What is Kohlrabi?

Kohlrabi means "cabbage turnip" in German, and is the swollen stem of a cabbage family member. It comes in both light green and purple varieties.

It's pronounced cole-rah-bee. This is one of the more obscure vegetables we've covered in our A-Z of Ayurveda series, you may not have come across, or cooked with it before.

It's an integral part of Kashmiri cuisine, being one of their most commonly cooked vegetables.

It's favour and texture is similar to broccoli stalk. The leaves can be used in place of other greens like Kale. It's very high in vitamin C and high in potassium.

Kohlrabi improves chi energy circulation and eliminates blood coagulation and stagnancy. It reduces damp conditions of the body. Kohlrabi treats indigestion and blood sugar imbalance - and can be used for hypoglycemia and diabetes.

Kohlrabi relieves painful or difficult urination, stops bleeding in the colon, reduces swelling of the scrotum, and alleviates the effects of intoxication from drugs or alcohol.

The juice is drunk as a remedy for nosebleed.

To prepare it: snip the stems, trim the base and top, then use a vegetable peeler or sharp knife to peel it like a potato. It can then be thinly sliced, diced or cut into wedges. If you're using it raw, blanch briefly.

To store: trim the stems and keep in a perforated bag in the fridge.

Kohlrabi can be roasted, steamed or stir-fried like cabbage or broccoli. Martha Stewart has some good recipes on her website that use Kohlrabi - you can check them out here!

If you have missed any of our other A-Z of Ayurveda vegetables - you can re-visit them here!

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