In the garden there is currently an abundance of my two favorite kinds of turnips – Scarlet Ohno Revival and Purple Top.  I love these varieties for their flavor, color, and prolific harvests – too prolific sometimes!  Just last week I was asking a lady at the grocery store who was checking out with a massive bag of turnips, “How do YOU cook turnips?”  It was such an odd question, I had to follow it up with an explanation of why I ask strangers for turnip recipes!

This year I planted a beautiful purple Mizuna that I am liking a lot for it’s striking color and peppery, pungent flavor.  My children are picky about mustard greens and turnips, but I knew they would love the sweet and sour sauce.  Sure enough, it worked!  Rose was VERY skeptical of the turnip factor at first, but she even asked for seconds after the first cautious taste.

Sauce:

1/4 cup Naturally Fermented Soy Sauce (I always buy organic to avoid GMO’s)

2 Tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar

2 Tablespoons Coconut Sugar or Rapadura

1 mild chili pepper, de-seeded and  minced (I used a red serrano chili)

A 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely minced

Other Ingredients:

2 Cups chopped Mizuna (about 4-5 healthy springs)

1 large or 2 medium turnips peeled and sliced

1 Tablespoon coconut or sesame oil, or lard

1.  Heat the oil (or melt the lard) in a frying pan or wok.  Sprinkle sesame seeds in an even layer and toast.
2. When the sesame seeds begin to brown, stir them up and add the mizuna and sliced turnip.  Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.
3. Pour the sauce over top, and cook until the turnips are tender, stirring occasionally.