Lau Shukto Recipe, The Bengali Comfort Food For Summer
Image Credit: Bengali lau shukto, thenovembertales@Instagram

In Bengali cuisine, bitter has a special reverence. A typical lunch or dinnertime meal consisting of rice, leafy veggies, fries, dal, curries and chutneys must start with a serving of a bitter dish. This is when the mention of shukto is a must. This niramish (without onion garlic) preparation instantaneously reminds of the shukto made with bitter gourd, plantain, potatoes, eggplant, drumsticks and many other veggies in a mustard paste, and radhuni give the signature flavour. However, it might be news for many that shukto isn't just one type. There are several other variants. One of them is lau shukto, which is made with bottle gourd. This one is very light on the stomach and has a cooling effect.

While doing food vlogs on Instagram, I recently discovered a shukto series by Anindya and Madhushree, better known as pikturenama. Among various recipes shared, what caught my attention was her humble lau shukto rendition. Bottle gourd, or lau as it is called in Bengali, has few fan followers. The vegetable has a relatively neutral taste. But this quality works in its flavour. It can absorb the essence of herbs, condiments, spices and other cooking ingredients. Lau shukto recipe by her had something charming and nostalgic about it. I decided to give it a try. 

Though many people feel shukto must follow a rigid recipe and cooking instructions, that isn't true. The same dish has several variations as it changes from one household kitchen to another. Thus, one can take a certain amount of liberty while cooking any shukto, including with lau, to pander to individual taste preferences.


Lau shukto making, Video By: Bengalirannaghor@YouTube

Like, the lau shukto calls for using musur dal bori or red lentil sun-dried dumplings. However, one can also skip using them and add deep-fried dumplings made with motor dal or peas lentil paste—likewise, the recipe by Madhushree sans any bitterness, unlike a regular shukto. 

Lau Shukto

  • 2 cups tender bottle gourd or lau (peeled and finely chopped)
  • 1 tsp black mustard seeds
  • 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
  • 3-4 dried red chillies
  • 1 tsp yellow mustard paste
  • 1 tsp poppy seed paste
  • ½ cup milk
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 2 tsp ghee

For the bada (dumplings)

  • ½ cup matar dal
  • 5 tbsp cooking oil

Delicious lauer shukto, Image Source: Pikturenama.com

Method

  • Dal has to be soaked in either cold water for 12 hours or hot water for 2 hours. Make a paste with the dal using as little water as you can. 
  • Scoop it into a bowl and season with salt and sugar. Make a light and airy batter by whisking it.
  • In a kadai or a nonstick frying pan, heat 4 to 5 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Stir in a teaspoon of heated oil and re-whisk the batter. Dollop the dumpling batter into the oil with your fingertips. Avoid burning the exterior by keeping the heat between medium and low. 
  • To ensure even cooking on both sides, flip the meat over. Remove them from the oil and put them to one side.
  • Turn on the stove and add some dried red chillies, mustard seeds, and fenugreek seeds to 1–2 tsp of vegetable oil to get the flavour going. 
  • Toss in the chopped lau. Give it a quick stir fry for a few minutes, then pop the lid on it to finish cooking. 
  • Water from the bottle gourd will be released when cooking, creating its own steam. Don't turn up the heat!
  • Meanwhile, take ginger paste and poppy seed paste in a bowl. Strain black mustard paste using milk instead of water into this. You can skip the mustard and just add milk, also. Give this a mix.
  • When the bottle gourd has cooked, add this milk into it and the lentil dumplings. To taste, add sugar and salt. Mix all this well. Keep stirring on medium heat and if you feel that the bottle gourd is all loose and not coming together, add a little more milk and keep stirring. Finally, drizzle ghee and serve hot with rice.
  • Add this milk and the lentil dumplings to the cooked bottle gourd. 
  • Season it with sugar and salt to taste. Toss everything together. Add more milk if the bottle gourd seems to be falling apart while stirring it over medium heat. 

Finish it by drizzling ghee and serve it hot with steamed rice.