Torshi Left

Ingredients

• 900 g white turnips, peeled
• 1 small raw beetroot (about 70 g), peeled
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 mild green chilli
• 500 ml cold filtered water
• 250 ml distilled white vinegar
• 2 tbsp coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf

Before you cook

• Sterilise a 1.5 litre jar and its lid by washing them in hot soapy water, rinsing well, then drying them in a low oven.
• Peel the turnips and trim away any woody patches at the root end.
• Cut each turnip in half from top to bottom, then into 1 cm wedges.
• Peel the beetroot and cut it into 5 mm slices.
• Pierce the chilli once with the tip of a knife so it flavours the brine without flooding it with heat.

Steps

1. Put the water, vinegar, salt and sugar into a jug.
2. Stir for 2 minutes until the salt and sugar have fully dissolved and the brine runs clear.
3. Lay two or three beetroot slices flat in the bottom of the jar.
4. Pack the turnip wedges in tightly, tucking the remaining beetroot slices, garlic cloves, peppercorns, bay leaf and chilli between them as you go.
5. Press everything down so the vegetables sit at least 3 cm below the rim.
6. Pour the brine over the turnips until they are completely submerged.
7. Wedge a small glass weight or a folded piece of baking parchment on top to hold any floaters under the surface.
8. Seal the jar and leave it on the counter out of direct sun for 5 days.
9. Turn the jar upside down once a day so the beetroot colour bleeds evenly through the turnips.
10. Open on day five and taste a wedge, which should be sharp, salty and still audibly crunchy.
11. Move the jar to the fridge, where the pickles hold their colour and bite for 2 months.