Shukto is a traditional Bengali dish typically served as the first course of a meal. It is made with a fine assortment of vegetables and spices, creating a unique flavor profile that is both savory and slightly bitter.
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It's not a common recipe and that's exactly what would make your dish unique, if you are entertaining your friends on special occasions.
After trying this Bengali shukto recipe at restaurants, I am attempting a healthy way to prepare it with lots of veggies in the same bengali style.
Just like my Bengali masoor dal and Bengali moong dal recipe, this was also a huge hit among my friends and got several recipe requests.
Serve this with hot rice or poori and you will see what I mean!
Why I Love this
- The combination of vegetables, such as bitter gourd, eggplant, and green beans, adds a variety of textures and flavors to the dish.
- Using spices like cumin, coriander, and turmeric gives it a flavorful and aromatic taste.
- It's a great way to include different types of vegetables in your diet.
Ingredients
- Mixed vegetables: bottle gourd, chayote, squash, white radish, eggplant, potatoes, sweet potatoes and green beans
- Paanch phoron (Bengali five spice mix): fenugreek seeds, nigella seeds, cumin seeds, mustard seeds and fennel seeds
- Mustard oil: traditional in Bengali cuisine but can be substituted with olive oil.
- Fresh Ginger or ginger paste
- Green chilies
- Turmeric powder
- Bay leaves
- Grated coconuts
- Poppy seed and Mustard seeds
See the recipe card for a list of ingredients and quantities, plus recipe instructions. You can find the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Instructions
Begin by washing and cutting the vegetables into the same size. I chopped them in length-wise.
Place all the vegetables except eggplant inside the inner pot and add ¾ cup water.
Press the pressure cook button and set the time for 1 minute.
After timer expires, release the pressure manually. Drain the water and place it aside.
Meanwhile blend the coconut, mustard seeds and poppy seeds with water into smooth paste and set it aside.
In the pot, heat mustard oil and temper with panch phoron spice, bay leaf, ginger and green chilies.
Add the eggplant and sauté until they are all well roasted. Add turmeric powder and mix well.
Add the boiled vegetables and the blended poppy seed paste to the pan.
Let it cook for a few minutes until the vegetables are fully coated with the spices. Serve hot with rice or poori.
Top Tips
- Make sure to cut all your vegetables into similar sizes for even cooking.
- Adjust the number of green chilies according to your preferred level of spiciness.
- Instead of cooking vegetables in an Instant Pot, you can also sauté them in a pan separately or a pressure cooker until they are cooked.
- Add a teaspoon of sugar to balance out the bitterness if desired.
Storage
This dish can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It is recommended to reheat it on the stovetop rather than the microwave for better texture and taste.
Variations
- Medley of vegetables can be used such as carrots, pumpkin, bell peppers, and zucchini.
- For the traditional shutko, you would also add raw papaya, green banana (plantain), and bitter gourd. But for a simpler version, you can skip them.
- Instead of grated coconut, you can use coconut milk.
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📖 Recipe
Bengali Mixed Vegetable Curry (Shukto Recipe)
Equipment
Process Shot
Check above for step-by-step pictures (most of my recipes include pictures)
Ingredients
- 1 bottle gourd - chopped lenthy wise
- 1 chayote squash - chopped lengthy wise
- 1 white radish - chopped lengthy wise
- 1 cup eggplants - chopped lengthy wise
- 2 potatoes - chopped lengthy wise
- 1 sweet potatoes - chopped lengthy wise
- 1 cup green beans
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon panch phoron spice
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
- ½ cup grated coconuts
- 4 green chilies - chopped
- 1 teaspoon ginger - grated
Instructions
- Begin by washing and cutting the vegetables into the same size. I chopped them in length-wise.
- Place all the vegetables except eggplant inside the inner pot and add ¾ cup water.1 bottle gourd, 1 chayote squash, 1 white radish, 2 potatoes, 1 sweet potatoes, 1 cup green beans
- Press the pressure cook button and set the time for 1 minute.
- after timer expires, release the pressure manually. Drain the water and place it aside.
- Meanwhile blend the coconut, mustard seeds and poppy seeds with ½ cup of water into smooth paste and set it aside.1 teaspoon mustard seeds, ½ cup grated coconuts, 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
- In the pot, heat mustard oil and temper with panch phoron spice, bay leaf, ginger and green chilies.1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon panch phoron spice, 1 teaspoon ginger, 4 green chilies
- Add the eggplant and sauté until they are all well roasted.1 cup eggplants
- Add turmeric powder and mix well.½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- Add the boiled vegetables and the blended poppy seed paste to the pan. (add cooked vegetable water if required)
- Let it cook for a few minutes until the vegetables are fully coated with the spices. Serve hot with rice or poori.
Notes
- Make sure to cut all your vegetables into similar sizes for even cooking.
- Adjust the number of green chilies according to your preferred level of spiciness.
- Instead of cooking vegetables in an Instant Pot, you can also sauté them in a pan separately or a pressure cooker until they are cooked.
- Add a teaspoon of sugar to balance out the bitterness if desired.
YOUR OWN NOTES
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
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