Pan-fried Kohlrabi with Thai Basil

Kohlrabi, kohlrabi! So versatile, so delicious and yet, relatively unknown.

Delicious raw, baked, grated, mashed, roasted, pickled.. Is there nothing you can’t do with a kohlrabi?!

Today I decided it would be pan-fried with a sticky sesame hot-honey asian-style dressing.

I’d like to say I had it with jasmine rice and a fried egg for a delicious lunch. But I have to admit I just gobbled it down by itself. A wonderful kohlrabi-based afternoon snack.

Serves 2 as a side

1 kohlrabi
1 tablespoon of sunflower oil
1 teaspoon fish sauce (or soy sauce if you prefer)
1 teaspoon dandelion honey (or you can use real honey if you don’t, like me, have lots of dandelion honey in the cupboard)
1 teaspoon white rice vinegar (or vinegars would be fine)
large pinch of chilli flakes (or sliced, fresh red chilli)
handful of Thai basil leaves (or coriander if you’d prefer)
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (I used a mix of black and white)

1) Peel the kohlrabi. They have a thick skin - especially around the root - so I generally peel with a sharp knife.
2) Cut the kohrabi into quarters and then into 1cm thick slices.
3) Heat up the sunflower oil in a frying pan. Add the kohlrabi (all laid flat) and fry over a medium heat for around 10-15 minutes. Turn the kohlrabi regularly so it is nicely browned on both sides.
4) Make the dressing by combined the fish sauce, honey, vinegar and chilli flakes in a small bowl or mug.
5) Once the kohlrabi is browned and tender, pour over the dressing and continue to cook until the kohlrabi pieces are fully covered and nicely sticky.
6) Serve hot, garnished with toasted sesame seeds and Thai basil leaves.