Photo: Sushma Tammareddi
Today is World Vegan Day (a day celebrated to spread awareness about the benefits of adopting a vegan lifestyle and to highlight the importance of animal rights.)
Since a vegan diet is plant-based (devoid of all animal products, including meat, fish, eggs, milk, cheese and even honey) it is high in fiber and low in cholesterol, and is known to be beneficial in reducing the risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity. No wonder the trend is catching on. However, due to low levels of Vitamin B12, calcium, and vitamin D in plant-based foods, nutritionists, and medical professionals recommend that vegans add supplements to their diets. If you find this an expensive proposition, there are some other things you can do: replace regular milk with soya or almond milk, and cottage cheese with tofu. If you feel that you don’t have the appetite to give up on animal-based protein for a long period of time, then you could even try it for a day or two in a week (especially during the festive season, or whenever you feel like eating clean and throwing off the extra calories.)
Today on World Vegan Day, we have one of our favourite recipes using Kohlrabi (German Turnip) – a cruciferous vegetable that is widely consumed in Europe (specially Italy) and Asia and has gained popularity around the world for its health benefits and culinary uses.
Kohlrabi is a super food extremely rich in antioxidants including vitamin C and B6, and is a good source of potassium, and fibers thus making it an immunity booster.
In taste and texture Kohlrabi is similar to those of broccoli stems and cabbage, although it is slightly sweeter. The bulb is widely used in salads and soups but can also be roasted or sautéed. Its leaves and stems are slightly crunchy and cook similarly to collard greens.
Our #RecipeoftheDay is Munj Haak (Kohlrabi Curry In Kashmiri Style) – one of the easiest dishes to make for lunch or dinner and when served with rice, it becomes a meal by itself. Also, it’s just as healthy as it’s delicious.
Prep + Cook Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients
2 Kohlrabi bulbs with greens
2 tsp mustard oil or any other oil
Pinch of asafoetida
2- 3 dry red chillies
Kashmiri Red Chili Powder- ½ teaspoon
Saunf/Fennel Seeds powder- 3/4 teaspoon
Garam Masala- ½ teaspoon
Salt to taste
2 Cups water
Method
Prepping the kohlrabi
Remove the greens from the bulb of the kohlrabi. Cut out the long stems and keep the greens aside to be used in the dish. Discard the stems.
Peel the kohlrabi and cut the root side of the bulb and discard. Infact simply discard any portion that feels woody.
Chop the greens and slice the bulbs. Give everything a generous rinse.
Cooking
In a pressure cooker, add mustard oil and fry the Kohlrabi cubes till they turn golden brown and keep them aside in a plate.
In the remaining oil, add asafoetida, dry red chili, fennel seeds (powder) and fried kohlrabi cubes. Sprinkle some red Kashmiri chili powder and mix well.
Add the chopped greens, salt to taste, garam masala and mix well. Stir fry for a minute and then add enough water (2 cups or so) to cover the Kohlrabi.
Cover the lid and cook the vegetable on low flame till they become soft and tender. Don’t overcook the greens, otherwise they lose the green colour.
Turn off the flame and serve it hot with steamed rice.
Check out other Vegan Recipes here.
Related Coverage:
The Iconic Swedish Meatballs At IKEA Are Getting A Vegan Makeover
Vegan Wholesale Retailer VEDGEco Is Expanding To More Of The U.S. Later This Summer
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