Fiber Fool

Faced with a kohlrabi the size of my head in our CSA box I figured my best bet was to cook it and cook it well. So I opted for a cauliflower and kohlrabi curry that I threw together, pretty much by the seat of my pants. It was pretty good, but definitely needs some refining if we happen to get both kohlrabi and cauliflower in our weekly share again.

I assumed like many vegetables that once kohlrabi got that large that it likely was a bit woody. It didn’t seem bad, but I figured roasting it in addition to simmering in the curry sauce would be a good way to go. While I’m not sure it required it, it did mellow the flavors of both veggies which for some are acquired tastes. While they roasted I rinsed split green lentils and the brown rice and prepared them for cooking. I put the heat on both when I removed the veggies from the oven.

This is how one of my favorite curries from 660 Curries starts out - onions, pepper, garlic and ginger whirred around in the food processor until a fine dice is achieved. This then forms the base of the sauce.

I melted some ghee in a pan and popped cumin seeds. Then I added the mixture from the food processor and sauteed until it started to turn golden and released some of the juices back into the pan. Then I added diced tomatoes (normally I’d use canned, but we had just the right amount on hand fresh) and a small can of tomato paste. This was where I went off a bit. The paste was a bit too much tomato flavor and sweetness. A tablespoon and some water or stock probably would have been a better choice here. I also added a tablespoon of garam masala. Then the lentils which had been cooked with a bit of tumeric were added followed by the roasted cauliflower and kohlrabi. Then it was set to simmer for about 20 minutes while I finished the rice.

Normally we go for safforon or tumeric scented brown basmati rice, but I got inspired by leafing through our curry cookbook and decided to give a yogurt dressed rice a try. It was a recommended pairing of several of the cauliflower curries in the book.

You again pop some cumin seed (and often mustard as well) plus a small sprinkle of skinned black lentils in rather hot oil, then add a pepper or two and turn down the heat. Remove and add chopped cilantro, being careful because it will cause the oil to sputter some. Then this mixture is stirred into yogurt with some salt and mixed in with the warm rice. The yogurt cools the heat of the curry and adds a nice tang to counter the sweetness of the tomato-based sauce. I will definitely be doing this more often when we make curry!

I love curry, but man it leaves one *huge* mess of a kitchen in its wake. Thankfully, DH cleaned up after me :-)