Himalayan Soup

Gundruk also popularly known as Himalayan Soup is a popular Soup in Nepal in Winter months. From fermented vegetables gundruk is made and most of the families in Hilly regions of Nepal make it. In some pleaces sinki is made from tap root of radish which is as popular equal like gundruk. Gundruk is made from fermented leafy vegetables like rayo sag (Spinach), mustard leaves, radish and cauliflower. This is naturally fermented in traditional way. After fermentation they are sundried and stored properly for consumption all the winter. This is excellent way of preservation of vegetables for long time and it remains good for year due to high content of organic acid and low pH.

The taste of gundruk is unforgettable as it is aromatic and tender. Making little more sour it can be used as pickle. It is cooked very quickly like as boiling noodles and people have saying that '' Gundruk lai pakauna pardina, afno Sali phakauna pardaina'' which means gundruk need not to be cooked, own wife's young sister need no effort for romance. It is cooked in the Himalayan region of Nepal as well as Sikim, Tibet, Bhutan and more each day and it is surprisingly healthy and delicious. The lingering aroma of this can be found in most of the homes in Nepal each day.

Gundruk now has been culture of Nepal. For warming body and keeping healthy- the role of gundruk soup is large. The people in Nepal mostly eat spicy food and gundruk soup is widely noticeable for this.

For preparing excellent gudruk soup excellent and delicious first it should be kept in water for about 10 minutes to soak. Oil is put in pan and heated. Chopped onions are friend. The gundruk tastes much better when soya is also cooked together. If so soya grains should be fried and sliced tomatoes to be put after and stirred well. Then the after the water drained gundruk is added in the pan and fried. It is fried until everything is brown and good.

Then water is poured. Turmeric powder, spices, salt etc are added according to the taste. When it boils up, it is ready to eat with hot rice. Now a days in traditional Nepali Kitchens (the Thakali Kitchen)it has special position.

The gundruk soup is very good and it helps cure indigestion.

How to make Gundruk ?

For making gundruk, green leaves are plucked from the garden. They are exposed to sun for drying for few days. Then after it is smashed and put in air tight container making all water go away. After two weeks it is taken out from the pot and put in sun in thin plastic sheet to dry until is properly dried. Then it is stored or send to relatives, friends as present or sent to family members who live in city.Most of the Himalayan fermented foods have biological importance because of their ability to harness the resources of functional microorganisms, resulting in enrichment of bio-nutrients, bio-preservative properties, medicinal and therapeutic properties, pro-biotic properties. These ethnic fermented food products provide a food safety net for the people during times of famine or environmental or human made disasters. These foods are also a source of revenue for some mountain people to sustain their livelihood. Most of the Himalayan ethnic fermented foods have beneficial properties that can be a substitute for medicine and also serve to add taste and impart aroma.