Eastern European · side, sauce

Sauerrüben (Fermented Turnip Matchsticks)

Sauerrüben (Fermented Turnip Matchsticks) — from Forager Chef's cooking video Watch how it’s made · 5:07

Video by Forager Chef on YouTube · Open on YouTube

30 min · plus about 2 weeks fermentingMakes 35 × ¼ cup (40 g)11 kcal a portion
  • Low carb (1.8 g net carbs) but not keto: 3% of the energy is from fat, and keto meals get about 60% or more
  • Vegan
  • Gluten-free ingredients
  • Nut-free

Contains: none of the common allergens in the listed ingredients. Check labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes.

Sauerkraut's turnip cousin: crunchy, tangy and only about 10 kcal a quarter-cup, with no sugar or vinegar. It is salty (about 480 mg sodium a serve), so treat it as a condiment.

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Ingredients 3

Method

Tap a time to watch that step in the video.

  1. Peel 3 lb purple-top turnips completely — any purple skin left on stains the ferment. Slice them thinly on a mandoline and cut into fine 1½-inch matchsticks (or grate them, or cut ribbons or half-moons). 0:35
  2. Weigh the cut turnips and toss them with 3% of their weight in kosher or sea salt (30 g per 1 kg, about 41 g for 3 lb), plus a little julienned jalapeño if you like. 2:40
  3. Pack into a vacuum bag and seal it straight away, before the salt draws out the juice; the seal doesn't have to be perfect. Date the bag. 2:49
  4. Leave at room temperature. After about a week the bag puffs up with carbon dioxide: snip a corner over the sink to let the gas out, then reseal. 3:06
  5. After about 2 weeks in all, or once it tastes pleasantly sour, move it to the fridge. 3:40
  6. Eat it like sauerkraut, or warm the strips through at the end with pan-cooked turnip and apple, a splash of wine and stock, a little butter and fresh dill. 4:03

Tip. Cook's yield: about 2 lb drained turnips plus juice. No vacuum sealer? Pack about 1 lb into a quart jar, weigh it down, cover with 5% brine (5 g salt per 100 g water) and open it now and then to let gas out.

The method is a summary in our words — the video shows every step.

One portion, ¼ cup (40 g), gives you 1 of 35

Energy11 kcal50 kJ
Protein0.4 g1% of a day
Fibre0.7 g3% of a day
Carbohydrate2.5 g1.8 g net · 1.5 g sugars1% of a day
Fat0 g0 g saturated0% of a day
Sodium480 mg21% of a day

Where the energy comes from one serve

  • Net carbs 82%
  • Protein 18%
  • Fat 0%

For comparison, low-carb eating usually gets under 26% of its energy from carbs, and ketogenic eating under 10%. Why this is here

Vitamins & minerals % of a day, one serve · tap for more

No vitamin or mineral reaches 10% of a day in one serve.

Show the other 15
Vitamin C9%

8.4 mg a serve, mostly from purple-top turnips (97%). An antioxidant needed for collagen, immunity and iron absorption. Long cooking destroys some, so raw herbs, citrus and capsicum help.

Potassium2%

70 mg a serve, mostly from purple-top turnips (99%). Balances sodium to help control blood pressure and keeps muscles and nerves working. Beans, potatoes, leafy greens and fruit are rich sources.

Vitamin B62%

0 mg a serve, mostly from purple-top turnips (98%). Helps turn food into energy and make brain messengers. Chickpeas, fish, poultry, potatoes and bananas are good sources.

Calcium1%

12 mg a serve, mostly from purple-top turnips (97%). Builds bones and teeth and helps muscles and nerves work. Dairy, calcium-set tofu, sardines with their bones and some greens supply it.

Iron1%

0.1 mg a serve, mostly from purple-top turnips (97%). Carries oxygen in your blood. Iron from plants absorbs better with vitamin C in the same meal — lemon, tomato or capsicum.

Magnesium1%

4.3 mg a serve, mostly from purple-top turnips (99%). Takes part in hundreds of reactions — energy, muscles, nerves, blood sugar and bones. Nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains are good sources.

Zinc1%

0.1 mg a serve, mostly from purple-top turnips (99%). Needed for immunity, wound healing, taste and growth. Meat, seafood, legumes, seeds and whole grains supply it.

Folate1%

5.9 µg a serve, mostly from purple-top turnips (99%). Needed to make DNA and new cells — especially important before and in early pregnancy. Legumes and leafy greens are rich sources.

Vitamin A0%

0.1 µg a serve, mostly from jalapeño (100%). Keeps eyes, skin and the immune system healthy. Orange vegetables and dark greens give beta-carotene, which the body turns into vitamin A.

Vitamin D0%

0 µg a serve. Helps you absorb calcium for bones and supports muscles. Few foods have much — oily fish, eggs, UV-exposed mushrooms, fortified milks. Sunlight is the main source.

Vitamin E0%

0 mg a serve, mostly from purple-top turnips (62%). An antioxidant that protects cell membranes. Nuts, seeds and plant oils such as olive oil are the main sources.

Vitamin K0%

0.1 µg a serve, mostly from purple-top turnips (51%). Needed for blood clotting and bones. Leafy greens and herbs are very rich in it. If you take warfarin, keep your intake steady and talk to your doctor.

Vitamin B120%

0 µg a serve. Keeps nerves and blood cells healthy. Found almost only in animal foods and fortified foods (some plant milks, nutritional yeast), so vegans need a reliable source.

Selenium0%

0.3 µg a serve, mostly from purple-top turnips (100%). Part of the body's antioxidant enzymes and needed for thyroid hormones. Seafood, eggs, meat and Brazil nuts are rich sources.

Omega-30%

0 g a serve, mostly from jalapeño (100%). Omega-3 fats support the heart and brain. Oily fish give EPA and DHA; walnuts, flax, chia and canola give ALA, which the body converts only a little.

Estimated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central values; % of a day uses the food-label daily values. How this works

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Recipe and video by Forager Chef; the method summary, nutrition estimate and diet notes are Notbroken’s. General information about food, not dietary advice.