Ingredients
Starter
- 150 gbulgur flour, or fine bulgur
- 1 tspdried sourdough starter, if you have it
- 300 mlwater
Main ferment
- 1 kgblack carrots, scrubbed and halved lengthways
- 300 gturnips, peeled and sliced
- 3 litreswater
- 3 tbspcoarse rock salt
To season
- 1 headof garlic, peeled
- hot red chillies, to taste
Equipment
- two large glass or ceramic vessels
- cloth covers
- a fine sieve
Note
- black carrots are essential, since ordinary carrots give the wrong colour and taste
Directions
- Mix the bulgur flour with the water into a thick paste. Add the dried starter if you have one, which speeds it up. Put it in a clean jar and cover it with a cloth.
- Leave it at room temperature for two or three days. It should bubble and smell distinctly sour. Discard it and begin again if it smells wrong or shows mould. Scrub the black carrots thoroughly but do not peel them.
- Halve or quarter them lengthways. Peel the turnips and slice them thickly. Put the carrots and turnips in a large glass or ceramic vessel. Add the peeled garlic and the chillies. Pour it over all of the vegetables. Add the bulgur starter, or hang it in a cloth bag in the liquid. The vegetables must stay under the liquid at all times.
- Cover the vessel with a cloth rather than a lid. Managing the ferment takes daily attention. Leave it at room temperature for seven to ten days. Check on it once each and every day. Skim off any white film that forms on the surface.
- Discard the whole batch if you see fuzzy coloured mould. Discard it if it smells putrid rather than cleanly sour. Judging when it is ready is by taste. Taste it from the fourth day onward. In warm weather it may be ready in five or six days.
- Strain the liquid through a fine sieve. Strain it again through a cloth if you want it clear. Keep the carrots, which are eaten as a snack. Pour it into clean glass bottles.
- Leave a little headspace, since it may still produce gas. It keeps for about two weeks in the fridge. Serve it very cold in a tall glass. It is sold as acılı, meaning hot, or as plain. Add extra chilli to the glass for the hot version.
Technique
- Black carrots are essential; ordinary orange carrots give the wrong colour and flavour.
- Everything must stay submerged, since anything above the surface goes mouldy.
- Discard the batch if it shows fuzzy mould or smells putrid rather than cleanly sour.
Substitutions
- Frozen black carrots, sold in Turkish shops.
- Bottled şalgam suyu, which is widely sold.
Variations
- Acılı, made hot with extra chilli.
- Made without turnip, using only black carrot.
- Made milder, with a shorter ferment.
History
Çukurova speciality from Adana, fermented with bulgur flour; the standard chaser for rakı and Adana kebap.
Frequently asked questions
What is Salgam suyu?
Salgam suyu is a drink from Turkey: sour purple juice of fermented turnip and black carrot, mildly spicy. Çukurova speciality from Adana, fermented with bulgur flour; the standard chaser for rakı and Adana kebap.
How long does Salgam suyu take to make?
Salgam suyu takes 30 min plus 10 days fermenting of preparation and none of cooking. The recipe makes 3 litres. It is rated hard to make.
What can I substitute in Salgam suyu?
Yes, within limits. Frozen black carrots, sold in Turkish shops. Bottled şalgam suyu, which is widely sold.
What is the most important thing to get right in Salgam suyu?
Leave it at room temperature for two or three days. It should bubble and smell distinctly sour. Discard it and begin again if it smells wrong or shows mould. Scrub the black carrots thoroughly but do not peel them.
