You know how you go to the same place again and again and kind of memorize the landmarks, right? For us going to the supermarket is like it, we have been going to the same place for years now and we are used to the specific spots to find the things we want. Onions here, potatoes there, beans on the extreme right and so on. So being used to the weekly drill, I don’t carry a grocery list anymore (not that I carried it earlier), I just pick the items from the spot, not bothering to look anywhere else and bham the grocery is done. If they change the spots then I am sure I will easily forget a thing or two. Have I already mentioned that doing grocery is the least attractive chore in our to-do list and that exploring different options is out of question?
This weekend because of the lack of time, we did our grocery in a different store. Trust me, it threw me off the routine and I stood there confused for a while. I mentally mapped the spots in the old store trying to recall the things that we get every week. I started out fine but then after being exposed to a new arena of vegetables including turnips, I conveniently forgot about the mapping. I didn’t recall eating turnips either in India or even here in the US. Shocking but true J. OK after some ooh’s and aah’s at the store, the end it all, we got some new stuff like turnips, fennel but conveniently forgot onions and potatoes!
Anyway, after doing some searches online, I made this curry this week. In my opinion, they taste and smell like radish especially after they are cooked. I know taste is usually subjective but sorry Mr.Turnip and turnip lovers but I don’t think I will be buying these often. But if you like radish then I am sure you will like it. DH was suggesting that they will taste good in a sambhar kind of like the Radish sambhar.
Recipe Source: Adapted from here.
Ingredients:
- 2 medium turnips (cleaned, peel and chopped into cubes)
- 1 medium onion (chopped)
- 2 small tomatoes (chopped)
- 1 Tbsp ginger +garlic paste
- 3-4 green chillies (chopped finely) /red chilli powder
- 1 tsp fennel seeds (crushed coarsely)
- turmeric
- Salt
- Handful Coriander leaves (chopped)
- 1 tsp Jeera Dhaniya powder (Dried Cumin and coriander powder)
For the seasoning (tadka)
- 4-5 Curry leaves
- Asafetida a pinch
- ¼ tsp Mustard seeds
- 1 tsp jeera/cumin seeds
- Oil
Serves: 3
Method:
- Boil the chopped turnips in water (along with salt) separately either on the stove top or in microwave. After they are cooked, drain the water. Do not over cook it.
- Take a big skillet; add about 1 Tbsp of oil. Add mustard seeds and let it splutter, and then add the jeera seeds, asafetida, curry leaves.
- Add ginger garlic, paste mix it well and let it turn light brown. Then add the chopped onions.
- After the onions are sautéed and turned transparent, add salt and turmeric chilli powder and mix well.
- Add the tomatoes, Dhaniya Jeera powder and crushed fennel seeds powder. Sauté well until the tomatoes cook completely.
- Next add the cooked turnips to this and mix well. Cover with lid and allow it to cook. Sprinkle little water in between if necessary.
- Lastly garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Serve with Rotis/ phulkas or with Rice.
Poor Mr. Turnip.
You should give the poor chap one more chance.
RC, I agree with your decision. Mr.Turnip is not my friend either, I like radish way better. Moreover your DH is correct they do taste ok in a sambhar.
This curry does look attractive though.
Turnips paired with tomato and onions would be good for chapathis..looks good RC.
Curry looks delicious..I too had never tasted turnip or radish while growing..After coming to US i bring them regularly..I add onion every time when i use these veggies..
Not my friend too….but this curry looks great. Nice alternative to adding them to sambars
Grocery store is boring but farmer market is cool. U know what is up for the season! And u really discover so many local food.
I never made curry, good one!
Radish turns milder after cooking, turnip does not. Me too not like.
But it does look very appetising in the snap RC.
turnips are so crazy expensive here so i have never tried them!
I would never have thought of making a turnip curry. It is lovely mashed with carrot or potato, lots of black pepper and a knob of butter.
Nice curry. I agree, turnips are a bit more pungent than the radish we get in India.
Interesting recipe. I must say I don’t like turnips much, but my husband (being a kashmiri, and I am not) loves it cooked with rajma/whole moong/meat, you can check this out http://jugalbandi.info/2007/12/gogji-razma-kidney-beans-with-turnips/.
Delicious looking curry!!
Some turnips are bitter and I make stir fry with them instead beets but with lotsa coconut..with all the spices and onion-tomato this looks like aloo
Never tried cooking turnips,but started loving this veggie recently! Lovely looking curry!
Thanks for the wonderful words in my Pizza post,its a honor for me!
Subzi looks good to me…I can eat that…Looks like I’m the only one here who loves Turnip…..may be b’coz we grew up eating this tasty stuff my mom makes…..u really need good fresh turnips which we sometime lacks here….fresh ones can be eaten like radish….b’coz of it’s little bitterness while boiling them we add little piece of gur or some sugar….and also when you make tadka few green chillies are also added & no mustard seeds & curry leaves plus turnips are roughly mashed…..well that’s punjabi way of making shalgum(turnip) ka saag, goes well with parantha & makki ki roti……now I’ve to make it this week…
& btw forget to write my DH also comes in the category of NON-Turnip-Lovers….Strictly….haha…so when I make it….it’s all mine….
It has been a LONG time since I got turnip. I might be weird but I would have boiled turnip with salt when I was little
Such is my love of the vegetables and I can’t say that my family shares this kind of love affair with me!
I love the way this curry looks and yes it does taste good in sambar.
You don’t carry a list?!! I think I am getting old, for if I do not have list I totally blank out.
somehow, i am not a big fan of turnip. maybe haven’t tasted it in a good way as yet.now radish i have problems with especially in a stuffed parantha.
Sounds good and looks even better…I am wondering why didn’t you liked it.
I love turnips and the three most regular styles that we eat turnips are, one in pickles , one is a curry made using sundried turnips and the third one is chithyal or mashed turnips.Taste too good to believe .
BTW the third one is lying in my drafts…I am sure you will like that…Hopefully !