Curry Turnip Noodle Soup

Turnips are abundant this time of year, and I have been pickling them and making them into curries.  I first got inspired to make curried turnips a few years ago when my mom made a sambhar with turnips.  At first I did not appreciate the sharp nasal tang of the turnips with the sambhar, but the taste stuck with me, and this fall, I experimented with making my own curried turnips.  So good!  Gently braising the turnips brings out their sweetness, and so the final product is sharp and sweet and spicy and salty.  I love curry noodle soups, so I thought this was a chance to see if it would all work together. 

It did!  This is a fusion recipe that brings together East Asian, Indian, and turnip tastes into a hot bowl of yum.

Curry Turnip Noodle Soup

Makes 2 big bowls of soup

Takes 30 minutes

1 bunch turnips, quartered (stems and leaves cleaned and saved)

1 tsp. curry powder (I use sambhar powder)

1 small onion, sliced

1 clove garlic, sliced

pepper

salt

spaghetti (I had some opened already!  any noodles you like will be fine - rice noodles, soba, udon, etc)

Start a pot of salted water for the noodles.

In another pot, saute onion and garlic on medium high heat.  When they've softened, add turnips and brown, taking care to ensure they don't burn.  Then add sambhar powder and pepper, and saute until the sambhar powder is very fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Add 1/2 cup of water, turn the heat down, cover and simmer for 25 minutes or until turnips are soft, but still maintaining their shape.

Meanwhile, cook noodles in pot of already started salted water according to package directions.  For the last minute of cooking add the cleaned turnip greens.  When finished, drain, reserving 2 cups of the pasta water.  Equally divide the noodles and greens between two bowls.

When the turnips are soft, add the pasta water and check for salt.  Add more sambhar powder if necessary.  Simmer for 5 minutes.  When you are happy with the taste, pour the turnips and their broth over the noodles and greens in the bowls.  Happy slurping!