Recipes
Traditional Gundruk Recipe: How to Make Nepal's Beloved Fermented Greens
May 28, 2026 8 min read
What Is Sukuti?
Sukuti is a Nepali dish made by rubbing meat (usually water buffalo or pork) in spices and drying it in the sun or open air. Once dried, the meat keeps for a long time without refrigeration, which made it a genuinely useful preservation method in earlier times. Today it's a popular snack and festival favourite, usually served alongside onion, chili, and lime.
What You'll Need
- Meat (buffalo or pork) — 1 kg, cut into thin, long strips
- Ginger-garlic paste — 2 tablespoons
- Chili powder — to taste
- Turmeric powder — half a teaspoon
- Timur (Sichuan pepper) powder — 1 teaspoon (optional, but adds real depth)
- Salt — to taste
- Oil — a few drops
Step-by-Step Method
Step 1: Cut the Meat
Cut the meat into thin (0.5-1cm thick) long strips. Thin strips dry faster and more evenly — cutting it too thick risks the center rotting before it fully dries, so don't skip this step.
Step 2: Rub in the Spices
Mix the cut meat thoroughly with ginger-garlic paste, chili powder, turmeric, timur powder, and salt, making sure every strip is coated. Let the spiced meat rest in the fridge for 6-8 hours (or overnight) so the flavours soak in properly.
Step 3: Dry It
Hang the spiced strips on a string or rack, making sure they don't touch each other. Dry in a sunny, breezy spot for 3-5 days, turning occasionally so they dry evenly on all sides. Without sun, an oven on its lowest setting with the door slightly open can dry the meat in 6-8 hours instead.
Step 4: Check If It's Done
The meat is ready once it's firm on the outside with a slight give inside — it shouldn't be completely stiff like paper, just noticeably firmer and drier. If it still feels soft or damp when pressed, dry it for one more day.
How to Serve It
Sukuti can be eaten as-is, chewed like a snack, or lightly fried in oil and tossed with onion, chili, and coriander to make "sukuti sadeko." It's especially popular served with lime and a cold beer.
Common First-Time Mistakes and Fixes
- Cutting the meat too thick: thicker strips take much longer to dry and risk rotting in the middle — thinner is always better
- Not using enough salt: too little salt means the meat won't preserve properly, so make sure the spice rub has adequate salt
- Storing it before it's fully dry: storing partially dried meat risks mould — only store it once it's completely dry
How to Store It
Fully dried sukuti keeps for months in an airtight container in a dry place. Storing it in the fridge extends its shelf life even further.
Fresh meat is available from sellers on FoodSansar — make this traditional snack at home today.
