Beet Greens and Turnip Greens: Cooking Chukandar, Shaljam Leaves
Beet greens and turnip greens are ordinary, edible leafy vegetables, and most of them get thrown away at the sabzi stall. Chukandar ke patte cook like palak; shaljam ke patte cook like sarson. Wash them well, use them within two days, and if you have had kidney stones, know that beet leaves are high in oxalate.
In brief
- Beet greens (chukandar ke patte): tender, mild, a little earthy; cook like spinach
- Turnip greens (shaljam ke patte): peppery, slightly bitter; cook like sarson or mix with it
- Storage: cut leaves off the root at once, wrap in a damp cloth, fridge, use within 2 days
- Who should check first: people with oxalate kidney stones (beet greens) or on a potassium limit
Can you eat beet leaves and turnip leaves?
Yes. Beetroot and chard are the same plant species, and beet leaves taste and cook much like chard or spinach. Turnip greens belong to the same family as sarson and cabbage, which explains their mustardy bite. In many countries both are sold as vegetables in their own right. In Pakistan they usually arrive attached to the roots, and they are often cut off and left behind.
Choose leaves that are firm, deep green and not yellow or slimy. Small, young leaves are tender enough for a quick sauté. Big, older leaves have tougher stems and need longer cooking or chopping fine. For picking and cooking the roots themselves, our guide to shaljam: how to pick and cook it has the details, and beet root uses such as colouring roti are covered in beetroot powder and pink roti.
Cut the tops off the day you buy
Leaves left attached keep drawing moisture out of the root, so both go soft faster. As soon as you get home, twist or cut the greens off about 2 cm above the root. Store roots loose and leaves separately, wrapped in a damp cotton cloth or paper towel inside a bag in the fridge.
How to clean the greens properly
Root vegetable leaves grow close to the soil and trap grit in their folds and stems.
- Pick off yellow, damaged or slimy leaves.
- Separate leaves from thick stems. Keep thin stems; chop thick ones finely to cook first.
- Soak in a big bowl of cold water for 5 minutes, swish, then lift the leaves out so the grit stays behind.
- Repeat in fresh water two or three times until no sand settles at the bottom.
- Drain in a colander, then chop.
Chukandar ke patte: a simple sauté like palak
- Chop the leaves and thin stems from one bunch, roughly 250 to 300 g.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add half a teaspoon zeera, 2 chopped garlic cloves and 1 green chilli.
- Add 1 small chopped onion and cook until soft, about 4 minutes.
- Add the chopped stems first, cook 2 minutes, then the leaves, a quarter teaspoon haldi and salt to taste.
- Stir on medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes until wilted and the water dries. Finish with a squeeze of lemon.
The pot shrinks to about a katori, enough for two people with roti. Add one diced boiled potato for aloo-patta sabzi, or a handful of soaked chana daal, cooked separately, for a more filling dish.
Shaljam ke patte: with sarson or on their own
Turnip greens are stronger in taste. Two good ways to use them:
- Mixed into sarson ka saag: replace up to a third of the mustard leaves with turnip greens. They blend in naturally because many families already add a few turnip pieces to saag.
- Quick masala greens: boil chopped leaves for 5 minutes in salted water to soften the bitterness, drain, then cook in a tarka of garlic, dried red chilli and a little ghee for 5 minutes.
Some cooks add a small piece of the turnip root itself, finely chopped, so nothing from the bunch is wasted.
The leaves on a beetroot bunch are a second vegetable you have already paid for.
What about oxalate in beet greens?
Oxalate is a natural compound found in many plants, and it can join with calcium in urine to form the most common type of kidney stone. Leafy plants in the beet family, including beet leaves and chard, are known to be high in it. A New Zealand laboratory analysis of chard leaves measured the highest soluble oxalate in young regrowth leaves, and that leaves cooked in milk held less soluble oxalate than those cooked in water.
For most people, eating beet greens as part of a varied diet is not a problem. People who have had calcium oxalate stones are a different case: the US National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases advises them to talk with a healthcare professional or dietitian about oxalate-rich foods, and names spinach among them. That advice reasonably extends to beet greens. Many cooks boil such leaves and throw the water away; our bathua saag guide walks through that method for a similar winter leaf.
Find more ways to use whole vegetables in the Zero-Waste Kitchen section.
Unani and Ayurvedic texts discuss turnip and its greens as winter foods, and many Punjabi homes cooked shaljam ke patte with saag through the cold months. Such seasonal pairing is tradition and good kitchen sense, not a medical claim.
If you have had kidney stones, ask your doctor or dietitian before eating beet greens often. If you have chronic kidney disease and have been told to limit potassium, leafy greens are worth checking with your kidney team. Anyone on warfarin or similar blood thinners should keep their intake of green leafy vegetables steady from week to week rather than suddenly eating much more; do not change your medicine yourself. Wash greens well to remove soil, which can carry germs. Babies under one should get greens only as cooked, mashed, well-washed leaves as part of weaning. See a doctor for blood in urine, severe one-sided back or side pain, or fever with urinary symptoms.
Beet and turnip greens questions
Can you eat beet leaves?
Yes, beet leaves are a normal, edible leafy vegetable that cooks like spinach or chard. Wash well and cook within two days of buying.
How do you cook turnip greens?
Chop and either blend them into sarson ka saag or boil for five minutes, drain, and cook in a garlic and red chilli tarka. Boiling first tones down the bitterness.
What do chukandar ke patte taste like?
Mild, slightly earthy and a little sweet, much like chard. The stems are pink or red and soften when cooked.
Are beet greens high in oxalate?
Yes, leaves of the beet family are high in oxalate. That matters mainly for people prone to calcium oxalate kidney stones, who should ask their doctor or dietitian how much to eat.
Can I eat beet greens raw?
Young, tender leaves can go raw into a salad in small amounts after very thorough washing. Older leaves are better cooked, and people with stone history should prefer cooked and drained.
How long do beet greens last in the fridge?
About two days, wrapped in a damp cloth inside a bag. They wilt and yellow fast, so cook them soon.
Can I freeze beet or turnip greens?
Yes. Blanch in boiling water for two minutes, cool in cold water, squeeze dry, and freeze in portions. Use them in cooked dishes like saag or daal.
Can I mix turnip greens with sarson saag?
Yes, up to about a third of the greens. It is a common home variation and adds a peppery note.
Are turnip greens good for people with diabetes?
Leafy greens are low in carbohydrate and fit well in a diabetes meal plan. Watch the ghee and makki roti served with them, and follow your own care plan.