Kashmiri Kohlrabi Soup
Photo: Carolina Ayala / Contributor
Kohlrabi is a vegetable within the nutrient dense brassica family however it is sweeter than your average broccoli or cabbage. The purple bulb is often used in soups and salads and can also be roasted or sautéed. When I spotted the kohlrabi at a farmstand at the Urban Harvest Farmer’s Market this past Saturday, I was reminded of a vegetable preparation I once tasted on one of my trips to India. Called Monji haakh and originally from Kashmir where kohlrabi grows in abundance, it is prepared with mustard oil, whose pungent flavors balance the sweetness of the kohlrabi.
I turned the vegetable into a soup and added boiled eggs to it. And in keeping with the flavors of Kashmir, I added whole black cardamom and cinnamon sticks to infuse through the broth. The whole red chiles add a subtle heat to the soup – you could omit them or just add a dash of black pepper. There are many ways to enjoy this aromatic soup – just on its own, with rice or warm crusty bread on the side.