Skip to main content
Support

Browse by category

All categories
Fermentation Atlas

Vegetables from Nepal, Sikkim and Darjeeling

Sinkiसिन्की

Sinki is radish root that is wilted, shredded and fermented with no salt, in a sealed jar or a clay-lined pit, until lactic bacteria make it sour. The sour shreds are then sun-dried, and the dry sinki keeps for a long time as a base for soup and pickle. Made in 6 steps over 13 days – 3.1 months. The longest step, ferment, takes 12 days – 3 months (Tamang J.P. and Sarkar P.K. 1993) and runs at 30 °C (Tamang J.P. and Sarkar P.K. 1993). Salt is 0 % (Tamang J.P. and Sarkar P.K. 1993). Lactobacillus plantarum, the dominant species, found in every one of 40 samples and Lactobacillus brevis, also found in every sample do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step12 days – 3 monthsMeasured[s1][fao134]Ferment
Temperature30 °CMeasured[s1]Ferment
Salt0 %Measured[s1]Pack tightly and seal
AciditypH 6.7 → 3.3Measured[s1][fao134]Ferment
Fully documentedVegetables13 days – 3.1 monthsMore vegetablesMore from IndiaMore from NepalMore from Bhutan

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedTraditional process with no fixed batch size. Nothing goes in but radish, so the root is the whole recipe.
Fresh radish roots · Wilted in the sun, then shredded[fao134]
No salt · Sinki is a non-salted ferment[s1]
Starter: spontaneous

Total time across the recorded steps: 13 days – 3.1 months

Start
Drag the bar or press Play

What changes: Fresh radish roots wilt in the sun

Step 1 of 6
Wilt the radishes in the sun
Time
24 h – 2 days
Reported
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
L. fermentum
L. brevis
L. plantarum

Output: wilted roots.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

What makes this one different

Sinki uses no salt at all, unlike most vegetable ferments. It relies on a fast drop in pH and then drying to keep, as gundruk does with leaves.

Related ferments

Variants

  • Pit sinkiFermented in a clay-lined pit for 2–3 months instead of a jar.
  • Sinki pickleThe fermented radish is eaten as a pickle instead of being dried for soup.

Safety

With no salt, safety depends on souring fast; the pH fell from 6.7 to 3.3 under the optimized conditions. Drying the sour shreds then keeps them stable.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

  1. [s1] Tamang J.P. and Sarkar P.K. 1993, Sinki, a traditional lactic acid fermented radish tap root product, Journal of General and Applied Microbiology 39(4), 395–408 (abstract)paper
  2. [fao134] Battcock M. and Azam-Ali S. 1998, Fermented fruits and vegetables, a global perspective, FAO Agricultural Services Bulletin 134, section 6.3.3 Sinkigov
  3. [s2] Wikipedia, Sinki (food) (outline only)wiki