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Non-salted - India, Nepal and Bhutan

Sinki

Radish, no salt, twelve days, and a pH that drops from 6.7 to 3.3 - the largest acidification recorded anywhere in this bulletin. The finished pickle is dried and then used as the base of a soup rather than eaten from the jar.

4 steps, every one quoted from FAO Bulletin 134 6.3.3. The step labels are this site's; the sentences under them are not.

Quantities

No source consulted here states a quantity for Sinki - not a percentage, not a ratio. The method below is what was recorded and the amounts were not, so this site prints none. Judging the salt by eye is exactly the part of a ferment worth not guessing at, and the general method for this family of pickles carries figures that this one does not.

Every number the source states

Fermentation temperature
30°C

The optimum fermentation time is twelve days at 30°C.

FAO Bulletin 134 6.3.3

Optimum fermentation time
twelve days

The optimum fermentation time is twelve days at 30°C.

FAO Bulletin 134 6.3.3

Pit method
two to three months

There is a second processing method involving fermentation in a clay lined pit for two to three months (Karki, 1986).

FAO Bulletin 134 6.3.3

Starting pH
6.7

During fermentation the pH drops from 6.7 to 3.3.

FAO Bulletin 134 6.3.3

Terminal pH
3.3

During fermentation the pH drops from 6.7 to 3.3.

FAO Bulletin 134 6.3.3

Microbial succession
L. fermentum and L. brevis initiate, followed by L. plantarum

Sinki fermentation is initiated by L. fermentum and L. brevis, followed by L. plantarum.

FAO Bulletin 134 6.3.3

Dried to moisture
about 21%

After fermentation, the radish substrate is sun-dried to a moisture level of about 21% (Steinkraus, 1996).

FAO Bulletin 134 6.3.3

Substrate

Region

Method

Numbered for your place in the list. Every sentence below is the source's own, verified against the page it came from when this table was last built from the sources.

  1. Wash and wilt

    Fresh radish roots are harvested, washed and wilted by sun-drying for one to two days.

  2. Shred and pack

    They are then shredded, re-washed and packed tightly into an earthenware or glass jar, which is sealed and left to ferment.

  3. Ferment

    The optimum fermentation time is twelve days at 30°C.

  4. Dry

    After fermentation, the radish substrate is sun-dried to a moisture level of about 21% (Steinkraus, 1996).

What else the source says

The succession
Sinki fermentation is initiated by L. fermentum and L. brevis, followed by L. plantarum.
How it is eaten
For consumption, sinki is rinsed in water for two minutes, squeezed to remove the excess water and fried with salt, tomato, onion and green chilli.
A second method
There is a second processing method involving fermentation in a clay lined pit for two to three months (Karki, 1986).

What is doing the work

Before you make this

This site is a reference and not a food safety authority. It reports what named sources published and does not certify that any preparation is safe. The safety page sets out what the sources themselves say about acidity, about surface growth and about when to throw something away, and equipment lists the instruments the numbers above cannot be checked without.

The full record for this pickle, including every source consulted and the ones that disagree, is on its tradition page.

Other non-salted recipes

Method and asides from FAO 134 Battcock, M. and Azam-Ali, S. (1998) Fermented fruits and vegetables: A global perspective. FAO Agricultural Services Bulletin No. 134. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome. Numbers from the same source, extracted separately and listed on methodology.