Kohlrabi how to cook? Preparing kohlrabi: recipes, photos

Cabbage is widely used in Russian cuisine: cabbage soup, hodgepodge and many other dishes can not do without it. But we are talking about the usual white-washed, although gradually becoming popular and color. But what about a kind of kohlrabi? How to cook a vegetable so that it is eaten with pleasure?

On cultivation and varieties

For most Russians, kohlrabi is not the most frequent guest in the diet. This vegetable is so unpopular that it is not often found in the store. Outwardly it resembles a hybrid of ordinary white cabbage and turnips. The fact is that the part used directly in food is an overgrown stem. To taste it looks like a cabbage stalk, only juicier, softer and sweeter.

Dimensions of different varieties, like colors, are very different. And in the garden this cabbage looks somewhat unusual. Seeing her in the store, you might think that this is a root crop, but in fact - the lower part of the stem, that is, it lies on the ground, which looks rather strange. Color can vary from light green and almost white to crimson and violet. So, you are interested in kohlrabi: how to cook this vegetable? And what to look for when buying?

Choose the right one

In Russia, this vegetable is not as popular as in Europe, so many housewives simply do not know what to look for in a store, buying kohlrabi, how to cook it so that it can take maximum advantage of it.

First of all, it is necessary to choose fruits with fresh leaves, if they are not cut. So you can understand how long the vegetable is in the store. Secondly, the kohlrabi should not have external damages and cuts, otherwise it may be completely spoiled. The most important thing is to choose not too large specimens weighing up to 150 grams, this will help to avoid buying overripe stems with coarse fibrous pulp, which simply can not be made tasty and delicate.

Popular cooking methods

So, choosing a stalk in a store, you need to think about what you can do with it. There are plenty of options: kohlrabi stewed, boiled, fried, baked, raw, in a variety of complex dishes - the scope for imagination is almost unlimited. You can invent your own recipes, focusing on the compatibility of ingredients with ordinary cabbage. The only subtlety: before cooking kohlrabi you need to thoroughly wash and peel off the skin. It is quite easy to cut and rub, so there should not be any technical difficulties. So, what can come out of kohlrabi?

In salads

One of the most common uses is cold snacks. This vegetable in raw form is perfectly combined with carrots and apples, and as a sauce you can use sour cream and lemon juice. Get a nice fresh salad if you rub it all or cut it into small straws. Apple, by the way, can easily be replaced with cucumber.

For meat lovers, there is a variant with ham, in this salad, in addition to the protein ingredient, all the same kohlrabi and carrots are used. Dressing - mayonnaise or sour cream, spices to taste.

If you continue the topic of fresh and useful salads, then another recipe includes Bulgarian pepper, onions, pickled cucumber and, of course, cabbage itself. Decorate the dish can be herbs, and fill with olive oil.

So, it is obvious that in kalrabi salads it fits very organically. It gives them a sweetish taste and a pleasant crunchy texture. And what about hot?

First meal

Soup of kohlrabi can also firmly enter the diet, it will appeal to both children and adults. It can have a consistency of puree or be presented in a more familiar form - like a broth with vegetables. One of the most popular recipes is with chicken.

For him, you need to take 1 kilogram of meat and boil the broth. After the water boils, you need to remove the foam and add carrot and a bulb. On medium heat cook for another half an hour, after adding bay leaf and black pepper peas. When the broth is ready, it must be filtered and left for further preparation. In a saucepan, warm up the vegetable oil and fry the chopped onions in it. When it turns golden, add a little broth, as well as sliced vegetables: head kohlrabi and 2 potatoes. After 5 minutes, pour the remaining broth into the mixture and bring to a boil on high heat. After that add spice to taste. And cook for another 10 minutes over medium heat. Then add the chicken pieces and the heads of cauliflower, disassembled on the inflorescences. Brew everything until done, it's still about 10 minutes. Then pour the cream, mix and remove from heat.

Of course, for the first time cooking kohlrabi in this way may seem complicated, but in fact it is just another element in the most common recipe.

Second courses

Of course, kohlrabi (how to cook it tasty, many housewives want to know) is used not only in soups and salads. Call it the queen of the second course, probably not, but as a side dish, it will suit a variety of ingredients. It can also be quite independent - in the vegetable stew, for example, or stewed in sour cream. But there is one almost universal dish that many people like - baked ham with kohlrabi in a creamy sauce. It is worth dwelling on in detail.

To cook, you need 250 grams of ham, 4 kohlrabi stems, 3 eggs, a tablespoon of fatty cream, wheat flour, butter, parsley, black pepper, nutmeg and salt.

Cabbage should be cleaned and cut into small cubes, after which fry 8-10 minutes in butter over medium heat. Egg whites to beat, mix with cream, flour and spices. Cut the ham into cubes and heat the oven to 180 degrees. In the glassware layers, first lay a part of the cabbage, then the meat, sprinkled with parsley, and again kohlrabi. Pour everything sauce and bake for about half an hour before a ruddy crust. Serve immediately.

The recipe, of course, can be slightly changed, adding, for example, cheese and some other spices, but it is also successful in this form. This vegetable is so good that its sweetness is perfectly combined with a large number of products, but at the same time gives some exotic flavor to the dishes. Thanks to this, you can endlessly invent ways of how to cook kohlrabi.

In the multivariate

Modern housewives in every possible way strive to simplify their lives, and cooking is no exception. Multivarkers have become a great help for those who do not like to stand for hours at the stove. Slowly, but surely this miracle device "learns" all the new recipes and ingredients, and kohlrabi is no exception.

Depending on what model is available, you can cook a lot: a beautiful stew with zucchini and broccoli, soups, pies, etc. By the way, the aforementioned kohlrabi in a creamy sauce can also be made in a multivark.

Of course, many housewives say that dishes cooked in an unconventional way are not so tasty, but in this way you can save a huge amount of time and effort, and also save a maximum of vitamins, which is especially important when it comes to kohlrabi. How to cook and what to combine this vegetable, probably, each hostess will decide herself, starting from the tastes of her family.

For stocks

As for any other vegetable, there is a season for this type of cabbage. Therefore, it is necessary to store kohlrabi for winter, if it is necessary, soon after harvesting. And if it is a question of the purchased product, then in the end of summer or in the beginning of autumn.

Billets in Russia are very popular, and if this kind of cabbage has entered the diet of the family firmly, then it makes sense to make seaming with it. To do this, you need to clean the stalk, cut it into cubes and boil it in salted water until soft - about 15 minutes. After that you have to rinse it with cool water, distribute it in jars, shift with spices such as black and fragrant peppercorns, mustard seeds, bay leaves, onions. If desired, you can add other seasonings. Then you need to fill it with marinade: for 1 liter of water - 1.5 teaspoons of vinegar 70%, 25 grams of salt and 125 grams of sugar. Naturally, the mixture should be hot, and the jars carefully sterilized.

Prepare kohlrabi for the winter is not difficult and does not take much time, and in the cold season these stocks will be an excellent source of vitamins and a reminder of the sunny summer heat.

Nutritional value and benefits

Like many other vegetables, kohlrabi is a dietary product. Rough fiber helps to improve digestion, and a huge amount of vitamin C gives it the right to compete with lemons. In addition, kohlrabi has healing and anti-inflammatory properties, increases the metabolic rate and protects the nervous system.

The useful properties of this kind of cabbage was known even in ancient Greece, where it was used as a medicine, and not just as a food product. Among other things, it contains trace elements such as potassium, selenium, magnesium, calcium, iron, etc. Also in kohlrabi there are substances that prevent the transformation of carbohydrates into fats, that is, allowing to maintain a beautiful figure. In addition, there is an opinion that eating this vegetable for food is an excellent prevention of cancer.

However, uncontrolled eating of kohlrabi will not be beneficial to those who suffer from increased acidity of the stomach. Of course, in the case of individual intolerance, its use in food is also impossible.

Than to replace?

To taste the radish is very similar to kohlrabi. Recipes with photos, which use this more familiar vegetable, may well be suitable for exotic cabbage. Turnip also looks something like a stalk. However, as already mentioned, the nearest relative of kohlrabi, white cabbage, can to some extent taste it very much. But still, in its properties, composition, texture and some other characteristics, this vegetable has no full analogues. Because at least occasionally kohlrabi should appear on the table in each family, even as an experiment. Who knows, maybe after that, it will firmly become part of your favorite dishes.