Turnip Juice (Şalgam Suyu) Recipe
Turnip Juice (Şalgam suyu) is a traditional non-alcoholic fermented beverage in Turkey which is generally preferred with kebap. That's because it helps digestion. Şalgam means turnip actually and şalgam suyu is turnip juice. But most of the people prefer to call it just şalgam instead of şalgam suyu. Su when you say şalgam in Turkey people would not think of the vegetable but the drink.
Preparing şalgam suyu is same as making pickles. The only difference is that the vegetables are eaten in pickles and juice is drank in şalgam (if you like, you can also eat pickles in şalgam suyu). So you should pay attention to the same things as making pickles when you are making şalgam suyu. The utensils you use should be clean. Vegetables should not be rotten, not smashed and should be clean. You should use clean drinking water.
Never forget to open the jars and stir every day. Fermentation is always a different adventure. Because it depends on many things such as the vegetables you use, the bacteria in the environment, air temperature etc. that are not under human control. So every time you make şalgam suyu, you will see different reactions and experience different things, do not be surprised, do not panic. The taste of the şalgam suyu is also differs every time which is normal.
When the fermentation begins, you begin to see tiny bubbles that come out from the bottom like soda beverages, to hear the sound of them, to hear the psst sound when you open the lid. It's normal. But if you don't, it's also normal. This process can overflow the water, this is normal. But it may not, and this is also normal. The white layer you can see on the photos is normal. It may not occur, which is also normal. As long as it is not covered with lush furry mold, there is no problem. If it is moldy, do not think to throw away mold and drink the juice. Ingredients you used and and the pain you took with is important, but it's not more important than your life and your health.
Enjoy the recipe...
Turnip Juice (Şalgam Suyu) Recipe with Video
Ingredients
- 1 kg turnip,
- 1 kg purple carrot,
- 4 beet roots,
- 4 tablespoons brine salt,
- 4 teaspoons of citric acid,
- 6 hot peppers,
- 2 handful of chickpeas,
- Two handful of thick bulgur.
Preparation
- Peel carrots, turnips and beets and chop them into an 8 l jar or evenly distribute them in two 4 l jars,
- Cut the peppers in two and share them in the jars,
- Add chickpeas and bulgur,
- Take the salt and citric acid into a bowl and add a cup of water and stir until dissolved,
- Spread the mixture into the jars,
- Fill the jars with water and cover the lids,
- Keep in a cool place away from sun,
- Open and stir every day for 20 days,
- On day 21, drain with a cheesecloth and take into glass bottles and keep in refrigerator.
Bon appetit...
- Seb: Hi! Thanks for the recipe. Should the chickpeas be dried chickpeas or from a can? Thank you! April 4, 2021 5:28 am
- Kevser: Dried👍🏻 April 4, 2021 2:04 pm
- Bryan Pickup: I did not use chic peas or bulgur in my mix but the end result is just fine December 20, 2021 8:34 am
- Kevser: Happy to hear that. December 22, 2021 10:18 am
- Victor: Can I use orange carrots instead of purple? January 25, 2022 12:04 pm
- Kevser: Unfortunately no. January 27, 2022 2:29 pm
- Jan: Why not normal carrots? The taste, the colour? April 29, 2022 9:48 am
- Kevser: It is both the taste and the color. April 30, 2022 4:46 pm
- Zaiba Khalid: What should you do with veg and grain? June 16, 2022 7:47 am
- Kevser: You can throw away the grains and eat the veggies, they are practically pickles. June 19, 2022 1:05 pm
- Mariyam Qureshi: In pakistan we make this drink with red catrots and beerroot.. in but we use different spices... I will definitely try turkish one...InshAllah.. December 6, 2022 3:59 pm
- Kevser: I hope you like it☺️ December 8, 2022 12:11 pm