Many thanks to those of you who contributed ideas on how to cook kohlrabi Asian style. Your thoughts fed my imagination over the weekend. I’d come home from a grueling week-long business trip out of town and was spent. Plus, I pulled my Achilles tendon on Thursday. Hobbling was the best I could do.
The nearly empty fridge had a bag of farmer’s root vegetables - carrots, watermelon radishes, and kohlrabi - half a red onion and some eggs. Recalling your comments and a conversation with my mother about kohlrabi, I whipped up this simple stir-fry to go with a bowl of rice and a watermelon radish salad.
The hardest part of it was peeling away all the tough kohlrabi skin. Trimming the root and stem ends first makes using the vegetable peeler to remove the skin easier. After an initial pass of the peeler, I did it again. Kohlrabi shines brighter once its thick exterior is gone.
Then it was simply a matter of cutting up the kohlrabi into thick julienne, about ¼-inch wide. You can add carrot to this stir-fry too but that would rob kohlrabi of its stardom. Next time, I may throw a teaspoon or so of finely chopped dried shrimp into the skillet with the garlic and red onion.
Feeling much better after the meal, I hobbled with a much lighter step.
Serves 2 or 3
2 kohlrabi, each about the size of a large orange2 large eggs1 ½ teaspoons fish sauce¼ teaspoon black pepper1 tablespoon canola oil2 large cloves garlic, minced½ small red onion, sliced vertically into thin wedgesSalt
1. Peel the kohlrabi and cut into thick julienne. Set aside.
2. Beat the eggs with the fish sauce and black pepper. Set aside.
3. Heat the canola oil in skillet over medium high heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook for about 1 minute until just softened.
4. Add the kohlrabi and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened. It should weep some liquid. However, feel free to splash in water and/or lower the heat if the skillet looks dry.
Give the egg one last gentle beat then pour over the kohlrabi. Stir to combine and cook for another 30 seconds, until the egg has set. Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a plate and serve with rice.
Related post: Asian Ideas for Kohlrabi? (includes tips on selecting good ones!)