I’ve overlooked this this humble vegetable in the past. Not anymore: Celery Root is affordable, healthy and packs a punch in terms of flavor – if you know how to prepare it. This recipe will transform sturdy celery root into an umami packed dish to complement everyday rice – a great hands-off weeknight dinner.
This recipe was inspired by the great Yottam Ottolenghi. I’ve changed and adapted a few ingredients for this Roasted Celery Root with Asian Star Anise Dressing (Vegan) and left out the pickling of the celery root. Find the original recipe here.
Why you’ll love this recipe
It comes together quickly and requires little actual work in the kitchen once you set up the ingredients.
It’s very affordable and requires little fresh ingredients, other than garlic and spring onions.
Celery root is a winter vegetable which can be sourced fresh throughout the year in the Northern Hemisphere and, on top, it’s packed with vitamins and minerals.
What is celery root?
This is a vegetable that you probably know if you live in the Northern Hemisphere or colder climates. You may know it as celeriac if you live in the UK or Europe. At least, you’ve probably seen it subconsciously. It’s a sturdy vegetable that doesn’t look very pretty but packs a punch. Celery root is actually the root of the celery sticks, that you might already know. The stalks and the bulb are usually sold separately, which means many people don’t associate one with the other.
The stalks and the bulb have very different consistencies, taste and qualities – which is why I usually treat them like different vegetables altogether. Celery root is the more sturdy and filling of the two, which works well for main dishes. Unlike celery stalks, celery root needs to be cooked, roasted or braised to bring out its flavor.
Why celery root is underrated
Celery root is ridiculously healthy! It’s packed with vitamins and minerals. It’s full of fiber, antioxidants, phosphorous, potassium and manganese. Being rich in antioxidants means that celeriac is an anti-inflammatory food. This is good news as anti-oxidants have been linked to a number of health benefits.
Disclaimer: If you are eating celery purely for its health benefits, please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider.
Believe it or not, but celery root is high in vitamin C – meaning it’s great for your immune system. It’s also a healthy source of dietary fiber, which does all sorts of good things for your digestion and the very important bacteria in your gut.
Celery root is great for a tight budget. If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, you probably see celeriac on grocers shelves around the year. It’s a hearty vegetable that can be grown in colder climates and is consistently affordable. One bulb of celery root produces multiple servings and is such a cheap ingredient to pair with a staple food like rice for an Asian twist on celery.
Celery root is very versatile. While you can roast it and dress it like we do in this recipe, you can create raw salads from celeriac and mash it like potatoes. One vegetable and so many ways to prepare it!
How to pair this recipe
While this dish works as a main dish, paired with rice, it’s a great base for adding umami. I’ve varied this recipe by adding braised tofu with oyster or rehydrated and fried shitake mushrooms with oyster sauce.
Add braised tofu with oysters sauce
To do this, prepare the tofu so that you can add it as a finishing topping to the dish. It adds a bit of crunch and the lovely caramelized seared tofu adds more umami to this dish. To add, follow these instructions before you serve:
- After you have taken out the cooked celery from the oven and prepared the star anise aromatic oil and dressing, drain and pat dry a block of tofu. I prefer to use smoked tofu for this recipe to add a little flavor.
- Meanwhile, heat a skillet with some sunflower oil.
- Cut the tofu into small squares and add to the hot skillet. Fry on hot heat until the surface of the tofu has browned.
- Take the skillet off of the heat and try to remove excess oil from the pan into a small bowl. Keep the tofu in the hot skillet and add a table spoon of oyster sauce.
- Move the tofu in the pan quickly to make sure it’s evenly coated in the oyster sauce.
- Finally, add this on top off the finished celery root dish for a little more umami and some protein.
Add rehydrated shitake mushrooms with oyster sauce
If you have dried shitake mushrooms on hand, they are a lovely addition to this recipe. Put them in a bowl of water at the same time that you put the celery into the oven. Once you’ve taken the celery out of the oven, begin to prepare the mushrooms by putting them on a paper towel and squeezing out the excess liquid. Now mince the mushrooms.
Once you have the mushrroms minced, follow the same steps as with the tofu. Fry the mushrooms in hot oil until crispy, drain the oil and add oyster sauce. Finally serve by adding to the finished dish.
How to make Roasted Celery Root with Asian Star Anise Dressing (Vegan)
Prepare the Celery Root ahead of time
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius or 400 degrees Fahrenheit
Wash the celery and cut off any dirty bits. I cut off the top part to reveal the white flesh on the inside.
Place the celery root in the oven on a baking tray and let cook in the oven for an hour. Check the consistency now. You should be able to slice the celery more or less like a potato with a knife.
Keep checking until you can easily poke a knife into the white flesh at the top of the celery. Your mileage may vary – how quickly the celery cooks will largely depend on your oven. To make sure that the celery doesn’t turn to mush, I usually start checking around an hour after I’ve placed the celery in the oven.
Once the celery has the desired consistency – remember this should be like a firm potato, take the celery from the oven and set aside to cool.
Prepare the Aromatic Oil
Add the sesame seeds to a mall skillet and toast over medium to low heat. Keep an eye on these, they’re best when they are golden brown and begin to smell wonderful. Make sure not to burn them by tossing once in a while.
Meanwhile chop the garlic, spring onions and grate the carrot or radish.
Crush the star whole anise with the back of a knife or wooden ladle.
Heat the sunflower oil in a large skillet, once you have all the ingredients prepped.
Once the oil has warmed, add in the chili, garlic, kafir lime leaf and a good handful of the spring onions. Make sure the garlic doesn’t burn – this happens quite quickly, so keep an eye on it and take if off the heat sooner rather than later. The hot oil will keep on frying the garlic for a second, even once you’ve turned the heat down.
When all ingredients have become aromatic, add take the skillet off of the heat immediately.
Prepare the Dressing
In a separate bowl, mix together the soy sauce, maple syrup and vinegar.
Bring it all together
Now is the time to cut up your celery root into bite sized pieces. If you want you can cut off the peel, which should now be quite easy. The inside of the celery root should still be warm.
Add the celery pieces back into the large skillet with the aromatic oil, which you have placed to the side. Make sure the pieces of celery are evenly coated with the oil.
Pour the dressing into the large skillet and make sure the celery is evenly coated with this. Swoosh around the pieces to bring everything together. I usually adjust for taste here. If the sauce doesn’t taste quite right, it usually lacks acidity (vinegar) or sugar (maple syrup).
Serving this dish
Serve by plating the celery on a plate together with the sauce and oil.
Sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds and fresh spring onion you have left over. Serve immediately.
Roasted Celery Root with Asian Star Anise Dressing (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 1 whole bulb celery root
For the Aromatic Oil
- 5 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
- 2 whole star anise
- 1 chilli This is optional for those who like some heat.
- 1 leaf thai kafir lime This is entirely optional, if you have these on hand fresh or some stored in your freezer add this. If not, just omit.
- 1 stalk of spring onions
For the Star Dressing
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons maples syrup use a sugar and water mix as an alternative
- 1 tablespoon chinkiang vinegar If you don't have this, use rice wine vinegar, if you don't have this either, use lemon juice instead.
To garnish
- 3 tablespoons sesame seeds if you have roasted ones, use these and save yourself some time
- 2 stalks spring onion or chives
- 1 half of a carrot or raddish I use this as an extra garnish to add some freshness. This is optional.
Instructions
Prepare the Celery Root ahead of time
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius or 400 degrees Fahrenheit
- Wash the celery and cut off any dirty bits. I cut off the top part to reveal the white flesh on the inside.
- Place the celery root in the oven on a baking tray and let cook in the oven for an hour. Check the consistency now. You should be able to slice the celery more or less like a potato with a knife. Keep checking until you can easily poke a knife into the white flesh at the top of the celery. Your mileage may vary – how quickly the celery cooks will largely depend on your oven. To make sure that the celery doesn't turn to mush, I usually start checking around an hour after I've placed the celery in the oven.
- Once the celery has the desired consistency – remember this should be like a firm potato, take the celery from the oven and set aside to cool.
Prepare the Aromatic Oil
- Add the sesame seeds to a mall skillet and toast over medium to low heat. Keep an eye on these, they're best when they are golden brown and begin to smell wonderful. Make sure not to burn them by tossing once in a while.
- Meanwhile chop the garlic, spring onions and grate the carrot or radish.
- Crush the star whole anise with the back of a knife or wooden ladle.
- Once you have all the ingredients prepped, heat the sunflower oil in a large skillet.
- Once the oil has warmed, add in the chili, garlic, kafir lime leaf and a good handful of the spring onions. Make sure the garlic doesn't burn – this happens quite quickly, so keep an eye on it and take if off the heat sooner rather than later. The hot oil will keep on frying the garlic for a second, even once you've turned the heat down.
- Once all ingredients have become aromatic, add take the skillet off of the heat immediately.
Prepare the Dressing
- In a separate bowl, mix together the soy sauce, maple syrup and vinegar.
Bringing it all together
- Now is the time to cut up your celery root into bite sized pieces. If you want you can cut off the peel, which should now be quite easy. The inside of the celery root should still be warm.
- Add the pieces back into the large skillet with the aromatic oil, which you have placed to the side. Make sure the pieces of celery are evenly coated with the oil.
- Now pour the dressing into the large skillet and make sure the celery is evenly coated with this. Swoosh around the pieces to bring everything together. I usually adjust for taste here. If the sauce doesn't taste quite right, it usually lacks acidity (vinegar) or sugar (maple syrup).
Serving
- Serve by plating the celery on a plate together with the sauce and oil.
- Sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds and fresh spring onion you have left over. Serve immediately.
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