This dish is a riff on a fairly traditional Indian vegetable dish that I’ve been tweaking and testing for years. I don’t know the traditional name, and at this point I probably couldn’t use it anyway with all the small adjustments I’ve made.
At any rate, this is one of the staples in our house. It’s simple to make, affordable and healthy. You’ll find the mustard seeds, cilantro and turmeric really tame the funkiness of the cabbage.
Another plus point is that the ingredients are all common items from even the biggest of American grocery stores; you could easily shop for this recipe right of the shelves of a Walmart for example. There’s nothing scary or ultra exotic to shop for here.
Also don’t skimp on the first step, caramelizing the onion; this can take anywhere from 20-45 minutes. It’s a crucial step to develop sweetness and depth in the dish (indeed its a part of Indian cooking more largely).
I like to serve this dish with rice/naan, another main dish, perhaps a saag or tomato based curry like a masala and a good scoop of lime pickle!
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp mustard seed
- 1/2 tsp cumin seed
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 jalapeño finely diced
- 1 cabbage chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1 cuo frozen peas
- 1 handful cilantro chopped
- 1 tsp lemon juice
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In a large cooking pot, finely chop the onion and sauce over a low-medium heat until golden. Don’t crisp or burn. This step can take 25-45 minutes.
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Add finely chopped jalapeño, cumin seed and mustard seed to onion and sauce for 2 minutes
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Add chopped cabbage to pot and stir well to coat with onion and jalapeño.
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Add salt, garlic powder and turmeric to cabbage, stir to coat well.
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Cover pot and cook over medium heat until cabbage begins to wilt. You shouldn’t need to add any water, the cabbage will provide everything you need.
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Cook for at least 20 minutes, but longer if softer texture desired. When close to preferred texture add peas, cilantro and garam masala.
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Cook for another ten minutes over medium heat, until peas are cooked. Finish dish with lemon juice (Amchoor powder too if you prefer) and serve.
Hi I’m Stuart, amateur home cook and professional food writer. You can find my writing at places like The Salt Lake Tribune and Gastronomic SLC, which I founded more than a decade ago. As well as writing extensively about restaurants, I’m endlessly curious about that product on the shelf. Is it any good I wonder? If you’re like me, wonder no more.
