Kohlrabi “Noodle” Salad | Flavor by Ottolenghi

This is a slightly different take from my favorite kohlrabi slaw, except it’s more exciting and a bit less work. With appealing recipes on hand, celebrate kohlrabi the seasonable ingredient that it is. The CSA box is currently teeming with kohlrabi, bring them on. If you can’t get kohlrabi, a large radish or green papaya will also work.

I am excited about the nut-seaweed-chili-seed sprinkle that’d bring any salad to life. That reminds me of the Japanese condiment known as “furikake” frequently used as tabletop sprinkles. After I discovered furikake in Japan, I start sprinkling that liberally on egg, potato, rice, salad or toast. There isn’t any food that this kind of sprinkle wouldn’t enhance. (You may find furikake at Trader Joe’s. If that’s not available, a dash of “everything bagel” and some nuts would do in a pinch.)

Bottle the sprinkle in a jar and tie a bow around it, this makes a delightful culinary gift. I make myself a big jar of it, minus the peanuts (which easily go rancid), and add to my pantry — a gift to the kitchen god!

To cut kohlrabi into wide strips, resembling short fat noodles, you need a mandoline to slice the kohlrabi as thinly as possible. Stack the slices in a neat pile and cut them into strips. Place them in a bowl with lime juice and set aside. With the right tool and a sharp knife, making noodles are easier than I’ve thought.

Ottolenghi dresses the kohlrabi noodles with chopped ginger, oil, rice vinegar and green onions. These ingredients join the heated oil to allow the flavor to meld.

Finally, toss the kohlrabi in the ginger-lime dressing. Sprinkle with the mixed seeds and nuts. Then finish with the green onions on top. The combination of acidity, the numbing effect of ginger and Szechuan pepper, and the umami flavor of the nori sprinkles are playing up the seemingly inconspicuous kohlrabi. This salad is so simple, yet impactful and full of flavor and crunch.

Print Recipe

Kohlrabi Noodle Salad

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2-3 medium kohlrabi, trimmed and peeled (1 lb 4 oz/ 570 g)
• For the nut-seaweed-chile-seed sprinkle:
• 2 tsp white sesame seeds, toasted
• 1 tsp black sesame seeds, toasted
• 1 tsp poppy seeds, toasted
• 1 tsp dried kombu or nori powder – blitz a sheet in a spice grinder or food processor
• 1½ tsp aleppo chilli flakes (or ¾ tsp regular chilli flakes)
• ½ tsp Sichuan peppercorns, finely crushed
• 1 tbsp roasted and salted peanuts, roughly chopped
• Flaked sea salt
• For the ginger-lime dressing:
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• 2cm-piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp rice-wine vinegar
• 6 spring onions, finely chopped
• 60ml sunflower oil

Instructions

1

Slice the kohlrabi as thinly as possible – use a mandoline, ideally. Stack the slices on top of each other in manageable piles and cut into 2cm-wide strips to resemble very short tagliatelle. Transfer to a bowl with the lime juice and a teaspoon of flaked sea salt, toss and leave to marinate for 10 minutes.

2

Make the sprinkle with the next seven ingredients in a small bowl with half a teaspoon of flaked sea salt.

3

Meanwhile, put the ginger and three-quarters of a teaspoon of flaked sea salt in a mortar and pound to a paste. Transfer to a small bowl with the vinegar and two-thirds of the spring onion. Heat the oil in a small pan on a medium heat until warm, then pour over the ginger and spring onion, and leave to steep for 20 minutes.

4

Drain the kohlrabi to get rid of the liquid that’s collected at the bottom of the bowl, then toss with the oil and ginger mixture. Transfer to a platter, sprinkle over the mixed seeds and nuts, and finish with the remaining spring onion.

Notes

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2019/jan/12/yotam-ottolenghi-vegan-recipes-vegetables-couscous-kohlrabi-noodles-doughnuts