw smell.
Add the potatoes . Add salt to taste and cover and cook till potatoes are ittle fried.
In some water mix
1/2 tsp of Corriander Powder, 1/2 tsp of  Regular Cumin Powder, 1/2 tsp of Red Chili Powder and a little turmeric to make a fine paste.
Add this paste to the Kadhai. and fry the masala at low heat.

Add water for gravy,not a large amount.

Adjust for any seasonings, add a little sugar. Add about 1/4 tsp of Garam Masala and gently mix.Now gently slide in the pieces of dhoka or the fried lentil cakes. Simmer for couple of minutes to let the dhoka soak up the gravy. Note:If like mine some of your dhokas are cracking do not add them to the gravy, rather place them on the serving dish and pour the gravy on them.

Serve with hot white rice.

Bangali Shukto/ Bitter dish from Bengal

Traditional Bengali meal consists something bitter , Dal, Bhaja,vegetable, fish/Meat, chutney and a sweet dessert.Most surprising is that this course is almost very regular in every Bengali family . When occasion comes, then it gets long.
Bitter dish mainly Shukto , Neem begun bhaja etc(neem leaves and brinjal lightly sauted)

Shukto is a mix of vegetables with a dominating taste to the bitterness. I do not know and I think many will agree with me its still a mystery how a specific aroma comes out from shukto after cooking with some common vegetables.And it tastes different for each cook.Sometime little gravy,someone dry.It depends on personal preference.

And Shukto should be had only during the day so don't have it for dinner. Don't know reason yet. Its like a idiom passing through generation.

Yes, I am a big Shukto fan and my family too.

What you Need

Uchche or Bitter Gourd – 10 chopped

Begun or Brinjal – 2 in small size chopped
KanchaKola or Raw Cooking Banana – 1 chopped
Sajne Danta– 6 chopped in 1" stick size
Sweet Potato / normal Potato– 1 chopped
Kumro/ Pumpkin ~ chopped 5 pieces approx



Vadi (pallets of ground lentil paste and later dried ) ~ 10/15 small ones
Milk ~2 cups
Salt,Sugar
Ghee

For Phoron or Tempering
Whole Mustard Seeds ~ 1 tbsp

Tejpata or Bay Leaves ~2
Radhuni ~ 1 tbsp. This has a very nice aroma and easily available in grocery

How I Do It

Chop the vegetables. Try to cut them in the same shape .
Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a Kadai/Pan
Fry the vadi till they are brown and crispy.Keep aside.

Add tejpata (bay leaves) and the whole musturd seeds,Radhuni in oil
When they start sputtering,add the veggies.

Saute. When they are little soft add salt ,water. Water to cook the vegetables, this dish is not gravy based so don't add too much water.
Cover and cook in low flame till the veggies are cooked and there is very little water.
Now, slowly add milk to moist veggies.
Once the vegetables are almost done add a very little sugar.
Add the fried vadis at the end and sprinkle Ghee on top.

Keep it cover and serve with rice at lunch. Its a delicacy of summer noon.