Monday, December 7, 2009

Indian Stir Fried Cabbage


When I first made this, I couldn't decide whether to photograph it or not. I used to blog about every single recipe I made, but now I only post about stuff that I like. And we ended up liking this Indian spiced stir fried cabbage. All that's added is turmeric, mustard seeds, garlic, salt and cayenne, so it's a really simple side dish to add to your meal and a great way to use up any leftover cabbage. And cabbage is such a wonderfully cheap vegetable!

Thanks for all the well wishes about my exams! I wrote 2 today and have 5 left. Good luck to all the other students out there.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Pink Beans with a Cardamom-Yogurt Sauce
Curried Mushroom and Peas
Spicy Indian Chickpeas/Chana Masala
Sweet Potato Badi

Indian Stir Fried Cabbage
Adapted from 5 Spices, 50 Dishes

When I first made this dish, I totally burned the mustard seeds - they burnt as soon as they hit the oil. So my advice to you is to add the mustard seeds, then immediately after just dump the cabbage in. I reduced the amount of salt to 1/2 tsp (from 1 tsp) because 1 tsp was quite salty for me - but also delicious, so it's up to you.

2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 lb green cabbage, sliced very thinly
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2-1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne

Make the tadka: Heat oil in a large wok over high heat. When the oil begins to smoke, add the mustard seeds, covering the wok with a lid or spatter screen. After the seeds stop sputtering, add the cabbage. Add the turmeric, garlic, salt and cayenne and toss well.

Reduce the heat to medium and stir occasionally until crisp-tender. (The original recipe suggests you cover and steam the cabbage for 5 minutes but I don't have a cover so just mixed it around for 5 to 10 minutes.) Serve hot.

8 comments:

Xiaolu @ 6 Bittersweets said...

I'm always looking for new ways to cook cabbage and mustard seeds are one of my favorite Indian spices. I also posted about everything at the beginning (not that long ago hehe). Honestly some of my favorite savory foods are not pretty, but taste is king in my book!

Sarah S. said...

Oh I just love to saute cabbage in Indian spices. You have a similar spice concoction to what I do, less the cumin seeds. If you fancy cumin seeds, give it a try next time. Yum!

The Local Cook said...

I learned how to make a very similar recipe at an Indian Cooking class this summer. Thanks for reminding me! Looks yummy!

Lu said...

I make something just like that. It looks delicious.

Ricki said...

I think I see supper here. For some reason, I've got, like, three cabbages hiding out in my fridge--this is a perfect use for one!

fresh365 said...

I am definitely bookmarking this for when I get a huge amount of cabbage from my CSA next year!

Anonymous said...

What a concept! I rarely cook with cabbage and am not crazy about it, but I actually have some on hand, and I think I just figured out what to do with it... Thank you so much for posting this!

Johanna GGG said...

great idea and lovely photo of something so simple - I too don't blog as many meals as I used to because the backlog looms