Ingredients:
Kohlrabi - peel outer layer and cut into 1cm cubes
Turkey breast - cut into 1cm cubes
Ginger - cut into a handful of slices
Dried Shiitake mushroom (two handfuls)
Dried baby scallops (handful)
Chicken flavoring
Black pepper
Olive oil
Sesame oil
Kohlrabi is a vegetable that I’m not too familiar with but have been eating all my life. My mom used to cook it, not very often but once in awhile we’ll have it. And from my memory I don’t remember its exact taste but I remember it being somewhat like a radish or daikon or some other root veggies that has a shape similar to a carrot. That being said, I believe it has a nice mild flavor.
This week Kohlrabi was ready to harvest at my community farm in Red Hook, Brooklyn. I’m always excited by the challenge of cooking something that’s in season yet off-the-beaten-track of my usual repertoire. I harvested a few and took them home to give it a go. Thinking through Chinese ingredients, I wanted to meld “soft” flavors into the kohlrabi dish. I also wanted to add a meat protein to the dish for no other reason than to eat it as part of my meal. I chose turkey breasts cut into cubes. I could’ve easily excluded the turkey but I wasn’t planning to cook a separate meat dish for dinner.
Once I assembled the ingredients above I began cooking. The dish started with oil and ginger. Sesame oil was heated with olive oil in about a 1:1 ratio. Once hot, ginger was added to the oils to allow its pungent flavor to permeate and soften. The oily-gingery flavor sets the base for the rest of the dish. Kohlrabi cubes, dried shiitake mushrooms and dried scallops were then added to the pot along with enough water to almost submerge the ingredients. Fire and heat goes to work - increase the heat to high until the dish boils then reduce it to a gentle boil. Simmer for about five minutes. Stir every half minute or so. Several things are happening while the ingredients cook: Shiitakes and scallops are absorbing water and oil flavors as it expands and imparts its fragrance into the dish, and the Kholrabi starts to soften and exchange flavors with the rest of the dish.
After five minutes of gentle boil the turkey was added to the pot. About one tablespoon of chicken flavoring and black pepper were also added and stirred. You can can adjust amount to your liking. Again, high heat to a boil then low heat to a simmer. Once the turkey was cooked, which takes about 5 minutes, the dish was completed.
You can serve over rice or what I did that was rather tasty was eat it with vermicelli.
The dish was delicious with robust, mellow, soft flavors. However, what surprised me even more was the Kohrabi. It was nutty and sweet and tender. Ah what a nice treat for the summer!