Cabbage Kootu

My husband, Desi, was born and raised in Madras (or Chennai, although he insists on calling it Madras still) in a very traditional family. But when we got married, his parents and six siblings were more than welcoming to the new daughter-in-law even though she had short hair, didn’t wear saris and didn’t speak a word of Tamil.
What did rattle them, though, was that I didn’t know how to cook any Tamilian food.
Tamilians love their food, and I mean their food. I still remember an attempt I made at trying to get my father-in-law to try out noodles. Even though he was trying to be a sport, I could not help but feel sorry for the man as he struggled with the strange food on his plate, probably wondering why anyone would want to eat this stuff! It was a little terrifying at the time, but today is one of my funniest memories of my wonderful father-in-law who has passed away since.
But getting back to Tamil food, since my husband and I lived far from Madras, in Bombay, there really was no way I could learn from my Tamil family members how to cook authentic recipes. One of my sisters-in-law , Lalitha manni, came to my rescue: she recommended a cookbook from the Lifco series named, quite simply, “How to Cook?.”
The book, by Vedavalli Venkatachary, is very straightforward and unpretentious with no pictures and with directions that sometimes skip a step or two. It has become one of my favorite cookbooks over the years, and one I often run to when I feel in the mood for something simple but wholesome. The book even made the journey with us from India to the United States and now sits in my kitchen shelf here. It is a treasure trove of Tamil recipes for all occasions, ranging from the usual sambhars (kuzhambu) and rasams, to chutneys and side dishes and sweets like sarkarai pongal.
This recipe for Cabbage Kootu is adapted from one of Mrs. Venkatachary’s recipes.
I have always loved cooking with cabbage, not just because it tastes great, but because of its wonderful versatility. In Indian cuisine, it can be cooked as a side dish, added to curries and even makes wonderful bhujias. It can be a great addition to my spicy pakora pancakes, which I blogged about earlier.
What’s more, cabbage is a nutrition powerhouse, packed with fiber, vitamins, and even calcium. It belongs to the family of cruciferous vegetables, along with cauliflower, broccoli, brussels sprouts and kale, which are known to have anti-cancer properties.
I used a whole head of cabbage for this cabbage kootu because I can’t have enough of it, but feel free to use a smaller amount, if you prefer. The black pepper gives the kootu a fragrance and taste that is beyond description-you’ll just have to take my word for it. Or make it yourself!

(C) All recipes and photographs copyright of Holy Cow! Vegan Recipes.