First service of the thala (the bitter that opens the meal)
Shukto, the Bitter Medley Opening
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A bittersweet mixture of vegetables (including bitter gourd) simmered in thickened milk, spiced with ginger and mustard. Eaten at the very start of the meal, almost like a palate awakener.
First service of the thala (the bitter that opens the meal)
A bittersweet mixture of vegetables (including bitter gourd) simmered in thickened milk, spiced with ginger and mustard. Eaten at the very start of the meal, almost like a palate awakener.
Let me tell you something: at home in Calcutta, we never attacked the rice with sweet. My mother would first place the shukto, and you had to learn to love the bitter — an apprenticeship, like everything else. The bitter gourd intimidates the child, I know, but it prepares the mouth for what follows, exactly as a difficult reading prepares the mind. Fry the panch phoron until it sings in the oil, then let the vegetables take the time they need. One does not rush bitterness; one understands it.
Ingredients
- •Bitter gourd (karela) — a few young fruits (central bitterness)
- •Eggplant and green plantains — equal parts (soft vegetables)
- •White radish (mooli) — according to season (texture and sweetness)
- •Mustard oil — a good drizzle (fragrant fat)
- •Panch phoron — a pinch (opening spice)
- •Ginger and mustard seed paste — a little (pungent binder)
- •Milk — a bowl (roundness of broth)
How it was made : Shukto has been codified in Bengali cooking for centuries: Ayurvedic medicine recommends opening the meal with the bitter taste (tikta) to stimulate digestion. Before today's common oil and vegetables, versions varied according to each home's garden.
Sources : Chitrita Banerji, "Life and Food in Bengal", 1991 · K. T. Achaya, "Indian Food: A Historical Companion", Oxford University Press, 1994