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Gundruk ko jhol
Gundruk soup from Nepal's middle hills: sour fermented greens simmered with tomato, garlic and timur
In the terraced hill villages between Pokhara and Ilam, families pack mustard, radish and cauliflower leaves into clay pots after the autumn harvest, let them ferment for a week or two and then sun-dry them into gundruk. That dark, tangy leaf is the store cupboard of the winter months, and its most common use is this thin, sour soup (jhol), served on the side of dal bhat or with dhido, the stiff buckwheat or millet porridge of the hills. It tastes a little like a smoky, vinegary green tea and is light, warming and very cheap. A handful of roasted soybeans (bhatmas) is often thrown in for crunch. The mistake is to cook gundruk without soaking it first, which leaves it gritty and too sour. Chef's tip: squeeze the soaked leaves hard and fry them in the oil until they crackle before you add water; that frying gives the soup its toasty depth.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Soak 1 ⅜ oz gundruk (dried fermented greens) in plenty of warm water for 10 minutes, until the leaves are soft and darker. Lift them out, leaving any grit behind, rinse once and squeeze them hard. Chop roughly.
10 minStep 2: Heat 1 ½ tbsp mustard oil in a pan over a medium-high heat until it smokes lightly, then turn to medium. Add ½ tsp cumin seeds and 1 dried red chilli and let them sizzle for 10 seconds.
Step 3: Add 1 onion and fry for 3 minutes, until soft and light gold, then add 3 garlic cloves, ⅓ oz fresh ginger and 1 green chilli and fry for 30 seconds.
4 minStep 4: Add the squeezed gundruk and ¼ tsp ground turmeric and fry for 2 minutes, stirring, until the leaves crackle a little and smell smoky and sour.
2 minStep 5: Add 2 tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes, until they soften into the leaves.
3 minStep 6: Pour in 3 ¾ cups water, add ¾ tsp salt and bring to the boil. Simmer over a medium-low heat for 8 minutes, until the broth is cloudy, olive-green and pleasantly sour. Taste: if it is too sharp, add a splash more water.
8 minStep 7: Stir in ¼ tsp timur (Nepali Sichuan pepper) and 1 oz roasted soybeans (bhatmas), scatter with ⅛ oz fresh coriander and serve hot in small bowls with rice, dal bhat or dhido.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 80 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 8 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does gundruk ko jhol take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of cumin seeds?
- Ground cumin, three quarters of the amount (add it with the other ground spices, not to hot oil first).
- What can I use instead of dried red chilli?
- ½ tsp chilli flakes per chilli.
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