Within the 1978 Vegetable E-book, credited with introducing People to lesser-known produce, the English cookbook writer Jane Grigson gave kohlrabi a lackluster overview. “There are higher greens than kohlrabi,” she wrote. “And worse.” The 1999 version of the Oxford Companion to Meals wasn’t any extra beneficiant, describing the Sputnik-shaped cruciferous vegetable as a “weird type of the widespread cabbage.”
After I first moved to the U.S. from northern India, I couldn’t perceive the American apathy in direction of kohlrabi. In Kashmir’s snow-capped mountains, the spiky inexperienced thrives, offering a welcome jolt of recent taste through the area’s lengthy winters. However within the U.S. it largely appeared in slaws or braises, if it appeared in any respect. Kohlrabi appeared doomed to a lifetime of unpopularity.
Fortuitously, this meant extra for me, and that I now had year-round alternatives to make kadam ka saag, a vegan delight historically restricted to the coldest months in my hometown of Delhi. Kashmiri monjhe haakh, or kadam ka saag within the Hindi belt, interprets to kohlrabi stewed greens, and it brings out the unsung vegetable’s true potential. Comparable in theme to a hearty kimchi jiggae or English cabbage soup, kadam ka saag packs a punch with solely a handful of elements, and is able to serve in beneath 20 minutes.
The soup couldn’t be easier to arrange: Begin by peeling and chopping 2 giant kohlrabi bulbs into 1-inch cubes, reserving the stems and leaves. Warmth a big heavy-bottomed pot over excessive warmth with a drizzle of impartial oil, then saute the chopped kohlrabi bulbs till they’re golden brown and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Toss in a teaspoon of cumin seeds, together with a teaspoon of powdered fennel seeds, the sleeper hit of this entire recipe. Fennel powder’s licorice-like notes are the right complement to kohlrabi’s heat, rooty sweetness.
I like so as to add 2 dried crimson chiles, although you can even use cayenne or crimson pepper flakes if that’s what you could have readily available. Prepare dinner for a couple of minutes till all the pieces is aromatic and scorching, then decrease the warmth to medium-high, add salt to style and 4 cups of hen broth or water, and simmer for about ten minutes, till the kohlrabi is cooked via however not mushy.
Tear the reserved kohlrabi leaves into 3- or 4-inch strips, and drop them into the soup. They’ll rapidly wilt into the broth, paying homage to the wakame in miso soup. Some kadam ka saag recipes name for whisking a little bit of yogurt after which stirring it in on the finish (the whisking prevents it from splitting), however for me, a squeeze of lime provides that very same pop of acidity with out diluting the kohlrabi’s pure sweetness.
I prefer to garnish the soup with cilantro leaves, and serve it with rice or crusty bread. A smattering of chile crisp isn’t conventional, however is fully welcome at my desk, too. My household usually serves the dish with a sidecar of pan-fried paneer or halloumi, or garlic chips if we’ve them readily available.
Whether or not I’m dealing with homesickness, heartbreak, or only a hangover, this soup has been my savior extra instances than I can rely. Kohlrabi has been neglected for too lengthy. This recipe lastly places the oddball vegetable proper the place it belongs: entrance and heart, because the rightful star of the present.
Mehr Singh is a meals and tradition reporter based mostly in New York. Her work seems in Bon Appétit, Food52, MR Journal, and different publications.
Dilek Baykara is a Turkish-American illustrator, print designer, and adventurous gastronome residing in Brooklyn, New York.