Simple home style cabbage recipe made with simple ingredients
- salt as needed
- 1/2 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tbsp. oil or as needed
- 1/2 tsp cumin / jeera
- 1/4 tsp mustard
- 3/4 tsp ginger or ginger garlic paste or grated
- 1 large thinly sliced onion
- 1 large finely chopped tomato
- a pinch of turmeric
- 3/4 tsp garam masala or sambar powder as needed
- 1/4 cup green peas or 2 tbsp. chana dal (soaked and cooke
- 2 cups chopped cabbage
- few finely chopped coriander leaves
- Carbohydrate 0.249958332871265 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.0865416665249859 g
- Fiber 0.156250002691122 g
- Protein 0.0692916665630267 g
- Saturated Fat 0.0133374999750368 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (1g)
- Sodium 60.6148333247953 mg
- Sugar 0.0937083301801423 g
- Trans Fat 0.0123166666432082 g
- Calories 2 calories
Step-by-step
- Remove the outer leaves of cabbage and cut to quarters. Soak them in salted water for sometime. Cut and discard the core. Chop the cabbage and set aside. Alternately, chop the cabbage and add to salted water. Drain off and set aside.
- Add oil to a hot. When the oil turns hot, add mustard and cumin. when they begin to sizzle, add ginger garlic and fry till it turns aromatic.
- Add sliced onions and fry till they turn transparent.
- Add tomatoes, salt and turmeric. Fry until the tomatoes turn mushy and soft. Add spice powders and fry for a minute for the raw smell to go away.
- Add green peas and then saute for a minute.
- Add chopped and drained cabbage. Stir for the masala to coat the cabbage well and fry for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Fry until the cabbage is cooked to your liking. If needed cover and cook.
- Sprinkle Coriander leaves.
- Serve cabbage curry with rice or roti.
Unlike a western braised cabbage dish that relies on slow-cooked butter and heavy liquids, this South Asian preparation treats the brassica as a quick-cooking vegetable meant to retain slight structural integrity. The technique mirrors a standard Indian sabzi, where whole spices temper in oil before aromatics enter the pan.
Mastering Moisture Management
Controlling moisture is the primary variable determining success or failure here. Salt draws water out of the sliced tomatoes and chopped cabbage rapidly. If the heat is too low, the vegetable releases water faster than it can evaporate, resulting in a soggy texture rather than a proper fry. Maintain medium-high heat during the initial stages so excess liquid burns off within three to four minutes. Fry the spice powders for exactly sixty seconds to eliminate raw flavor compounds without scorching the ground spices.
- If the pan becomes too dry before the cabbage softens, add water one tablespoon at a time.
- Keep the lid off during the final two minutes of cooking to allow remaining surface steam to escape.
