Shukto er daal and alu bhorta the ultimate comfort food. Opar Bangla and epar Bangla (Bangladesh and west Bengali in the present days) have lots of things in common like language (although the dialects are different actually) and culture but what sets us apart is the food. Although we have similar vegetables or fish and we the people on both side of the borders are true fish lovers- true ‘mache bhate Bangali’, our way of cooking a dish or even name of the dishes are sometime different. Being Bangal with strong bond with opar Bangla (even now) I am used to the certain names of food that I don’t really hear in my ghoti in laws household or even friends don’t know them. Like alu bhorta is always alu bhate to them. It took me sometime to understand that the both are almost similar but totally same. We have shukto and we also have shukto er daal.  The name Shukto I feel has progressed in various forms between household. To my knowledge there is “Ghoti shukto” and there is “Bangal shukto”. Then there are Dudh shukto, Bori shukto, ilish shukto, to name the few that I am used to eating at home apart from Shukto er daal. With so many variations and ingredient list, I think every home has its own way of making shukto. Lots of my ghoti friends have not even heard the name shukto er daal. I have always faced the question ‘is it something  like Titor or titar daal or friends have said ‘oh we call it titor daal ( Daal cooked with bitter gourd). Or maybe they are similar, I would not know as I have never eaten ‘titor daal’ in a ghoti household. To me it is actually more than that as the star ingredient in this daal is lemon leaf not the korola (bitter guard)

I usually like to cook things that I like eating personally. If you would like to  try mine, here is the recipe of shukto er Daal .It is usually eaten with some fried fish or fried  potatoes or aubergine or pumpkin, but I have made some alu bhorta ( mashed potatoes in Bengali way) to go with the daal . Shada bhat ( boiled rice) alu bhorta ( mashed potato in Bengal style) and shukto er dal ( mung daal cooked with vegetable, ginger and lemon leaf, spiked with some deep fried bitter gourd and tampered with panch phoron) is my ultimate comfort food. Ektu ghondho raaj Lebu hole to kothai nei

Shukto er Daal ( Mung Daal cooked with vegetables and lemon Leaf)

Print Recipe

Shukto er daal ( Mung daal cooked with vegetable, ginger and lemon leaf, spiked with some deep fried bitter gourd and tampered with panch phoron)

Servings	Prep Time
4 people	10 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Servings Prep Time 4 people 10 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Shukto er Daal ( Mung Daal cooked with vegetables and lemon Leaf) Print Recipe Shukto er daal ( Mung daal cooked with vegetable, ginger and lemon leaf, spiked with some deep fried bitter gourd and tampered with panch phoron) Servings Prep Time 4 people 10 mins Cook Time 30 mins Servings Prep Time 4 people 10 mins Cook Time 30 mins

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Mung Daal Washed
• 1/4 Cup Diced Carrot Not usually used
• 1/4 Cup Cut Beans Not Usually used
• 1/4 Cup Peas Not Usually used
• 1/2 Cup Lau ( bottle guard or Loki) Always used
• 1/2 Cup Green papaya Always used
• 1/4 Cup Sheem ( Flat bean) Always used
• 1 Tablespoon Fresh grated Ginger
• 1/4 Cup Deep fried korollla ( bitter gourd) Always used
• 1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric
• 1/2 Teaspoons Panch Phoron
• Salt as needed
• 4/5 Lemon leaf
• 1 Tablespoon Oil

Servings: people

Instructions

1. Heat a pan and add water
2. When the water is warm, add the washed Mung daal. Add salt as needed and boil the daal
3. When the daal is half boiled, add turmeric and the vegetables. You can add any vegetable you have in the pantry and I am sure it will taste just as good.
4. Add the grated ginger in the daal
5. When everything is boiled and Daal is totally cooked, add the lemon leaf and boil for sometime. Add the deep fried bitter guard.
6. Now heat oil in a separate pan and add the panch phoron. When the panch phoron starts realising its aroma, pour the heated oil along with the spice on the boiling daal. boil for some time more
7. Serve with boiled rice and any fried fish or fried vegetable. or just have it as a broth