Spiced Gundruk

One of the most popular foods in Nepal, also considered as the national food of the country, Gundruk could not only be served as a curry but also be made into fresh pickle to be served with rice. The pickle, unlike the curry, tastes more spicy and mouth-watering. It also helps in digestion and increasing appetite.



This article mentions one of the ways of making spiced Gundruk.

Ingredients:

1 lb daikon radish cut into thin two inch long slices

1 lb nappa cabbage cut into 2 inch squares

½ lb carrot cut into thin 2 inch long slices

1 cup green onions cut into 2 inch length

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tbsp minced ginger

2 tbsp hot chili powder

1 tbsp mild Kashmiri chili powder

1 tsp black peppercorns

1 tsp timur peppercorns (Szechwan pepper)

¼ tsp asafetida

2 tbsp sugar

1 cup water

4 tbsp coarse salt

spiced Gundruk

Procedure:

Take a large mixing bowl and combine diakon radish, nappa cabbage and carrot slices. Then add three tablespoon of salt and mix thoroughly. Now, cover the bowl and leave the mixture in a warm place for at least six hours. After that, drain the water and rinse the vegetables in a colander. Put the vegetables back into the mixing bowl and add chopped green onions, garlic, ginger, hot chili powder, Kashmiri chili powder, black pepper, timur, asafetida, sugar, salt to your taste and water. Mix the vegetables thoroughly with the spices and put the mixture into a large sterilized jar, constantly pressing down each layer as you add another one above. Now, cap the jar tightly and store it in a warm place for at least three days for fermentation. Refrigerate the pickle once the fermentation process is complete to your liking and you get the desired taste. You can serve your Spiced Gundruk any day you like with steamed rice.