2 daring therapies—a German-style schnitzel and a Laotian-style salad—give the unassuming vegetable a rebrand
Kohlrabi is an acquired style. It’s bland, with a gentle trace of mustard-like hearth, and is surrounded by a tricky, thick peel.
“It tastes just like the a part of broccoli you throw away,” Sarah Aswell wrote for McSweeney’s in a bit known as “Your First CSA: A Month-By-Month Information to Having fun with Your Farm Share.”
Evaluating kohlrabi to broccoli stalk is taxonomically sound, as kohlrabi is the swollen stem of a plant in the identical household as broccoli. Its title means “cabbage turnip” in German, and each cabbage and turnip are within the brassica household as effectively. Kohlrabi was bred over many generations to have rounder and bigger stems, which enabled maybe the one edge that kohlrabi has: It’s prepared early within the season; no want to attend for flowers, fruit, or seeds to develop.
“We develop it as a result of it does effectively right here and it provides variety to the weekly shares in late spring,” says Missoula, Montana CSA farmer Josh Slotnick. He admits that few of his clients fall in love with the scaly inexperienced orb at first sight, however compares it to kiwi, which no one cared about when it was known as Chinese language gooseberry.
“Kohlrabi wants a rebranding, higher advertising, and a greater title,” he stated.
His colleague Luci Brieger, a farmer in close by Victor, has a recipe for kohlrabi schnitzel that sells itself. Breaded and fried till golden, it’s a dish that folks clamor for within the previous nation. She realized it from a German buyer.
“It’s like chicken-fried steak,” stated Brieger, who grows the large Cossack storage selection, which might attain 10 kilos. She and her household feast on these fried slabs of breaded goodness all winter.
In the meantime, again in Missoula, my native Thai restaurant Sa Wad Dee ran a particular of kohlrabi som tam, aka inexperienced papaya salad, the traditional Laotian dish. Combined with garlic, chile pepper, lemon, and spices and drenched in fish sauce, the salad made with kohlrabi was pretty much as good because the inexperienced papaya model, of which I may eat any quantity.
Kohl Som Tam
Som tam means one thing like “pounded sourness” in Laotian, a reference to each the flavour and the mortar and pestle which are historically used to make the sauce. This dish is juicy, brilliant, and refreshing, like som tam ought to be.
Serves 4
- 1 medium garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 or extra thin-skinned chile pepper, like a Thai or serrano, de-seeded and thin-sliced (optionally available)
- 2 tablespoons peanuts, dry-roasted in a pan
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce, or extra to style
- 1 softball-sized kohlrabi, peeled and grated or shredded (about 5 cups)
- 1 medium carrot, grated
- A big handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced into quarters
- A fistful of string beans, chopped into inch-lengths
In a mortar and pestle or blender, convert the garlic, salt, sugar, and chile peppers right into a paste. Add peanuts and crush some extra.
Switch the paste to a bowl and add the lime juice and fish sauce, and stir collectively. Add the shredded kohlrabi and carrot. Calmly crush the tomato and string beans within the mortar and pestle, or with the aspect of a knife, and add them to the bowl. Toss.
The salt will pull moisture out of the kohlrabi, which might construct up within the bowl. If that’s a problem, drain it, or give it a toss proper earlier than serving. Sprinkle a couple of extra crushed peanuts on high and serve.
Kohlrabi Schnitzel
It’s breaded and fried, which seems like dishonest. However in case you are getting individuals to chow down on kohlrabi, that’s known as “successful.”
Serves 4
- 2 softball-sized kohlrabi
- 1/2 cup flour
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- Salt and pepper
- Vegetable oil
Fill a saucepan with salted water and produce to a boil. In the meantime, peel the kohlrabi and reduce into slices roughly 3/8-inch thick.
Prepare dinner the kohlrabi slices within the boiling water till barely tender, about 7 to eight minutes. Take away the slices, drain, and pat dry.
Combine the flour and a pinch of salt in a shallow bowl, beat the eggs in a second bowl, and measure the breadcrumbs into a 3rd. Bread the kohlrabi cutlets by coating every slice first in seasoned flour, then dipping in crushed egg, then dredging in breadcrumbs. The kohlrabi ought to be utterly coated on all sides.
Warmth the oil in a pan on medium and brown the cutlets till golden on either side. Take away the kohlrabi schnitzels from the pan and drain to take away any extra oil.