Seasalt Nourish, Healthy Soul Food: Kohlrabi noodles

Kohlrabi vegetables are part of the cabbage family. They lend themselves perfectly to spiralising, creating crunchy noodles that are a perfect vehicle for the sweet, spicy flavours in this dish.  

Tia says, “This salad is a favourite of mine, full of contrasts: from the warmth of the just-cooked noodles set against the cool marinated cauliflower; the spicy chilli flavours alongside sweet clementine; the soft bite of halloumi with the crunch of a hazelnut.  Above all it’s packed with healthy seasonal ingredients, many of which were sourced from local growers in Cornwall.  

The recipe below offers twice the quantity of marinated cauliflower than you would want to use for a two-person meal.  For me, anything that asks for a bit of extra input deserves to be used for multiple meals, especially when the flavours continue to develop and improve over the next couple of days!  I like to use the rest in another dish such as a salad or sandwich toppings.  If you don’t want leftovers, halve the quantities of the marinated cauliflower.” 

Serves: 2 as a main

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Cook time: 10 mins

Ingredients:  

Method:

The marinated cauliflower is made in advance – you can make it just before preparing the rest of the dish, or for maximum flavour make the cauliflower at least a couple of hours ahead or overnight.

• Make the marinade – in a medium sized bowl combine the olive oil, lemon zest and juice, finely chopped chilli and garlic, add in the harissa along with salt and pepper, mix well.
• Cut the cauliflower florets into bite-size pieces then place in the bowl with marinade.  Mix gently with a spoon so marinade has covered all pieces of cauliflower.  Place a lid or plate on top of the bowl then leave in a cool place or fridge to allow flavours to develop and cauliflower to soften a little.  Remove the lid and mix well a few times during marinating.

For the rest of the dish:

• Remove hard end and any leaves from kohlrabi then cut into long, thick sections suitable to spiralise.  Set spiraliser to ‘noodle’ setting and spiralise kohlrabi, place in a bowl and set aside.
• Chop the fennel (including stalk and fronds if you have them), finely chop the chilli and ginger.  Cut the halloumi into small bite-size pieces.  Roughly chop the coriander, including stalks.
• Place the hazelnuts in a small dry frying pan, cook over a medium heat for a few minutes until browning, shaking a couple of times during cooking to turn.  Remove from heat, allow to cool then roughly chop.  Set aside.
• Warm the sesame oil in a wok over a medium heat.  Add the ginger and chilli followed by the kohlrabi noodles. Cook for a couple of minutes stirring regularly.
• Add the fennel, halloumi and sunflower seeds along with a few good shakes of tamari, cook for a further 5 minutes stirring regularly.
• Season with salt and pepper, stir well.
• Grate the clementine zest into the wok and add in half of the fresh coriander.  Stir well.
• Remove the skin from the clementine and slice into cross-sections, set aside for serving.
• Remove the wok from heat.
• To serve, place half of the noodles into flat bowls, top with a couple of tablespoons marinated cauliflower, then place half of the clementine slices on top in each bowl.  Scatter over toasted hazelnuts and the remaining fresh coriander.  Crack pepper over the top and serve.

Tia’s locally grown produce was supplied by by Real Food Garden and Fruutbox . Why not explore what’s available from your own local suppliers? Recipes created and prepared at Botelet Farm, near Fowey. Photography by Richard Tamblyn. Discover Tia’s new podcast from Cornwall: Breakfast and Beyond.

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