Kohlrabi and I have never been great friends.
Other than eating it raw and dipped into hummus, I’ve made no meals with it that I’d describe as anything above “edible.” It can be a difficult vegetable to deal with. You have to break through its incredibly tough skin to get to the good stuff. Okay, that’s really the only limiting factor.
But I think I’m finally on to something. In this dish, the kohlrabi isn’t the star of the show, but it adds much in terms of flavor and texture. When paired with corn and the Indian spice garam masala, it adds a nice sweetness to a somewhat spicy meal.
So that’s one winning kohlrabi dish under my belt. Maybe next time I’ll go back to the slaws I’ve heard so much good things about, but never seemed to accomplish on my own. And if you’ve never cooked with kohlrabi, perhaps this is a good starting dish. Go grab the crazy looking vegetable next time you’re at the market and let me know how it turns out.
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
- 2 cups basmati rice, dry
- 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 4 dried red chilies, crushed
- 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
- 4 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 4 ears of corn, cooked and cut off the cob
- 2 medium kohlrabis, peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 20 oz extra-firm tofu, pressed and cut into ½ inch pieces
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
- In a medium sized pot, heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil. Add rice and stir to coat. Add 4 cups water and a pinch of salt, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until rice is fluffy.
- Meanwhile, in a large wok, heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil. Add ginger, garlic, dried red chilies and cook until fragrant, about 4 minutes. Stir in rice wine vinegar, water, soy sauce, mustard, and tomatoes. Cook until tomatoes have softened and sauce starts to thicken.
- Add corn and kohlrabi and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes, until kohlrabi has softened. Stir in garam masala and remove from heat.
- In a large non-stick pan, heat remaining tablespoon of sesame oil. Add tofu and cook until nicely browned, then flip and cook on remaining side. Add tofu to wok with vegetables and stir to combine.
- Serve curry over rice.
Recipe adapted from Madhur Jaffrey.
Leave a Reply