Kohlrabi, radish and apple salad is our standard raw salad in spring and summer. We have been making it at least once a week for years. The trick: kohlrabi and radishes are chopped at speed 4, and the spring onion is added separately on reverse blade direction at speed 3, just folded in. Any other way and it turns mushy.
Raw salads stand or fall by their texture. Cut too coarsely and they stay fibrous and bulky. Chopped too finely and they turn watery and lose their bite. The Thermomix® solves this with two separate passes: first the firm ingredients at speed 4, then the softer ones on reverse blade direction at speed 3.
Thermomix® Kohlrabi Radish Apple Salad
Ingredients 0 / 10 ✓
- 400 g Kohlrabi
- 1 Bunch Red Radish
- 1 Apple
- 1 Branch Oregano
- 1 Spring onion
- 40 g Walnut kernels
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp White Pepper
- 20 g Apple vinegar
- 20 g Olive oil
Instructions 0 / 2
-
1
Peel the kohlrabi and cut into pieces. Wash radishes, remove stalk and cut in half. Wash apple, cut into quarters and remove core. Wash oregano and pluck leaves. Add everything to the mixing bowl with walnuts, salt, pepper, vinegar and oil and chop with the help of the spatula for 6 seconds/speed 4.
-
2
Wash and clean the spring onion, cut into rings, add to the mixing bowl and mix for 5 seconds/left-hand cycle/speed 3.
Tip: You can put the salad in the refrigerator and allow it to marinate for a day.
Recipe equipment Affiliate
Nutrition per serving
Why kohlrabi and radishes need to go in separately from the spring onion
Kohlrabi has a firm structure. Radishes are harder than most people expect. Both need speed 4 for six seconds to reach the right size: even pieces of about three to four millimetres, not a puree.
Spring onions are softer. At speed 4 they get shredded and immediately release water, making the salad soupy. That is why they go in during the second pass only, five seconds on reverse blade direction at speed 3. This folds them in without destroying the structure.
The apple is not just filler
Many raw salads use apple as cheap bulk. Here it has a specific job: the fruit acid balances the earthy sharpness of the radishes and the mineral flavour of the kohlrabi. Without apple the salad tastes flat and one-dimensionally bitter.
Which variety? We usually use Elstar or Jonagold. Both have enough acidity and stay firm after chopping. Varieties that are too sweet, like Golden Delicious, make the salad too mild. Varieties that are too sharp, like Boskoop, overpower the radishes.
Chop the walnuts in at the same time
The walnuts go into the mixing bowl raw. Six seconds at speed 4 chops them to the right size and at the same time releases their essential oils. This gives the salad a nutty depth that pre-chopped nuts simply cannot deliver. The walnut pieces also absorb the dressing better than large chunks would.
If you do not like or cannot eat walnuts, pumpkin seeds work just as well. Almonds do not work: they turn too floury.
Apple cider vinegar and olive oil mix themselves in
There is no need to mix the dressing separately. The vinegar and oil go straight into the mixing bowl with the chopped vegetables. The blade movement at speed 4 distributes both evenly. The result is a lightly emulsified dressing that clings to the vegetables rather than pooling at the bottom of the bowl.
Important: apple cider vinegar, not balsamic or white wine vinegar. The mild fruit acid goes well with the apple and does not overpower the radishes. Balsamic makes the salad dark and too sweet; white wine vinegar makes it too sharp.
Fresh oregano, not dried
A sprig of fresh oregano gives the salad a Mediterranean note that works well with the olive oil. Dried oregano is too dominant and tastes of pizza. Fresh oregano stays subtly in the background, lifting the other flavours without competing with them.
If you cannot get fresh oregano, leave it out entirely. Parsley or chives do not work as a substitute as they bring completely different flavours.
How long does the salad keep
It tastes best freshly made, but it holds up in the fridge overnight. No longer than that, because the kohlrabi and radishes start to draw out water and the salad turns watery and loses its bite.
If you want to prepare it in advance, make it no more than four hours ahead and keep it covered in the fridge. Straight after chopping it is still crisp, but the dressing needs a little time to soak in.
What to serve it with
We serve it as a side with grilled meat or fish, especially in summer. The cool, crisp texture is a great contrast to warm food from the grill. It also works as a light lunch with some bread on the side.
It is less suited to meal prep for work because it turns watery quickly. For barbecue parties it is ideal: it sits lightly on the stomach and can be prepared ahead of time.
Goes well with: Schnitzel and baguette.
More salads from the Thermomix®: Bavarian sausage salad, potato salad, coleslaw.
