Start your main course of lunch with Shukto

 Ingredients:

1 medium-sized potato, cut into thin strips

1 medium-sized raw banana (green banana), cut into thin strips

1 medium-sized sweet potato, cut into thin strips

1 cup thinly sliced ridge gourd (Jhinge)

1 cup thinly sliced bitter gourd (Karela)

1 cup thinly sliced drumsticks (Sajne Data)

1/2 cup sliced carrots

1/2 cup green beans, chopped

1 tablespoon mustard oil (or any cooking oil of your choice)

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 tablespoon mustard paste (made from ground mustard seeds)

1 tablespoon poppy seed paste

1 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional)

Salt to taste

For the tempering:

2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)

1 bay leaf

1-2 dry red chilies

1/2 teaspoon panch phoron (Bengali five-spice mix, consisting of equal parts of fenugreek seeds, nigella seeds, cumin seeds, black mustard seeds, and fennel seeds)

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Instructions:

Wash and prepare all the vegetables as mentioned in the ingredients list.

In a deep-bottomed pan, heat the mustard oil until it starts to smoke. Turn off the heat and let it cool down a bit.

Add the chopped bitter gourd to the hot oil and sauté for a few minutes. This helps reduce the bitterness of the vegetable. Remove the bitter gourd from the oil and keep it aside.

In the same pan, add the chopped potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, and green beans. Sauté them for a few minutes until they are lightly browned.

Add the sliced ridge gourd and drumsticks to the pan and sauté for another couple of minutes.

Sprinkle turmeric powder over the vegetables and mix well.

Now, add the sautéed bitter gourd back to the pan and mix everything together.

In a separate bowl, mix the mustard paste and poppy seed paste with a little water to make a smooth paste.

Add the mustard-poppy seed paste mixture to the vegetables and stir well to coat them evenly.

Pour in the milk and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Let it cook over low heat until the vegetables are tender and the flavors have melded together. You can add a little water if needed to adjust the consistency.

Add sugar and salt to taste, stirring well.

In a small pan, heat the ghee for tempering. Add the bay leaf, dry red chilies, and panch phoron. Let them splutter and release their aroma.

Pour the tempered ghee over the cooked Shukto and give it a gentle mix.

Your Shukto is now ready to serve. Enjoy it with steamed rice for a traditional Bengali meal.

Remember that Shukto is known for its mildly bitter taste, but the bitterness can be adjusted to suit your preferences. Also, you can customize the choice of vegetables based on availability and personal taste.