Indian Potatoes with Kohlrabi and Spices Recipe
This simple dish from northern India combines potatoes and kohlrabi in a dry, aromatic spice mix, usually served as a vegetable side for lunch or dinner. In this version the kohlrabi stays slightly crunchy while the potatoes are soft and well coated in spices, making the dish filling but not heavy. It works great as a vegetable-based weekday meal, especially when you want to use up kohlrabi from the fridge in a way other than raw.
Dry vegetable dishes like this, called sabzi, are an everyday part of home-cooked lunches and dinners in northern India and are usually served alongside rice and bread.
Unlike the better-known aloo gobi, here cauliflower is replaced with kohlrabi, which stays slightly crunchy after a short braise and has a gently sweet flavor., This makes the dish lighter yet still filling, because the potatoes absorb the spices well., Another hallmark is the almost dry consistency—the spices form a thin, aromatic coating on the vegetables rather than a thick sauce.
Dlaczego ta wersja działa
- The combination of potatoes and kohlrabi gives a more interesting texture than potatoes alone—one vegetable is soft, the other slightly crunchy.
- The short list of spices is easy to handle yet still delivers a distinctly Indian flavor.
- The dish is naturally vegan and gluten-free, so it fits many diets.
Chef's tips
The biggest mistake is adding too much water—then, instead of a fragrant sabzi, you end up with a bland vegetable stew., Watch the pan: at the end the liquid should be almost completely evaporated, leaving a thin layer of spiced oil on the bottom., If you cannot find kohlrabi, rutabaga or white turnip also work, but cut them a bit smaller because they are firmer., If the dish tastes too bland, an extra pinch of salt and a few drops of lemon juice on the plate usually fix it.
How to serve
It tastes best warm, with basmati rice or with a piece of bread to mop up the spices from the bottom of the plate., Plain water with a slice of lemon or unsweetened drinking yogurt pairs well and softens the heat of the spices., This is a good dish for a calm, vegetable-focused midweek dinner or as a warm side for a larger Indian-style meal with friends.
Na co uważać
- Do not add too much water—the vegetables should be lightly braised, not boiled in a sauce.
- Cut the potatoes and kohlrabi into similar-sized pieces; otherwise some will fall apart while others stay hard.
Zamienniki
- You can replace the kohlrabi with rutabaga or white turnip, shortening the braising time slightly.
- You can omit the mustard seeds and increase the amount of cumin seeds if you do not have mustard seeds at home.
- Instead of fresh ginger, use 1/3 teaspoon ground ginger, added together with the other spices.
Ingredients
- potatoes - 500 g
- kohlrabi - 2 pieces
- onion - 1 piece
- oil - 3 tablespoons
- cumin seeds - 0.5 teaspoons
- mustard seeds - 0.5 teaspoons
- turmeric - 0.5 teaspoons
- ground coriander - 1 teaspoon
- chili powder - 0.25 teaspoons
- ginger fresh - 10 g
- water - 50 ml
- lemon juice - 1 tablespoon
- fresh coriander leaves - 2 tablespoons
- salt
Preparation
- Peel the potatoes and kohlrabi, then cut them into cubes about 1.5 cm on each side so the pieces cook evenly.
- Peel the onion and slice it into thin half-moons; finely chop or grate the ginger.
- Heat the oil in a large lidded frying pan over medium heat, add the cumin and mustard seeds and fry for 30–40 seconds, until they start to pop and smell fragrant.
- Add the onion and fry for 5–7 minutes, stirring, until it softens and turns lightly golden on the edges.
- Add the ginger and fry for 1 minute, then add the turmeric, ground coriander and chili powder, stir quickly and fry for another 30 seconds, until the spices darken slightly.
- Add the potatoes and kohlrabi, season with 0.5 teaspoon of salt, and stir so the vegetables are thoroughly coated in the spices. Fry for 3–4 minutes, until the edges start to brown lightly.
- Pour in the water, stir, cover the pan and cook on low heat for 12–15 minutes, until the potatoes are soft inside and the kohlrabi is tender but still slightly crunchy; stir every few minutes so nothing sticks.
- Finally, uncover the pan, increase the heat to medium and fry for another 2–3 minutes, until the excess liquid evaporates and the spices cling well to the vegetables. Drizzle with lemon juice, sprinkle with fresh coriander and gently toss.
Storage
Store the dish in an airtight container in the fridge and reheat in a frying pan with 1–2 tablespoons of water until the vegetables are hot again., You can freeze it for up to 2 months, but the kohlrabi will be a bit softer after defrosting.
This is one of my favorite “fridge-cleaning” dishes for when I find a forgotten kohlrabi from the market., I often make a larger batch on Sunday and then take it to work for lunch in a box with rice.
