I barely knew what kohlrabi was and TT had never heard of alabaş. This is a new vegetable for us but there it is, at my local market, and I have been tempted to try it.
here we have kohlrabi or alabaş on sale at the market – weird, isn’t it? |
I think appearance-wise, it’s really quite remarkable, resembling as it does, a kind of mini sputnik. And it comes in two colours, creamy and purple! Taste-wise, they are the same. I am a novice with this vegetable.
Just recently I have been back to my Jerusalem cookbook which you know I am in love with. I find the pictures very enticing indeed especially when I spot one representing a recipe with ingredients that are familiar to me.
This was the case with this kohlrabi salad. I had a quick whizz through the ingredients, spotted yogurt, mint both dried and fresh, plus garlic and thought YES we can do that! It all appealed tremendously. The recipe required ‘baby watercress’ so I thought I’ll use semizotu/purslane instead. In Turkey you have to be ready with a few substitutes …
at the market, I saw this wonderful bag of fresh, young semizotu … so inviting, I thought so of course I bought a bunch |
kohlrabi and the freshest of spring purslane |
What I particularly like about this weird ‘n’ wonderful kohlrabi is the texture: you can slice it, nibble it, bite it and it’s crisp like an apple. And even better, it’s not sensitive like avocado or artichoke hearts; in other words it doesn’t discolour when exposed to air so that you have to be watchful with the lemon juice. I would say that even kids might enjoy a slice of kohlrabi on which to nibble while watching TV! I’ll try it with Eva and let you know although she’s a bit fussy.
in this recipe, you dice the kohlrabi – looks like apple, doesn’t it? |
This recipe is of course Ottolenghi-inspired. He recommends soured cream and also thick double cream. Well, I totally disregarded that and used instead beautiful thick Turkish yogurt and the taste was perfect. I am not one for unnecessary calories.
my kind of salad: kohlrabi or alabaş salad sprinkled with sumac |
Kohlrabi Salad/Alabaş Salatası
Serves 4
Ingredients
3 medium kohlrabies (750g in weight. I used one for this salad!)
80g Greek/Turkish! yogurt (I only used yogurt)
70g soured cream
50g thick double cream
1 small garlic clove, crushed
1½ tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp finely shredded fresh mint
1 tsp dried mint
20g baby watercress (I used purslane)
1/4 tsp sumac/sumak
salt and pepper
Method
- Peel the kohlrabies, cut into 1.5cm dice and put in a large mixing bowl. Set aside and make the dressing.
- Put the yogurt, soured cream, double cream (if using), garlic, lemon juice and olive oil in a medium bowl. Add 1/4 tsp of salt and a healthy grind of pepper and whisk well.
- Add the dressing to the kohlrabi, followed by the fresh and dried mint and half the watercress/purslane. Gently stir and place on a serving dish. Dot the remaining watercress on top and sprinkle with sumac.
does that appeal to you? It does to me! |
Just for a change, why don’t you try this salad? It’s different and oh-so-seasonal! The kids may not be so keen but I am pretty sure you will love it!
Afiyet olsun!
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