Nepali hill-country fermented-mustard-greens soup — gundruk (sun-dried fermented greens) simmered with potato, tomato, ginger, turmeric, garlic. The deeply sour, intensely Nepali soup; eaten with rice as everyday Pahari lunch.
Gundruk is the Nepali answer to no-refrigeration vegetable preservation. In autumn, when leafy greens are abundant, surplus mustard, radish and cauliflower leaves are wilted to shed moisture, packed tightly into jars to ferment for about 7-10 days, then sun-dried and stored to last through winter. The soup is the most popular use; gundruk also goes into pickles and curries, and is often called Nepal's national vegetable.
Spoon the soup — gundruk is deeply sour and chewy, the broth is yellow-spiced, potato adds softness. The fermented funk is the whole point; one bowl on a cold mountain morning warms 3 layers deep.
Gundruk's fermentation produces lactic acid that pre-digests the greens and intensifies vegetable umami. Soaking rehydrates without losing the sour-funk concentration. The mustard oil and fenugreek temper provide the warm fat base.
Variations
Gundruk ko Achaar (pickled into a tangy condiment, not soup). Gundruk with Soybean (added protein). Gundruk Sadeko (cold salad version). Gundruk-Bhatmas Soup (a heartier version simmered with soybeans).
On the Palate
Where Gundruk Soup sits in the Nepali flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
7 steps · 25 min active + 5 min waiting
- 110 min
Soak 1 cup dried gundruk in warm water 10 min. Drain; squeeze out excess water.
Watch outAfter soaking, squeeze the gundruk hard to wring out the water — leftover liquid dilutes the sour-funk that carries the whole soup.
- 22 min
Heat 2 tbsp mustard oil in a pot; add 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp fenugreek seeds — sizzle 30 sec.
Watch outFry the cumin and fenugreek only about 30 seconds until they sizzle and smell fragrant — fenugreek burns fast, and scorched seeds turn the whole pot bitter.
- 36 min
Add 1 chopped onion, 4 minced garlic, 1 inch ginger; sauté 5 min.
- 45 min
Add 2 chopped tomatoes, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp coriander powder. Cook 4 min until tomatoes break down.
Watch outCook the tomatoes until they collapse into a soft pulp and the oil starts to separate out — that's when the base is ready to carry the greens and potatoes.
- 52 min
Add 2 diced potatoes and the soaked gundruk; toss to coat with spice oil.
- 613 min
Pour in 1.5 L water; add salt. Simmer 12 min until potatoes are tender.
- 72 min
Finish with chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lemon. Serve hot with rice.
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