Rui Macher Shukto

 

            Ah!! My favorite Shukto in a new avatar - a non-veg version cooked with Rui Mach (Rohu Fish). So here is my version and my first try at preparing this traditional Bengali delicacy with Rui Mach. You may add any other fish pieces too. 

                It is a yummy dish that is tempered with Bengali five spice - panch phoron and finished off with some mustard paste, milk, ghee and roasted panch phoron powder. It is simply divine and a must try recipe for all fish lovers. 

           Shukto in general is a traditional Bengali cuisine and a great comfort food for most Bengalis. It is prepared with a medley of mixed veggies in many ways. You may add other veggies like raw banana, drumstick, potato, pumpkin, etc. No menu is complete without this dish. 

          Each household has their own secret way of preparing it and is served with hot steamed rice at the beginning of a full course meal. So check out a step by step pictorial recipe to prepare this non-veg. version of shukto. 

• 2 pieces of Rohu Fish
• 2 cups mixed veggies, cut lengthwise (radish, carrot, raw papaya, eggplants, bottle gourd)
• 1 small bitter gourd, cut lengthwise
• 8-10 bori / vadi (dried lentil dumplings)
• 3-4 tbsp. mustard oil
• 2-3 bay leaves 
• 1 dry red chili, broken
• 1 tsp. panch phoron (five spice)
• 2 green chilies, slit
• salt to taste 
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tbsp. mustard paste / kasundi
• 1 tbsp. ghee

Dry roast & grind - 

1 tbsp. panch phoron

1 tsp. radhuni (celery seeds)

          Dry roast and grind the panch phoron and radhuni into a fine powder. Keep aside.

          Marinate the fish pieces with a pinch of salt and turmeric powder for 10 minutes.

          Heat oil in a pan and fry the fish till light brown in colour. Drain and keep aside.

 

          Fry the bori in the same oil till golden in colour. Drain and keep aside. 

          Then fry the bitter gourd pieces till light golden and keep aside. 

          Temper the same oil with bay leaves, red chilies and panch phoron. Sauté for a few seconds. 

           Add the chopped veggies and stir fry on a high flame for 2-3 minutes. 

          Add the fried bitter gourd, salt to taste and green chilies. Simmer, covered, on a low to medium flame till the veggies are almost done. 

          Now add the fried fish and the fried bori. Cook further till done. 

          Add the milk, mustard paste and ghee. Give it a stir and simmer for 1-2 minutes.

          When done, add 1 tsp. of the ground spice powder. Cover and keep aside for 4-5 minutes. Serve with hot steamed rice. 

                    Dry roast the panch phoron and radhuni.

                     Grind into a fine powder. Keep aside.

Marinate the fish pieces with a pinch of salt & turmeric powder for 10 minutes.
Heat oil & fry the fish till light brown in colour. Keep aside.

 Fry the bori in the same oil till golden in colour. Drain & keep aside. 

        Then fry the bitter gourd pieces till light golden & keep aside. 

Temper the same oil with bay leaves, red chilies & panch phoron. Sauté for a few seconds. 

     Add the chopped veggies & stir fry on a high flame for 2-3 minutes. 

Add the fried bitter gourd, salt to taste & green chilies. Simmer, covered, till the veggies are almost done.

                Add the fried fish & the fried bori. Cook further till done. 

   Add the milk, mustard paste & ghee. Mix well & simmer for 1-2 minutes.

When done, add 1 tsp. of the ground spice powder. Cover & keep aside for 4-5 minutes.

                      Serve with hot steamed rice. 

Ilish Macher Shukto

          Ah!! My favourite Shukto in a new avatar - a non-veg version cooked with Ilish Macher Matha (Hilsa Fish Head). So here is my version and my first try at preparing this traditional Bengali delicacy with Hilsa Fish Head. You may add any other pieces too. It is a yummy dish that is tempered with Bengali five spice - panch phoron and finished off with some kasundi, milk and ghee. It is simply divine and a must try recipe for all fish lovers. 

          Shukto in general is a traditional Bengali cuisine and a great comfort food for most Bengalis. It is prepared with a medley of mixed veggies in many ways. No menu is complete without this dish. Each household has their own secret way of preparing it and is served with hot steamed rice at the beginning of a full course meal. 

• 1 Hilsa fish head, cut into half
• 2 cups mixed veggies, cut lengthwise (raw papaya, potato, radish, carrot, raw banana)
• 1 small bitter gourd, cut lengthwise
• 8-10 bori / vadi (dried lentil dumplings)
• 3-4 tbsp. mustard oil
• 2 bay leaves 
• 1-2 dry red chilies
• 1 tsp. panch phoron (five spice)
• 1 tsp. ginger, grated
• 2 green chilies, slit
• salt to taste 
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder 
• 1 tsp. roasted cumin powder
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tbsp. kasundi / mustard paste
• 1 tbsp. ghee

           Marinate the fish head with a pinch of salt and turmeric powder for 10 minutes.

          Heat oil in a pan and fry the fish head till light brown in colour. Drain and keep aside. Fry the bitter gourd till light golden and keep aside. 

          Temper the same oil with bay leaves, red chilies and panch phoron. Sauté for a few seconds. Add the ginger and bori and fry till light brown.

           Add the chopped veggies and all the dry spices. Mix everything well and stir fry on a high flame for 2-3 minutes. 

          Add 2 cups water, fried bitter gourd and green chilies. Simmer, covered on a low flame till the veggies are half done. Now add the fried fish head and cook further till done. 

          Add the milk, kasundi and ghee. Give it a stir and simmer for a minute. Serve  with hot steamed rice. 

                         Panch Phoron Spice (mustard, cumin, fenugreek, nigella & fennel)

                        Bay leaves, Bori (dried lentil dumplings), dry red chilies & ginger.

Neem Shukto (Mixed Vegetable Curry with Neem Leaves - Bengali Style)

           Shukto is a traditional Bengali cuisine and is considered as a delicacy. This is a mixed vegetable curry which has bitter gourd in it, but you can substitute it with few neem leaves. So this is the latter version. It is cooked in a mustard and milk based gravy. 

          It is mildly spiced and is tempered with Panch Phoron, the popular Bengali five spice. It is served with hot steamed rice at the beginning of a full course meal, as it is believed that the bitterness helps in purifying the blood. So do give it a try by following a step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it.

• 4 cups mixed veggies, cut lengthwise
• (carrot, beans, pointed gourd, raw banana, raw papaya & pumpkin)
• few neem leaves to cook
• few neem leaves to garnish
• 2-3 tbsp. mustard oil
• 10-12 bori (lentil dumplings / mangodi / vadi )
• 1 tsp. ginger, chopped
• 1-2 whole dry red chilies
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp. panch phoron (equal quantity of fennel, mustard, cumin, fenugreek & nigella seeds
• salt to taste
• 1-2 green chilies, slit
• 1 tsp. cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder (opt)
• 1 tbsp. mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp. radhuni (celery seeds)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp. sugar 
• 1 tsp. ghee

          Grind the mustard seeds and the radhuni (celery seeds) along with some water into a fine paste. Keep aside.

          Heat oil in a pan and fry the bori (till golden brown) and the neem leaves (meant to garnish) separately. Drain and keep aside.

          Temper the same oil with the dry red chilies, ginger, bay leaves and the panch phoron. Allow it to splutter.

          Add the chopped veggies, neem leaves (meant to cook) and all the dry spices. Sauté on low flame for 4-5 minutes. 

          Add 1 & 1/2 cups water and green chilies. Simmer, covered on a low flame till the veggies are cooked.

          When done, add the mustard paste, milk, ghee, fried vadi and sugar. Simmer for 2-3 minutes and then switch off the flame. 

         Serve with hot steamed rice at the beginning of a full course meal.

                     Heat oil & fry bori (till golden brown) & neem leaves (meant to garnish) 
                     separately. Drain and keep aside.

                      Temper same oil with dry red chilies, ginger, bay leaves & panch phoron. 
                      Allow it to splutter.

                       Add the chopped veggies, all the dry spices and......

                      .....neem leaves (meant to cook). Sauté on low flame for 4-5 minutes. 

                      Add 1&1/2 cups water & green chilies. Simmer, covered on a low flame
                      till the veggies are cooked.

                       When done, add the mustard paste, milk, ghee, sugar and.....

                        ......fried vadi. Simmer for 2-3 minutes & then switch off the flame. 

                           Serve with hot steamed rice at the beginning of a full course meal.