Lhotshampa Kitchen · Fermented Leafy Greens
Gundruk
Photo: Krish Dulal / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
The leaves are deliberately left to ferment for about a week before they're sun-dried, and by the time they're ready, they've lost most of their green color along with roughly 90 percent of their original carotenoids.
Mustard, radish, or cauliflower greens are packed tight and left to ferment for roughly a week, then spread out to dry in the sun until dark and pungent. Southern Bhutan's Nepali-descended Lhotshampa households simmer it into a sour soup or fry it as a side, eaten alongside rice and lentils.
Why it's made this way: Fermenting and drying greens let southern Bhutan's Nepali-heritage farming families store garden vegetables through the lean season, a technique carried into the region along with the broader Lhotshampa food traditions of Nepal, Sikkim, and Darjeeling.
Roughly what's in it
110kcal
6gprotein
18gcarbs
1gfat
Estimated per typical street-vendor portion — not lab-tested.
More from Bhutan
Part of World of Street Food — 3248 dishes from 118 countries.
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