How to Make Lebanese-Style Pickled Turnips for Shawarma
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Thanks to quarantine, we’re getting creative with our food. Luckily, I still have two jars of pickled turnips left from the last time I made shawarma. Even though we don’t have all the stuff for shawarma, pickled turnips are a great salty, crunchy addition to a lot of other things, too.
The first time I’d ever tried shawarma was in college. A friend got a wrap from one of the hookah bars and let me have a bite. Once you’ve tried a chicken shawarma wrap, you can’t forget it. You’re going to have occasional but persistent cravings. Seriously.
Then, when we lived in LA, there was a place right by our apartment called Playa’s Pitas. They specialized in Lebanese food, so we just had to get some. And this was the first time I ever had pickled turnips. Actually, I didn’t even know they were turnips. I had to do an extensive Google search to figure it out!
The Pink Pickles in Lebanese Food
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, sometimes shawarma comes with these brilliantly magenta pickles with a mild spice, unique flavor, and a crunch that adds an interesting texture to a pita full of hummus, garlic sauce, and fragrantly spiced chicken. They’re special, and it’s certainly hard to describe what makes them so tasty.
When it comes to being a pregnant lady, craving pickles is totally expected. What was not expected is how hardcore I got the craving for Lebanese food from this very specific cafe on the complete opposite side of the country, specifically their pickled turnips.
So, naturally, I tried to find any Mediterranean restaurant in Nashville that has them. Sure, there are places that have shawarma or kafta. Lots of places have gyros (Nashville isn’t called The Athens of the South for nothing). But no pickled turnips to be found anywhere. If you know of a place in Nashville, please comment!
Making My Own Pickled Turnips
On my first go at making them myself, I had to read several dozen recipes to make sure I was using the right ingredients. Then, since I wasn’t all that sure what Playa’s Pitas put in theirs, I decided that for the first go-round, I’d use the most basic recipe to start.
A lot of recipes, like most pickle recipes, called for the use of kosher salt. But I’m the dumb dumb who got home from the grocery store and completely forgot about it. That’s why I went with the sea salt.
I’d like to pretend it has to do with the larger variety of minerals in sea salt versus kosher salt, but I’d be lying. These did turn out really nicely though, so if you also have a fancy salt you picked up at TJ Maxx two years ago but never use, go for it!
There are So Many Variations
Some of the variations that I thought notable were the additions of hot peppers, celery leaves, or using golden beets and turmeric instead of red beets. I’ve called this recipe an experiment, because, as you can tell, I know very little about what I’m doing. This was all about getting outside my comfort zone.
If you are an old pro at pickling turnips, please contact me or leave a comment below.
How to Jar Your Pickled Turnips Safely
We’re big fans of Ball jars at my house. They make really pretty flower vases. We use them to store our leftovers portioned out for lunches. They’re great for meal prep, of course. And we’ve made our own pickles, relish, and pickled turnips.
Basically, on any normal day, I go through at least two Ball Jars. It’s just life. So, how do you jar your pickled turnips to last?
Well, first of all, you need a couple of tools for sanitizing your jars. I have this kit because most of the pieces came with it.
You’ll need:
- Large stockpot with a rack to set your jars in to boil
- Nice magnet to grab the lids and rims
- Funnel to cleanly pour the pickling liquid into the jar (this is super handy for any time you load up your jars)
- Jar tongs (this make it much easier to grab your jar out of the hot water)
- Jarring mat (this is not included in the kit, but it helps prevent cold-shock breaks)
The kit also comes with a bubble popper/measurer, but I have never used mine for pickled turnips.
Sanitizing Your Jars for Pickled Turnips
It may not seem like a big deal because you’re loading these jars up with vinegar solution. But I prefer to be safe. The first thing I do is wash everything with soap and water and let it air dry.
Then, you’ll take the lids off of the jars and gently place the jars into the pot on top of the rack. Then add in the water until they are covered. Set it atop the stove and bring it to a boil. I put in the jars before the water is boiling to prevent shock-breakage. I don’t want to explode a jar.
Make sure you’re using new vacuum lids because the wax ring tends to give out after it’s sealed once. I reuse the lids when I’m doing lunch prep (you can probably tell my rings are a little worse for wear, too).
This is Where You Make the Pickled Turnip Brine
You’re going to make the brine and get it cooled to room temperature. This is important. You do not want it hot because it’ll make your turnips soft. But if your brine is cold, you’ll break the jars. Remember to leave the jars submerged until you’re actually ready to load them with turnips.
When you remove the jars, use the special tongs, and set them on the microfiber drying mat. This prevents cold-shock from hitting a cold granite counter top.
Assembling the Jars of Pickled Turnips
Remove your jars from the water, careful to pour out the boiling water inside. Set the jars onto the drying mat. Pack each jar with the turnips and beets, a clove of garlic, a bay leaf, and equal amounts of any spice or pepper you want.
Using the funnel, gently pour in your brine, leaving 1/2 an inch of space at the top. You want to avoid bubbles, but if they are any, feel free to pop with the bubble popper from the kit.
Place a wax ring lid on each and screw on the rim. Don’t screw it on super tight just yet, but you do want it securely placed. Use the tongs to place each jar back into the pot, and return the water to a gentle boil for 10 minutes.
Once more, use the tongs to remove the jars from the water and set them on the drying mat. Allow them to cool completely on the counter. Then you’ll assess if the seal took.
Test the Seal
If the lid is indented into the jar, it has properly vented the air and vacuum-sealed itself. If the lid pops when you press it, there is air inside, and it did not seal. You can further check by just removing the screw on ring and gently testing the lid with your finger. If you cannot open it, it worked!
Return the screw on rings. Then, if you want to, label the jars with the date and what is in each jar. These are shelf stable in a dark, cool pantry for a year.
Refrigerator Pickle Style
Your other option, if you don’t care for these to go in the pantry, is to go the refrigerator pickle route. You will still want to sanitize your jars, though.
Once you have boiled your jars, set them on the drying mat and pack them as before. Allow the jars to fully cool on the counter, and then place them in the fridge. I would personally still eat the ones I have in the fridge even though they are 6 months old, but a quick internet search shows that you should eat yours within 3 to 4 months.
How to Serve Pickled Turnips
Obviously, these are fabulous with shawarma. They’re crisp, crunchy, salty, sour, and vibrantly hot pink. So, aside from being delicious with a great wrap, they are also great for other things.
I like to put pickled turnips into vegan Buddha Bowls with meatless protein, grains, and veggies. Below is a photo of my pickled turnips on a fluffy falafel waffle.
I also like to add them to my lunch meal prep to liven up a dish I may be getting bored with. They’re really great with turkey kofta.
I’ve even suggested before that if you got adventurous, you could substitute the relish in your favorite egg or tuna salad recipe with chopped pickled turnips for a magenta treat. Heck, I even just open the jar and eat them straight (with a fork so I don’t dye my fingers).
There’s no wrong way to eat pickled turnips, y’all. But you would be wrong to skip past this fantastic snack/side dish recipe because it looks or sounds weird. Trust me when I say this is a great food to keep in the pantry or fridge to make sad, bland meals more interesting.
Comment below if you have questions, concerns, or opinions. And tag me @ellejayathome on Instagram or Twitter if you share pictures from any of my recipes. I love to hear from you!
Lebanese-Style Pickled Turnips
Ingredients
- 3 cups of water
- 1/3 cup sea salt
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 2 large turnips without the greens
- 1 small red beet without the greens
- 3 cloves of garlic sliced
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, boil the water, salt, and bay leaves until the salt completely dissolves. Bring to room temperature.
- Once cooled, stir in the vinegar.
- Wash and peel the turnips and beets.
- Cut the veggies until both turnips and beets are similar sized. A julienne is nice, but a larger chunk is just as good. Mix both together and distribute between 3 squeaky clean, pint-sized ball jars.
- Pour in the pickling brine until it covers the veg.
- Seal up tight and place in the refrigerator for a week.
- Serve with your favorite wrap sandwich (like falafel or shawarma), mixed into a picnic salad for a fun twist (like tuna, macaroni, potato, or egg salad) OR just eat these straight out of the jar with the fridge door open at 2am… just wash your hands before you go back to bed.
- Without a proper jarring method, these should keep in the fridge for a month. If you follow a proper canning method, they could last on the shelf for several months.
