Indian · Bengal · side

Shukto (Bitter Vegetable Opener with Milk and Poppy)

Shukto (Bitter Vegetable Opener with Milk and Poppy) reads sweetness 5.5, richness 4.8 and bitterness 4.4 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Indian · Bengal side, about 33 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 3.9 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 6.2 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 1.5 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 4.7 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 5.7 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 3.5 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Sweetness 5.5 · Richness 4.8 · Bitterness 4.4 · Salinity 3.6 · Allium 3.1 · Nutty 3.0 · Warm Spice 2.3 · Umami 2.3 · Fruity 2.2 · Earthy 2.0 · Floral 1.4 · Sourness 1.4 · Herbaceous 0.9 · Heat 0.7 · Citrus 0.5

What's in it (18)

• bitter gourd — 200 g
• plantain — 200 g
• drumstick — 150 g
• sweet potato — 150 g
• ridge gourd — 100 g
• mustard oil — 54 g
• panch phoron — 5 g
• radhuni seed — 5 g
• yellow mustard seeds — 15 g
• water — 44 g
• poppy seeds — 15 g
• water — 44 g
• ginger paste — 15 g
• bay leaf — 1 g
• ghee — 14 g
• regular milk — 150 g
• salt — 7 g
• sugar — 4 g

Time & effort: about 33 min (31 min active) · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 144.5 kcal, 5.6 g protein, 7.3 g fat, 15.4 g carbs

Dietary: Vegetarian · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (7 steps)

1. Heat the mustard oil in a wide pan until it smokes, then lower the heat. Fry the bitter gourd rounds for 5 to 6 minutes until the edges are brown and crisp, and lift them out. Frying the bitterness first is what keeps shukto pleasantly bitter rather than harsh.
2. Into the same oil drop the panch phoron and the bay leaves. Panch phoron is used whole and never ground; give it about 30 seconds, until the fenugreek darkens a shade and the fennel smells sweet.
3. Add the plantain, drumstick, sweet potato and ridge gourd and turn them in the spiced oil for 5 minutes, until the edges look glossy.
4. Stir in the mustard paste, poppy paste, ginger paste, salt and sugar with 200 ml water, cover and simmer 12 to 15 minutes until the vegetables give to a knife but hold their shape.
5. Return the fried bitter gourd, pour in the milk and simmer uncovered a further 5 minutes, until the sauce is the thickness of pouring cream. Do not let it boil hard or the milk will split.
6. In a small pan warm the ghee and drop in the radhuni for 15 seconds, until it smells of celery and smoke, then pour this tempering over the finished shukto. This is a closing temper, poured on at the end; it is a different gesture from the opening panch phoron and it should not be merged with it.
7. Serve first in the meal, before the dals and fish, at room temperature or barely warm.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Pisto Manchego — Spanish
• Halim — Persian
• Fasolada — Greek
• Pasta alla Norma — Italian · Sicily
• Vegetable Korma with Coconut Rice — Indian

Keep reading: what sweetness, richness, bitterness mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.