Panch Mishali Shukto - 5-Vegetable Stew

Panch Mishali Shukto

Shukto

Shukto (shook-tho) is a classic Bengali dish and is the traditional beginning or starter to both festive and ordinary meals at the Bengali table. It's a melange of colourful vegetables (purple eggplants, orange carrots, white radish, white potatoes and green bitter melons) and textures (crunchy bitter melons, carrots and radish and soft melt-in-the-mouth potatoes). If available, do add shojne data/drumsticks and kanch kola/green bananas. 

Bitter melon is the main ingredient in shukto, revered for its bitter flavour and so good for balancing blood sugar levels. Because Hubby abhors bitter melon, I've made shukto sans bitter melon for him, hence the two pictures above.

Using very little oil and hardly any spices, this dish gets it zesty flavour from ginger and black mustard paste or shorshe bata that is blended with salt and a green chili. The eggplant pieces are fried first and set aside, the crunchy vegetables and potatoes are then stir-fried in ginger paste, eggplant returned to the skillet and then all of it simmered in mustard sauce.

This side dish which is both vegetarian and vegan, is best eaten with freshly steamed Basmati rice.

Stir-Fried Bitter Melon & Potatoes

Karola Alu Bhaja

Bitter melon is a super food for diabetics and can be cooked in a variety of ways. Here I've simply stir-fried it with potatoes and pumped up the taste with shrimp floss powder.

Shrimp Powder

The bitter melons or ucche I found in the Indian supermarket were young and tender, so I left the seeds intact. They added a crunch in contrast to the soft potatoes. This side dish goes well with hot rice or chapatis/tortilla.

Burmese Stir-Fried Bitter Melon and Eggplant

Burmese Stir-Fried Bitter Melon

Simple stir-fry with bitter melon which came pre-sliced, Japanese eggplant and multi-colored peppers, and seasoned with tomatoes, shrimp paste and fish sauce. The last two ingredients are what makes this a Burmese dish.

The pre-sliced bitter melon is available in Asian markets, so all I had to do was prep the other vegetables, dump it all in a skillet over medium heat and simmer it until the bitter melon was cooked.

Stir-Fried Bitter Melon & Eggplant

Karola Begun Bhaja

My trip to the Asian market a couple of days ago proved fruitful because I found a tray of already sliced bitter melons.They were of the Chinese variety which have a smoother and lighter skin than their subcontinental counterparts.

Chinese Bitter Melons

Subcontinental Bitter Melons

Chinese bitter melons are also less bitter than the subcontinental variety. The long and slender Japanese eggplants go so well when they are stir-fried along with bitter melons.

This dish is a common side served as a first course of a Bengali meal. It's so simple to make and is considered to be beneficial in lowering blood sugar levels. It tastes perfect with any form of Indian bread or steamed Basmati rice.

Ingredients:

3 bitter melons, cut in half, deseeded and sliced

2 Asian eggplants, cut in half and sliced

4 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1/2 tsp. whole Bengali 5-spice or panch phoron (equal proportions of fennel, nigella, fenugreek, cumin and mustard seeds)

salt to taste

Directions:

1. Toss both vegetables with salt to taste.
2. Heat oil over medium-high heat and sputter 5-spice.
3. Stir-fry bitter melon and eggplant slices until golden brown.
4. Adjust salt and transfer to a serving dish.

Serve with chapatis or Basmati rice.

Panch Mishali Shukto - 5 Vegetables in Mustard Sauce

Often 3, 5, 7 or 9 vegetables are combined together in a melange of textures and colours in Indian cuisine. Navratan Korma is sometimes found on the menu in Indian restaurants and that translates to a creamy mixture of 9 (navratan) vegetables. In Bengali cuisine, an odd number of vegetables are combined in a stir-fry and is called paanch (5) or shaath (7) mishali (mix).

Shukto is eaten as the first course in a Bengali meal because it is bitter due to the inclusion of bitter melon. The shukto that was served for lunch yesterday comprised bitter melon, sweet potatoes, russet potatoes, eggplant and zucchini, enveloped in a mustard sauce. 

Bitter melon is certainly an acquired taste and the reason they are a favourite is because it's been a staple in our household since my earliest memories. I once asked Mum why everyone in our family likes bitter melon so much and she said she used to steam them and hand one to each of us 8 siblings and we would walk around eating it like candy.

5 Mixed Vegetables with Crab Paste

Shukto with Crab Paste

The bitterness of the bitter melon is made more palatable with the addition of crab or shrimp paste. The cauliflower this time was really fresh and the outer leaves and stems were begging to be used, so I added them to this dish.

Stir-Fried Bitter Melon, Eggplant & Daikon Radish

Karola Begun Mulo Bhaja

Bengalis generally begin their midday meal with bitter melon which can be prepared in many different ways. I usually combine 3, 5 or 7 vegetables. Today the bitter melon is stir-fried along with oriental eggplant and daikon radish. It's a simple dish, seasoned only with salt and a splash of mustard oil.

Shukto - Bitter Melon with a Melange of Vegetables in Mustard & Poppy Seed Sauce

Bitter Melon Stir-Fried with Eggplant & Potatoes

Karola Begun Alu Thorkari

Ingredients:
2 Chinese bitter melons or 3 ucchay, deseeded and chopped
1 russet potato, peeled and chopped
2 Oriental eggplants, chopped and tossed with salt

4 Tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp. radhuni (wild celery seeds)
2 tsp. ginger paste
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped

3 sliced green chillies
1/4 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. ghee

Directions:

1. Toss eggplants with salt and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan and sputter radhuni.
3. Add onions and fry until translucent.
4. Add potatoes, salt and ginger paste.
5. Stir well and cook over medium heat until potatoes are partly cooked.
6. Add tomatoes, karela and salted eggplant, stir well, cover and cook until vegetables are soft. 
7. Stir in sugar & green chilies, cover and cook for 2 minutes.
8. Remove from heat and garnish with ghee.

Serve with steamed Basmati rice or tortillas.

Stir Fried Bitter Melon with 5 Vegetables - Shukto

Ingredients:
2 Chinese bitter melons or 3 ucchay, deseeded and chopped
1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1 russet potato, peeled and chopped
1 daikon radish, peeled and chopped
2 Oriental eggplants, chopped and tossed with salt

4 Tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp. radhuni (wild celery seeds)
2 tej pata (bay leaves)
2 tsp. ginger paste
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. roasted panch phoron powder (Bengali 5-Spice)
ghee
sliced green chillies
1/4 tsp. sugar

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a pan and sputter radhuni and tej pata.
2. Add radish, sweet & russet potatoes, salt and ginger paste.
3. Stir well and cook over medium heat until vegetables are partly cooked.
4. Add karela and salted eggplant, stir well, cover and cook until vegetables are soft.
5. Make a slurry with the flour and milk. 
6. Add sugar & green chilies to vegetables along with the slurry and stir.
7. Cover and cook for 2 minutes.
8. Remove from heat and garnish with ghee and panch phoron powder.