It kind of resembles a Muppet, which is another reason to like it.

I hope that when you read that title, you sang it in full-lunged Sound of Music style. But if you Google “kohlrabi” and see the articles that pop up, you may be convinced that this vegetable is even more trouble than a certain spirited chanteuse/nun. No one quite seems to know what to do with the rather starchy, fibrous outcast cousin of the cabbage family.  Should you cut it up and dress it like a salad? Grate it and fry it into fritters? Steam it and puree it into some kind of vichyssoise-like soup?

I am typically too lazy to blend or fry much of anything, so when a couple kohlrabi landed in our CSA haul, I went looking for a different solution. Amidst the online kohlrabi hand-wringing, I found a few sites that mentioned that it’s often used in Indian cooking and pairs well with Indian spices. This struck me as odd, since I have never seen kohlrabi on the menu of any Indian restaurant, nor did I confront it during my very brief visit to India. But maybe the Indian restaurateurs are hiding this delicacy from Western customers, certain that their palates can never fully appreciate the full magic of the kohlrabi. Anyway, it was worth a shot.

So I made up the following kohlrabi recipe, and I have to say that kohlrabi does pair well with Indian spices. I used half pav bhaji masala and half chaat masala, but use whatever mix you can get your hands on, and it will probably turn out just fine. And don’t worry, all you kohlrabi purists out there: the spiciness does not cover up the essential cabbagey complexity. Problem solved.

Curried Kohlrabi and Lentils

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 large kohlrabi, peeled and diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• About 2 tablespoons Indian curry spice
• Salt to taste
• 1 cup dried lentils
• 3 ½ cups water
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Rice
• A handful of chard or other dark greens, chopped finely

Heat the butter and oil in a large pan and add the kohlrabi, onion and garlic. Cook on low heat until the onion and garlic start to caramelize and the kohlrabi softens. Add the spices and salt generously and cook for a few more minutes. Rinse the lentils and add them along with the water. Cover and simmer for about 25-30 minutes or until the lentils are nice and tender, adding more water if necessary. When it is cooked, add lemon juice and additional salt and spice to taste. Serve the curry over rice with the greens on top for some color and texture. Yogurt also goes nicely with this.