Shalgam Ka Bharta

Name: Shalgam Ka Bharta
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients: 3 Medium-Large Sized Turnips; 3 tbsp Mustard Oil; 2 tsp Cumin Seeds; 1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste; ¾ Cup Water; 1 tsp Turmeric Powder; 1 tsp Salt; 2 Cloves Garlic; finely chopped; 2 Green Chillies; finely chopped; ⅓ tsp Asafoetida; 1 Big Onion; Finely Chopped; 6 Stems Spring Onions; Chopped or about 2-3 Handfuls of Turnip greens; 1 tsp Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder; 1 tbsp Coriander Powder; 2 Tomatoes; pureed; ½ Cup Frozen Green Peas; ½ tsp Garam Masala; 1 tsp Kasuri Methi (Dry Fenugreek Leaves); ½ tsp Powdered Sugar; 1 Lemon; Juice Extracted; Fresh Coriander Leaves; for garnishing

Today´s recipe, Shalgam Ka Bharta, is a winter recipe. It uses winter vegetables like turnips ( called Shalgam in Hindi and Weiße Rübe in German) and peas (called Matar in Hindi and Erbsen in German). I also added spring onions ( called Hara Pyaz in Hindi and Frühlingszwiebel in German) to enhance the flavour. I make this dish a few times every winter and sometimes even add turnip leaves (called Shalgam ke Patte in Hindi and Rapa Blätter in German). All these vegetables are easily available in Turkish shops in Germany.

Winter has arrived in Germany, and supermarkets are loaded with winter vegetables. Recently, on my visit to a Turkish shop near my house, I was delighted to see lovely winter vegetables like turnips, red carrots, fresh mustard and turnip greens, and I picked up everything to try out some winter recipes at home.

So, I start this winter season with one of my favourite winter vegetables-Turnip. Turnip is a root vegetable that has a tender, sweet and peppery taste. It can be eaten raw in a salad or cooked for various dishes.

Last year, I made an absolutely delicious Carrot, turnip and cauliflower pickle. Do check out its recipe here. Last year, I also made Gajar Ka Halwa, which is a dessert made with carrots. It is heavenly and certainly worth a try. Both are winter recipes. So, do try them out.

I have already shared many winter recipes. You can find the links to all of them in my article: Warm Up with Indian Winter Recipes in Germany.

Now, let´s come back to the recipe for Shalgam Ka Bharta. In India, when we say Bharta, it refers to a mash of vegetables cooked in various spices. I have already shared the Baingan Ka Bharta recipe, one of my favourite foods, which is made by roasting brinjals, mashing the pulp, and cooking it with spices. You can check out its recipe here.

In today’s recipe, a mash is made out of turnips. This dish tastes delicious and can be served with rotis, plain paranthas or even rice.

So, let’s start with the recipe for Shalgam Ka Bharta:

Equipment Needed:

Pressure Cooker: https://amzn.to/3MnHgZb
Spatula: https://amzn.to/3StdcPE
Masher: https://amzn.to/3So4iDm
Pan: https://amzn.to/45ZA3p7
Knives: https://amzn.to/3Lg64Bj
Cutting Board: https://amzn.to/3K0dh8L
Peeler: https://amzn.to/49e6lQh

Ingredients needed to make Shalgam Ka Bharta:

3 Medium-Large Sized Turnips
3 tbsp Mustard Oil
2 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
¾ Cup Water
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Salt
2 Cloves Garlic; finely chopped
2 Green Chillies; finely chopped
⅓ tsp Asafoetida
1 Big Onion; Finely Chopped
6 Stems Spring Onions; Chopped or 2-3 Handfuls of Turnip Greens
1 tsp Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
1 tbsp Coriander Powder
2 Tomatoes; pureed
½ Cup Frozen Green Peas
½ tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp Kasuri Methi (Dry Fenugreek Leaves)
½ tsp Powdered Sugar
1 Lemon; Juice Extracted
Fresh Coriander Leaves; for garnishing

About Ingredient Sourcing in Germany:

Vegetables: Turnips are available in Turkish shops in Germany starting in mid-October. These are usually available till February. You can use frozen peas, which are easily available in supermarkets in Germany. Spring onions are usually available all through the year in supermarkets. Optionally, you can add Turnip greens. These are also available in Turkish shops. I have already shared the German names for all these vegetables in the beginning of this article.

Spices and other Indian ingredients: You can source them from any Indian shop near you. You can even check the online store of Spicelands. They are a big store in Frankfurt, delivering all across Germany.

Method to make Shalgam aur Hare Pyaz Ka Bharta:

Wash and peel the turnips.

Chop them up into medium-sized pieces. Keep them aside.

In a pressure cooker, heat one tablespoon of oil.

Keep the heat on medium. Add one teaspoon of cumin seeds and ginger-garlic paste. Fry them for about 30-40 seconds.

Add the chopped turnip. Add 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Add water and pressure cook it till the turnip becomes tender.

While the turnip is cooking, heat two tablespoons of oil in a pan. Add one teaspoon of cumin seeds and chopped garlic. On medium heat, fry them till the garlic changes its colour.

Add green chillies and asafoetida and fry for about 30 seconds.

Add chopped onions. Fry them on medium heat till they turn translucent.

Add chopped spring onions and fry them for about 2-3 minutes. If you wish to use turnip greens, chop and add them at this stage.

Add salt, ½ tsp turmeric powder, red chilli powder, and coriander powder. Mix well.

Add tomato puree.

Add frozen peas.

Reduce the heat. Cover and cook until the tomato is fully cooked and some oil is released. This can take about 5 minutes. Mix it occasionally with a spatula.

While this is cooking, open the pressure cooker.

Mash the turnips with a masher.

Once the tomatoes are cooked, add mashed turnip.

Add sugar, kasuri methi and garam masala. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes.

Then add the juice of one lemon.

Taste and adjust the salt. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

Shalgam Ka Bharta is ready. Serve it hot with rice/roti/parantha.

Here is the recipe in printable format: