" In Europe, the root is a popular addition to many warming winter stews. The roots are edible cooked, as well as raw, and turnip slices figure in many salads and soups.
" In the Orient, turnip strips are preferred stir-fried
" Use half-inch thick turnip slices as petite serving "dishes" for chopped vegetable salads.
" Mix diced turnip with sugar snap peas and mint leaves and toss with rice wine vinaigrette.
" For refreshing cold gazpacho soup that takes five minutes or less to make, simply purée turnip, tomatoes, green peppers and onions, then add salt and pepper to taste.
" Add diced turnip to tuna fish or chicken salad recipes
" a few other recipe with turnips are Baked Turnip and Sauerkraut Casserole, boiled turnip with salt and lemon juice, pickled turnip, soups and stews.
How to store turnip, shalgam
Turnips should be stored in the refrigerator where they will keep for several days. If you do not use the entire turnip during one meal, wrap the remainder tightly in plastic or place it in a sealed container so that it does not become dried out. For maximum quality, turnips should be used within one or two days. Turnips should not be left out at room temperature for too long as this will cause them to wilt and become limp.
Health benefits of turnip, shalgam
The turnip's root is high in
Vitamin C - a nutrient which is essential to build immunity and fight against diseases. It adds elasticity to
skin as it is required for collagen synthesis. Vitamin C also helps to fight the free radical and reduce their damage to different organs of the body. The green leaves of the turnip are a good source of
Vitamin A,
folate, Vitamin C,
Vitamin K and
calcium. Turnip greens are high in
lutein - an
antioxidant which helps fight inflammation in the body which other wise can lead to chronic diseases like heart disease and
cancer. About 100 gm of turnip root contains just 29 calories and thus it can be added to a
weight loss menu. Though turnip is not a very good source of
fibre,
heart patients can also include it in their meals and benefit from its antioxidant property that it exhibits.
Sliced turnip
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In order to get sliced turnip, firstly wash the turnip and pat it with a kitchen towel. Peel the turnip and discard the stem. Place the turnip on a chopping board and cut it into 2 halves using a sharp knife. Now hold one halve and using a knife, start slicing/ making cuts from one corner of the half to the other to get random semi circles. You can also use a slicer if you wish to.
Turnip cubes
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In order to make cubes, firstly wash the turnip and pat it with a kitchen towel. Peel the turnip and discard the stem. Place it on a chopping board and cut the peeled turnip into halves from the centre lengthwise using a sharp knife. Take one halve and make vertical slits lengthwise at regular intervals (approximately at 1/2"). Line all the vertical slits together and make horizontal slits horizontally (approximately at 1/2") to get turnip cubes. You can make thin slits or thick slits as per recipe requirements. Turnip cubes are used mainly in sabzis, curries, parathas and gravies.