Sautéed Japanese (Hakurei) Turnips With Turnip Greens Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you eat hakurei turnips? ›

Unlike other turnip varieties, hakurei do not need to be cooked. They have an even-textured density and the flavor pairs well with a variety of different food items. Eat them raw (just whole, or chopped/grated in salads), make a quick pickle, or cook with their greens to enhance their natural sweetness.

Baked, Boiled or Steamed. Use turnips any way you would use a potato, and then some. Try them baked or boiled in stews, soups and stir-fries, or lightly steamed with some butter, salt or lemon juice for flavor. homemade coleslaw.

Tokyo turnips or Japanese turnips are smaller and completely white, and can even be mistaken for radishes, although many casino players notice that they have a milder flavor. Though it's less common with the larger turnip varieties, Tokyo turnips are tasty raw- sliced in salads, or even pickled.

Wash greens and roots well. Some suggest soaking the greens in a little salty water. One turnip website from the United Kingdom notes that if you boil them, add a little sugar to tame the scent and add baking soda to reduce bitterness. Look for fresh turnips.

CULINARY TIPS. No need to peel, just wash well and trim the ends. The tops are also edible, either raw or quickly sautéed with oil and garlic. The turnip is an excellent source of vitamin C,B6, and E, fiber, and potassium.

A variety of herbs and spices can be added to the mashed turnips. Try a tablespoon of finely chopped sage or rosemary, a clove or two of roasted or sautéed garlic, or a pinch of paprika or ground ginger. If your turnips came with the greens, don't throw them away.

If you want to try a different cooking method, I tend to like turnip boiled and mashed. If the turnip is old (and likely bitter) you can add an apple. I've also read that you can stir in baking soda after the turnips have boiled to remove the bitterness. You would then need to rinse thoroughly.

You can't make turnips taste better because they are the best tasting food there ever could be. Roast them instead of boiling them. Serve with salt, pepper, and butter. You can use other spices or things like vinegar too if you like.

Hakurei turnips are versatile enough to pair with just about anything, and they're excellent in gratins, stir-fries, soups, or roasted with other root vegetables.

You can eat the leaves and stems of the Hakurei Turnip, so there is no waste. The leaves and stems of these veggies can be consumed raw mixed in a salad or cooked as in this Ginger Soy Hakurei Turnip recipe.

What does hakurei turnip mean? ›

Turnip Facts

The name Hakurei means "white ray of light" in Japanese, referring to the turnip's bright white color. Turnips, not pumpkins, were used to carve the first Jack-o'-lanterns.

Turnips can sometimes taste bitter due to the presence of certain compounds, such as glucosinolates and phenolic compounds. These compounds are natural defense mechanisms that some plants use to deter animals from eating them, as they can be toxic or unpalatable.

Bitter greens are leafy greens or vegetables that have an intense bitter flavor profile. They include kale, mustard greens, collards, turnip greens, broccoli rabe, radicchio, chicory, and endive. The bitterness comes from chemical compounds called glucosinolates that can be found in the Brassica family.

This is a bad practice, however, and you should avoid adding baking soda when boiling any type of vegetable. It has various unwelcome effects, such as softening the vegetable, altering the vegetable's flavor, destroying thiamine content, and hastening the loss of vitamin C.

Hakurei turnips are also known as Toyko turnips. These turnips are similar to other turnips, however, they can be consumed raw, so are also known as salad turnips. Turnips are a good source of vitamin C.

Turnips have a crisp, white inner flesh and a zesty, peppery flavor. People can eat them raw or cooked. However, roasting turnips tends to bring out their best flavors and qualities.

Turnips can be enjoyed raw, pickled, boiled, roasted, mashed, stewed, puréed, added to soups, or prepared almost any way you'd make potatoes. Turnips are a healthy alternative to potatoes; they're lower in calories and have fewer carbs. Smaller, sweeter turnips can be sliced into wedges and eaten raw like an apple.

The bulb portion of turnips is a good source of vitamin C, and the greens contain folate, calcium and vitamin E. Large turnips were used to carve Jack-O-Lanterns prior to the pumpkin. The roots, stems and leaves of a turnip are all edible.