Hello everyone. Welcome to our ultimate list of vegetables that start with K.
It is attractive, healthy and offers many exciting recipes.
If you want to find something new, healthy and delicious, you are in the right place.
The most common vegetables that start with K
1. Kabocha Squash
Kabocha Squash is a type of Winter Japanese Squash. In North America, it is called Japanese pumpkin.
It is dark green on the outside with a few white stripes, while the inside is an intense yellow-orange color.
It has a delightful taste. It is even sweeter than butternut squash. In terms of its texture, it tastes most like a combination of sweet potato and pumpkin.
The bark is also edible, although chefs often peel it to speed up the cooking process.
It is usually used in soups and side dishes but also as a substitute for potatoes and other types of zucchini.
It can be baked in the oven with a bit of olive oil. It just had to be cut in half, cleaned of seeds and cut into slices. Cut in this way, it can be steamed.
In Japan, it is most often used to prepare potash from vegetables.
It can also be an ingredient in desserts such as ice creams, pies and puddings.
It is available all year round but is best in late summer and early autumn.
It is grown mainly in Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Florida, Colorado and Hawaii.
2. Kai Lan
Kai Lan is known around the world as Chinese broccoli. It’s a leafy vegetable. It is characterized by a long stem with flowers that resemble broccoli.
It is available all year round, which is one of the reasons why it is so prevalent in China.
There are two types of Kai Lana. Ordinary and baby Kai Lan. The regular one has more giant leaves, is older and has a slightly stronger taste. Baby Kai Lan is younger and has a somewhat more delicate flavor.
It is prevalent in Chinese cuisine. Most home-cooked Chinese meals include this vegetable. It is most often fried with ginger and garlic.
It blanches quickly and can be served with rice or with oyster sauce. Otherwise, it is super easy to prepare so it can be served as a side dish with almost anything.
It can be used as a substitute for broccoli or Kale if you are not a fan of this vegetable.
It has a more robust and slightly bitter taste than ordinary broccoli.
3. Kale
One of the most famous surfaces on our list is undoubtedly Kale. It is a green leafy vegetable from the cabbage family.
We can safely say that it belongs to a superfood and is one of the world’s healthiest foods.
It can be prepared and cooked with other vegetables. For example, it can be an ingredient in various salads, soups, and broths. Moreover, it can be prepared as a creme broth if your children want to avoid eating it.
The ways of its preparation are numerous and you should definitely include it in the diet plan.
It has a lot of health benefits. It is an excellent source of vitamins A and C, as well as manganese and folate.
In addition, it contains many minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron and phosphorus.
It is excellent as an ingredient in diets. One serving of Kale can contain from ten to thirty calories, depending on how it is prepared.
The high water and fiber content make you feel full for a long time after a meal containing Kale. That way, you won’t want to snack between meals.
4. Kelp
Kelp is a type of seaweed that thrives in shallow salt water in all coastal areas from the United States to Asia.
Therefore, we can safely say that Kelp is a superfood from the sea.
It looks like an underwater tree. However, unlike other plants, this plant does not have a root. Instead, it settles on the rocky bottom of the ocean and then grows to form dense clumps called kelp forests.
In addition to its uses in Japanese and Korean kitchens, kelp forests are very complex because they provide shelter and food for thousands of animals.
This seaweed is a staple in many Asian cuisines.
Food manufacturers use it as a thickening agent in slimming products, ice cream and pizzas.
It is available in different forms and can be consumed as food or a dietary supplement.
Moreover, it can be a healthy addition to your diet in addition to consuming a variety of fruits and vegetables.
You can add it to soups and cooked dishes in the form of dried seaweed.
It can be used as raw seaweed noodles in main dishes and salads. In addition, it is used as a spice in various dishes.
It is served in Japanese and Korean restaurants and can be found in almost every grocery store in these countries.
Kelp is rich in nutrients that can be extremely good for your health.
Otherwise, this algae contains iodine, which produces thyroid hormones.
It contains a natural fiber called alginate. Some research suggests that this substance can help prevent the intestines from absorbing fat and thus help in the fight against obesity.
It contains vitamin C, B2 and other antioxidants that fight against oxidative stress.
They also help supply the blood with vital nutrients that we can rarely get from the food we use every day.
5. Kidney Beans
Kidney beans are a variety of common beans and are red. It got its name because it closely resembles a human kidney.
Interestingly, the kidney bean is one of the most poisonous types of beans if they are eaten without cooking.
What is very important is that you should never cook it in the water in which it was soaked.
Instead, it should be well drained and rinsed before cooking. This is because the water it was soaked in absorbs a large part of the ingredients that are harmful to the body.
This type of bean contains more significant amounts of phytohemagglutinin than other types of beans, so it is precise because of this ingredient that it is poisonous.
It is best to leave it submerged overnight. If you don’t have much time, it is enough to leave it in warm water for four to five hours.
Before adding it to any dish, it should be boiled in water without salt.
In some dishes, grains are cooked for a long time until they break down to make goose gravy.
It can be prepared as watery beans, baked beans, and as an ingredient in various salads.
When adequately prepared, it is advantageous because it contains a high percentage of fiber.
Even though it contains carbohydrates, consumption in moderate quantities can have a favorable effect on weight loss.
6. Kohlrabi
Cabbage is a root vegetable that belongs to the cabbage family. It has round bulbs, a long stem and green leaves.
It has a crunchy texture and a sweet taste. It can be eaten raw or cooked.
Its name is translated from the German language and literally means “turnip cabbage”. Its color is usually green and can rarely be found in purple.
Vegetables that keep you feeling full for a long time and with minimal calories. Strengthen immunity, regulate metabolism, neutralize the effect of free radicals and reduce bad cholesterol.
Kohlrabi is especially popular in Germany and India. However, it is primarily grown in Northern and Western Europe, where it originated and is a highly valued vegetable.
Kohlrabi can only be eaten when it is young. The young fruit is very juicy, soft and tasty, so it can be eaten raw as a salad, while the older ones are usually boiled, stewed or baked.
Also, fresh juice can be prepared from young kohlrabi, which has a pleasant taste.
Young leaves and stems of kohlrabi are also edible and contain many essential vitamins and minerals, especially carotene and phosphorus.
In addition, the leaves are vibrant with vitamin A, which is particularly important for cell preservation.
For these reasons, nutritionists advise that these parts of kohlrabi should be used abundantly in the diet, most often in the form of soups.
Kohlrabi is a safe vegetable with a minimum amount of calories.
It is an excellent source of vitamin C. This is an essential detail because vitamin C strengthens immunity, regulates metabolism and neutralizes the effects of free radicals.
In addition, it contains thiamin, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6 and folic acid. Moreover, it contains minerals, the most calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, copper and manganese.
Kohlrabi is also a perfect source of plant fibers, important not only for digestion but also for the body’s overall health.
7. Komatsuna
Komatsuna, or Japanese Spanish mustard as it is otherwise called, is a leafy vegetable. It belongs to the type of plant turnip.
It is grown commercially in Japan in Taiwan. This vegetable is very easy to prepare and can be prepared in many ways.
Moreover, it is used as animal feed in certain Asian countries.
Komatsuna leaves can be consumed at any stage of their growth. However, it is most often grown in spring and autumn because it cannot withstand extreme temperatures. Neither extreme winds nor extreme cold.
It has a sweet taste and a crunchy texture. It can be eaten raw, cooked, fried and in fresh salads.
When young, the leaves are delicious and tender so they can be used in salads or spring rolls.
Also, it goes well with French fries lightly fried in olive oil.
It goes well with pasta dishes, in sauces, or as a spice or decoration.
In addition, it proved to be excellent as an addition to soups because it remains firm and crunchy even after cooking. It can be used as pickled vegetables as well.
It is stewed with other ingredients that flavor dishes, such as garlic, scallions and ginger.
It is very healthy, like most vegetables, because it contains high amounts of vitamins A and C.
8. Kombu
Kombu is an alga from the Laminariaceae family and is widely used in East Asia.
It is mainly sold dried, pickled in vinegar, or as a dried piece of seaweed.
It is used extensively in Japan as one of the three main ingredients to make the traditional soup, dashi.
Kombu dashi is prepared by soaking dried or powdered kombu in cold water and then boiling it until it boils.
Later, you can eat soft kombu or cut it and then use it to prepare other dishes.
It is most often used to prepare “Tsukudani”, a lightly marinated dish in soy sauce and mirin.
They are often eaten as a snack with green tea. It is very healthy when consumed this way, so it is no wonder the Japanese are healthy and long-lived.
Moreover, it can be cut into strips, pickled and used as a snack.
It is often added to cooked dishes to improve their nutrition and to make them easier to digest after consumption.
Another interesting fact about Kombu vegetables is that they are used to prepare rice seasoning, which is later used to make sushi.
9. Kovakkai
Kovakkai is also called tindora or ivy gourd. It grows in tropical regions and its shoots and fruits are edible. The leaves can be eaten fresh.
It can be fried and served as a main or as a side dish.
It is part of the traditional local cuisine in the state of Kerala.
It is excellent for digestion because it contains fibers that help in the healthy functioning of the intestines.
It has many health benefits, so if you have never tried this vegetable, you should do so.
It contains vitamins B1, B2 and B6, so it keeps the nervous system healthy and fights against Alzheimer’s disease.
It is vital to note that the presence of riboflavin and niacin can improve mood and thus reduce symptoms of depression.
In addition, it is excellent for bone health and digestion because it contains a lot of fiber.
It is excellent against obesity because it contains anti-adipogenic agents, thereby accelerating metabolism and preventing fat accumulation.
It is excellent against fatigue because iron release in Kovakka has a favorable effect on red blood cells production and makes us feel better.
10. Kurrat
Kurrat, also called Egyptian Leek, is grown in the Middle East for its leaves.
The edible parts of this vegetable are the flowers, leaves and roots. The root bulb can be eaten raw or cooked.
The leaves can also be eaten raw or used to flavor cooked dishes.
The flowers are most often eaten raw in salads or used as decoration. However, it is effortless to combine with all foods to be used in soups, sauces, as a spice or fried with other vegetables.
It is rich in vitamin K1, essential for blood clotting and heart health.
It is rich in vitamins and minerals and has few calories. One portion of 100 grams contains only 31 calories. In addition, Leek can promote weight loss because it contains soluble fibers forming gel mass in the intestines.
In this way, it reduces hunger and appetite.
It can also reduce the level of blood sugar, have a beneficial effect on brain functions, and successfully fight infections.
Other vegetables that start with K
Kyona
Kusamochi
Kangkong
Kuka
Kenchur
Final thoughts
We covered all vegetables that start with K. We did our homework, but if we missed something, please let us know.
Moreover, we listed more vegetables starting with K and left you a choice to explore more interesting facts about these vegetables.
Who knows, you may be the new chef of a fancy restaurant or at least a star of a friend reunion.
Read also: Vegetables That Start With I / Vegetables That Start With J
