What is Kohlrabi?
Looking something like a Sputnik in vegetable form, with a squat bulb and antennae-like shoots, kohlrabi is part of the cabbage family. The name translates from German as ‘turnip cabbage’ and the mild, sweet flavour is somewhere between a turnip and a water chestnut, with a crisp, crunchy texture. It can be found in two colours, pale green, White Vienna, and the less-common purple, Purple Vienna.
How to Prepare Kohlrabi
Snip off the leaf stems, trim off the base and top, then use a potato peeler or sharp knife to peel it as if it’s an apple. Then thinly slice, chunk or cut into wedges.
How to Cook Kohlrabi
- To roast, steam the bulb for 5 mins, then roast for 45 mins
- Steam (up to 12 mins)
- Stir fry (up to 6 mins)
- The leaves can be cooked like cabbage
One of my favourite recipes is a peppery Kohlrabi Slaw and I am often asked to bring it to barbeques and parties. It has it all – vibrant colours, a little bit of heat and plenty of crunch. Combine kohlrabi, horseradish, spring greens and radishes to make this impressive plateful of veggies.
*Kohlrabi can be planted in either Spring or Autumn, but Autumn-planted Kohlrabi will have a sweeter taste due to being “hardened off” by the incoming cool weather. They thrive best in full sun and in well-draining soil. Harvest when the “bulbs” are about 5cm in diameter.