Hinona Kabu Turnips
Hinona Kabu turnips have a mild, sweet, and peppery flavor with earthy undertones. In addition to the roots, the tall dark green and purple leaves are edible, contributing spicy, vegetal, and grassy flavors.
Hinona Kabu turnips have a sweet and peppery flavor well suited for raw or cooked preparations. The slender roots can be washed, removing the fine root hairs, and sliced for salads, coleslaws, and grain bowls. The skin can be peeled or left intact, depending on preference, and the roots can also be incorporated into soups, curries, and stews, caramelized in soy sauce, butter, and sugar as a rich side dish, stir-fried with other vegetables, or roasted or sauteed as an accompaniment to meats. Hinona Kabu turnips can be utilized in any recipe calling for common turnips. In Japan, Hinona Kabu turnips are popularly peeled and pickled in a dish known as sakura-zuke. Sakura translates to “cherry blossom” in Japanese and is a descriptor given for the pickled turnip’s pink hue. Zuke means “pickle,” and the tangy, crisp, and sweet pickled radishes are served as a condiment, snack, or side dish to sushi. In addition to the roots, the turnip leaves are also edible and can be lightly steamed or sauteed as an earthy, spicy, and vegetal green. Hinona Kabu turnips pair well with other root vegetables, fennel, asparagus, aromatics including garlic, shallots, ginger, and onions, parsley, miso, lemon, yuzu, and strawberries. Whole, unwashed roots will keep 1 to 2 weeks when wrapped in newspaper and stored in the refrigerator. The leaves should be separated from the root so the root does not dry out. Cooked Hinona Kabu turnips will keep for a couple of days when stored in a sealed container in the fridge. The leaves and roots can also be frozen for extended use.
In Japan, pickled vegetables, also known as tsukemono, are a traditional component of meals, favored for their sweet, sour, and tangy flavor. Historically, pickling was a preservation method in Japan, and many different types of vegetables could be preserved in vinegar or salt. Hinona Kabu turnips are a favored pickled vegetable, and the slender roots contain a bi-colored red-purple and white hue, a color combination that symbolizes happiness in Japan. Red and white represent a mix of strength, energy, purity, and truth, and it is common for culinary dishes to include the color combination in celebratory dishes for birthdays, weddings, and national holidays. Smaller Hinona Kabu turnips are frequently left whole in Japanese dishes to accentuate the color contrast, and the sliced pickled turnips also develop a magenta hue, valued as an aesthetically pleasing condiment for raw fish and rice. Legend has it that the pink pickled turnips were once a gift to Emperor Kashiwabara, who later wrote about the pickles in a poem sometime during the 16th century.