Shukto a Bengali delicacy | Bengali Mix-veg Shukto Recipe

Shukto is a famous Bengali curry. This is cooked with various veggies and we mostly stsrt s traditional Bengali meal with rice and shuktoni.

"ছি ছি ছি রানী রাঁধতে শেখেনি... শুক্তনিতে ঝাল দিয়েছে অম্বলেতে ঘি!" the famous Bengali Song depicting how to cook Shukto properly! What else can I have taken to start this post! This song goes like this if translated. Rani does not know how to cook; She has added chili to Shuktoni/ Shukto and Ghee to Ambal/ Chutney! It seems obvious from the song that chili is considered as completely no-no to Shukto.

Some tricks for cooking perfect shukto!

By the way, I love to temper my Shukto with a piece of dried Red Chili. I do it every time I prepare Shukto or Shuktoni. Ummmm which means I can not cook Shukto! My father believes a Bengali cook must be judged by his/ her capacity to cook Shukto! I know this is lame on his part but at times we need to obey our parents; don't we 🙂 .

Why Shuktoni?

Believe me or not the cooking strength is judged by his/her skill to prepare Shukto properly at my parents! This is something that makes me worried each time I cook it at home. I have grown up seeing my mother and aunts cutting and chopping veggies with ease followed by cooking a big batch of Shukto. For me making Shukto is nothing but tedious. Almost every time, preparing Shukto for lunch is followed by no other dish on that day and something from outside in Dinner! I just fail to understand how Maa is able to prepare it so smoothly and without any mess in the kitchen! I mostly prepare Shukto a bit extra so that hubby can consume it for 2-3 days simultaneously.

The husbandman is a  fan of this dish and he can have his entire plate of rice only with it. Needless to say, whenever I cook Shukto, I cook it in bulk. I prefer to follow the recipe I learned from the Matriarch of my family. The process calls for Randhuni. I prefer to follow the detailed process where "Randhuni" plays a major role. In this post, I tried to detail the traditional process of making Shukto. Obviously while writing the recipe I have not mentioned Dried Red Chili but it clearly showing its presence in each picture. So the choice is yours; whether to add or not!

At Mehebub's parents'; Shukto is not that popular. The Shukto I had there was a bit flat. However, Mother in law is a great cook when it comes to other dishes that include Aande ka Halwa or Masoor Dal with Malabar Spinach, etc.

Bengali Shukto

We Bongs; treat Shukto as a special dish and we have it on occasion like Marriage, Birthday, etc. but as part of Lunch only. It’s a Bengali Mixed vegetarian dish comprising of several veggies inclusive of Bitter Guard, Eggplant, Green Banana, Potato, Sweet potato, Drumsticks, White radish, and Hyacinth Beans. There is one exclusive spice that many Bongs prefer to use while preparing it which is known as “Randhuni” and I also love to use Randhuni while cooking it. I mostly purchase Randhuni from Kolkata and store for future use.

Here's how I cook Bengali Shukto aka Shuktoni at Debjanir Rannaghar!

Print

Other Bengali No Onion No garlic Preparations apart from Shukto from Debjanir Rannaghar:

• Narkel diye Niramish Ghugni (Also known as Bengali Ghugni or Yellow Peas Curry)
• Phulkopir Singara (also known as Kolkata style Fulkopir Shingara)
• Bori Aloor Jhal (Also known as Bengali Bori’r Jhal)
• Lau Shaker Chorchori (Also known as Bengali Vegetarian Mishmash with Bottle Gourd Greens)
• Katoya Data Chorchori (Also known as Bengali Style Mix-veg with Drumsticks)
• Papor er Dalna (Also known as Bengali Papad Curry)
• Sheemer Jhal (Also known as Bengali Shorshe Sheem or Broad Bean Curry with Mustard Paste)
• Panch Mishali Tarkari (Also known as Panch Mishili Torkari)
• Phulkopir Roast (Also known as Bengali Roasted Cauliflower)
• Lau ar Aloo er Khosa Bhaja (Also known as Stir-Fried Bottle Gourd and Potato Skin/ Peel )
• Narkel diye Cholar Dal (Also known as Bengali Cholar Dal)

More Bengali Veg Recipes

• Chanar Dalna (also known as Bengali Cottage Cheese and Potato Curry)
• Kumror Chakka (Also known as Bengali Pumpkin curry)
• Aloo Phulkopir Dalna (Also known as Bengali Potato and Cauliflower Curry)
• Rosogollar Dalna (Also known as Bengali Rasgulla Curry)
• Sada Aloo Chorchori (also known as Bengali Potato Curry)
• Lomba Dantiwala Begun Bhaja (Bengali fried Eggplant)
• Bengali Kolai Dal (Also known as Biulir Dal or Bengali Urad Dal)
• Postor Bora (Also known as Bengali Poppy Seed Fritters)
• Aloo Posto (Also known as Bengali Poppy Seed curry with potato)
• Gota Sheddho (Also known as Bengali Veggie Cold soup Gota)
• Kancha Aamer Chutney (Also known as Bengali Raw mango chutney)
• Dhokar Dalna (also known as Bengali Lentil Cake Curry)
• Paneer er Dalna (also known as Niramish Paneer Torkari)
• Niramish Bhuni Khichuri (also known as Bengali Bhuni Khichuri)
• Neem Begun (also known as Bengali nim Begun Bhaji)
• Chana Bhapa (also known ad Bengali Bhapa Chenna)

Have you tried the Shukto Recipe from Debjanir Rannaghar!

Do let me know how it came out. Also, I would love to see a picture of the same which you can share here on dolonchttrj@gmail.com, or on Instagram you can use my hashtag #debjanirrannaghar or can tag me at @foodofdebjani.

You can follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for updates and recipes from Debjanir Rannaghar.