Gundruk Soupगुन्द्रुक

Name: Gundruk Soup
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Sikkimese / Himalayan
Ingredients: ½ cup, loosely packed dried gundruk (fermented leafy greens); 1 medium onion, thinly sliced; 1 large tomato, chopped; 3 garlic cloves, minced; ½-inch piece ginger, grated; 2 dried red chili; ¼ tsp turmeric powder; 2 tbsp mustard oil; 4 cups water; to taste salt; 1 medium potato, cubed (optional)

⏱ Prep 25m🍳 Cook 30m🍽 Serves 4🌿 Vegan

Video: Cook with Shubhadra (YouTube)

Gundruk is a sour fermented leafy green that is one of the most important preserved foods of Sikkim and the eastern Himalayan belt. Cooked into a thin, warming soup, it carries a distinctive tangy depth that opens the appetite and pairs naturally with steamed rice and boiled potatoes. The fermentation process takes weeks, but the dried packaged form is increasingly available outside the region.

📍 Make it in Plano

This recipe is the same everywhere — but where you buy the ingredients and eat the dish is local to you.

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Ingredients

▪dried gundruk (fermented leafy greens)½ cup, loosely packed
▪onion, thinly sliced1 medium
▪tomato, chopped1 large
▪garlic cloves, minced3
▪ginger, grated½-inch piece
▪dried red chili2
▪turmeric powder¼ tsp
▪mustard oil2 tbsp
▪water4 cups
▪saltto taste
▪potato, cubed (optional)1 medium

🌍 Cooking abroad? Substitutions

Gundruk is sold dried at Nepali, Sikkimese, or northeastern Indian grocery stores, and from specialist South Asian online suppliers. Look for it under the Nepali name on the packaging.
If gundruk is entirely unavailable, a rough approximation can be made using sauerkraut that has been drained and rinsed, or dried sour greens from Korean or Eastern European stores; the flavor will differ but the sour-savory quality is similar.
Mustard oil is traditional and adds a peppery edge to the soup. Outside South Asia, find it at Indian grocery stores labeled for cooking use. Rapeseed oil is the closest neutral substitute.

Method

1Rinse the dried gundruk in two changes of cold water, then soak in warm water for 20 minutes. Drain, squeeze out excess water, and roughly chop.
2Heat oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 5-6 minutes until softened and lightly colored.
3Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute, then add the tomato and dried red chili. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the tomato breaks down.
4Add turmeric and the soaked, chopped gundruk. Stir well and cook for 3-4 minutes to let the flavors meld.
5Pour in 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. If using potatoes, add them now.
6Reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the soup is fragrant and pleasantly sour.
7Taste and adjust salt. Serve hot in bowls with steamed rice or alongside other dishes as a warming side soup.

A Desi.Net original recipe · part of our Indian Cuisine library. Confirm details and adjust to taste.