Kohlrabi and Corn Fritters

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Every year, inevitably, we'll receive the other-worldly kohlrabi in our CSA box. The first year we got it I was stumped. What to do with this strange root? I've tried it in coleslaw (nothing spectacular and not really to my liking). I've also tried stir-frying it (too soggy), roasting it (delicious but too hot to turn on the oven that often) and boiling and pureeing it into soup (yummy but felt like just a riff on cauliflower soup). I had yet to find a way to prepare kohlrabi that was simple and tasty and uniquely "kohlrabi".

This year, I decided to revisit the kohlrabi pakoras that I blogged about a few years ago and reinvent them with a crispier texture and more savoury taste. Boy, am I glad I did! Scratch the old recipe cause this new recipe blows that one out of the water. These fritters are hard to stop eating once you start and are yummy enough to make me want to run to the store to buy more kohlrabi just to make them again.

We ate them wrapped in a lettuce leaf with some mango chutney on the side. The crisp, fresh lettuce was the perfect foil to the brown, pan-fried goodness of the fritter. The only improvement would have been to have a trio of chutneys (cilantro/mint, tamarind and mango) to dip them in!

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Kohlrabi and Corn Fritters   Yield: 8 appetizer-size fritters

1 kohlrabi bulb, peeled, cored and grated
1 ear corn, kernels cut off
1 bunch green onions (or if you're lucky enough the green tops of spring onions!)
1 cup chickpea flour
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg

1. If deep frying, heat two inches of oil to 325F. If shallow pan frying, get pan heated to medium high and add a little oil.
2. With a fork, mix all the ingredients, except the egg, together until uniformly coated with flour. (I used about one cup of chickpea flour to get the pieces coated but not too dry and crumbly. You may need more or less depending how large your kohlrabi bulb was.)
3. Add the egg and mix thoroughly everything starts to stick together enough to drop into the pan.
4. Drop by the forkful into oil/hot pan and flatten slightly.
5. Fry until golden brown on both sides, flipping as necessary.
6. Serve warm with lettuce and chutney or refrigerate and use as convenient lunchbox stuffers.