A simple and quick vegetarian curried Cabbage, perfect with roti for any hectic weeknight. Ready in just 15 mins!
What more can you do with boring bland cabbage…..Cabbage curry or curried Cabbage is a simple vegetarian quick fix dish for any weeknight meal. Its a very basic dry curry that helps flavor the cabbage while just slightly wilting it to retain some crunch. This can be eaten as a side dish or with roti as a meal. A great option for vegetarians.
Cabbage really does not have much flavor by itself although it has a great crunch. You mostly find it used raw in coleslaw loaded with heavy mayo or pickled. In Indian subcontinent it is made as a dry stir fried curried version. Adding some spices for depth of flavor and squeeze of lemon for some brightness; goes a long way to upgrade the otherwise bland cabbage.
The trick is to cook it for a very short time just long enough for the flavors to meld in without wilting it completely. This helps to retain some of the crunch of the cabbage.
This is a great simple and quick recipe for a beginner. Try it out.
Makes 4-6 servings
Time: 15 mins
Ingredients:
- 1 small head of cabbage (approx 3-4 cups). Sliced into long strips
- 1 cup of onion sliced into long strips
- 1 tsp ginger garlic paste or 1 tsp fresh diced garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp oil
- Optional: 6-8 Curry leaves
- 1 tsp whole cumin seeds (jeera)
- 1 tsp Mustard seeds (rai)
- 1/2 tsp turmeric (haldi)
- 1 tsp red chili powder or whole green chili, adjust to your level of spiciness
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp cumin coriander powder (dhana Jeera)
- 2 tbps lemon juice
- Optional: garnish with chopped fresh cilantro, parsley and toasted sesame seeds
Method:
- In a pan on medium heat, add sesame seeds and toast for 2 mins till lightly browned. Set aside for garnish.
- In a non stick pan add oil, curry leaves and whole spices. Cook for 3 mins till they splutter.
- Add onion and stir fry for 5 mins till lightly browned.
- Add ginger garlic paste and stir fry for another min.
- Add cabbage and all the powder spices along with salt and lemon juice. Cover and cook for 5 mins.
- Now Cabbage should be softened and easier to stir. Stir well to incorporate all the spices. Cook the Cabbage enough to slightly soften but not wilt all the way as we want to retain the crunch.
- Optional: garnish with fresh chopped cilantro, parsley and toasted sesame seeds from step 1.
- Serve hot with roti or as a side and enjoy!
Tips:
- This is can be an awesome filling for a flavorful vegetarian sandwich with green chutney spread, filling for a paratha, filling for Dosa, or even a topping for Uttapam.
- You can add some grated carrots and or green peas to give it some color and get more veggies in.