Gundruk & Sinki: Nepal’s Fermented Greens, Explained

Gundruk is fermented, sun-dried leafy greens — usually broadleaf mustard (rayo), radish or cauliflower leaves. Sinki is its cousin made from the radish taproot instead of the leaves. Both are lacto-fermented until sour, then dried until they keep for months without a fridge. The result is tangy, savoury and a little funky — Nepal’s answer to preserving the harvest through a long Himalayan winter.

They aren’t a garnish or an afterthought. In much of Nepal, a bowl of sour gundruk soup with rice or dhido is everyday comfort food, and a jar of dried gundruk in the pantry is as basic as rice or salt.

Fresh greens are wilted in the sun, then packed tightly into a warm container (traditionally an earthen pot or a bamboo vessel), pressed to force out the air. Over one to two weeks, wild lactic-acid bacteria ferment the leaves — no starter culture needed — turning them sour and aromatic.

Once soured, the greens are pulled apart and sun-dried until brittle. That drying step is what sets gundruk apart from wet ferments: it locks in the tang and lets it sit on a shelf for months. Sinki follows the same path, but with shredded radish root packed and fermented before drying.

The most common way to eat it. Dry-roast a handful of gundruk to wake up the aroma, temper garlic and dried chilli in mustard oil, then simmer with potatoes, tomato and turmeric into a thin, tangy broth. Salt to taste and finish with a pinch of timur (Himalayan pepper).

Serve it over rice or alongside dhido. The sourness cuts through a heavy meal the way a squeeze of lemon would — which is exactly why it became a staple where fresh vegetables were scarce for half the year.

Soak the dried gundruk for a few minutes, squeeze it dry, and give it a quick fry. Then toss with raw mustard oil, chopped onion, green or dried chilli, a pinch of timur, salt and a squeeze of lemon. Sharp, oily, spicy — a punchy side for dal bhat or a snack with drinks.

Short on time? A jar of ready gundruk pickle does the same job straight from the shelf.

Because gundruk is lacto-fermented, it carries the same gut-friendly bacteria as sauerkraut or kimchi, and the process concentrates iron and other minerals while retaining a surprising amount of vitamin C. For generations in the hills it was how families got greens through winter — and for the Nepali diaspora, that sour, smoky aroma is simply the taste of home.