The spices in this South Indian Cabbage Dal, or Cabbage Kootu, are mellowed by the sweetness of coconut. It is the quintessential Tamil dal and it goes perfectly with rice or a south Indian bread like dosa. A vegan, gluten-free, soy-free and nut-free recipe.
This is an updated version of one of my first posts on this blog in Dec. 2007. I’ve updated it with new photos and tweaked the recipe to make it lower in fat. I’ve retained the commentary below as it was originally written.
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 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 is one of my fondest memories of my wonderful father-in-law who has passed away since.
But getting back to Tamil food, since Desi 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 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 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, like this south Indian Cabbage Thoran, added to curries and it even makes wonderful bhujias.
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 half a head of a small cabbage for this South Indian Cabbage Dal which is just the perfect amount, but feel free to use a smaller amount, if that’s what you want. 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!
Try these dal recipes next:
Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Dal, No Oil
Instant Pot Vegan Dal Makhani
Bengali Cholar Dal
Pattypan Kootu
Fatfree Crockpot Sambar for Two
Tomatillo Masial
***
Cabbage Kootu Recipe:
South Indian Cabbage Dal, Cabbage Kootu
Ingredients
- 1/2 small head of cabbage (about four cups chopped), finely chopped
- 1/2 cup pigeon peas (tuvar dal). Pink lentils are a fine substitute.
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- About 10-15 curry leaves (not sprigs but the individual leaves)
- 3 tbsp shredded coconut or 1/2 cup coconut milk (fresh or canned is good)
- 1 tsp coconut oil, divided
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
For the masala:
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp blackgram dal (udad dal)
- 1 tbsp chana dal (Bengalgram dal)
- 1 dry red chili pepper, like arbol pepper or Kashmiri chili pepper (use more or less based on your tolerance for heat)
- 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
Instructions
- Pressure-cook the split yellow peas and cabbage with enough water to cover and turmeric. If you use an Indian pressure cooker that "whistles" allow the lentils to cook for three whistles. If cooking in a saucepan, cover by an inch of water and cook 30 minutes or until the dal is really soft. If cooking in an Instant Pot, set the pressure to high for 15 minutes.
- Heat 1/2 tsp of the oil and add the masala ingredients. Fry them until the dals turn golden, remove to a blender, and grind into a smooth paste along with coconut or coconut milk.
- Heat the remaining oil in a saucepan. Add the mustard seeds and curry leaves and when the mustard sputters, add the dal and masala and mix. Add water if too thick.
- Bring the dal to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and cook for another five minutes. Add salt to taste.
- Serve hot with rice and papad.
Nutrition
(C) All recipes and photographs copyright of Holy Cow! Vegan Recipes.
In your recipes, when you use cumin is it kala / shahi Jeera or western style cumin?
Both shahi jeera and regular cumin — called jeera in India — are used in Indian food. I use jeera or the regular cumin here.
Sorry for the remedial question, but can you please clarify: the Urad dal and chana dal used in the masala, do I add just the dry lentils or do I need to cook / soak them first?
The lentils used in the masala need to be uncooked and dry!
I tried this Vaishali, and it turned out great. Freshly ground spices make such a difference!
Made this last night for dinner with dosas and the whole family loved it. Excellent recipe—thanks for sharing!
Supriya, so happy you made it! Thanks for letting me know.
Making it again tonight for like the 5th time. One of our favorite recipes. Feels like it warrants another thank you. 🙂
This recipe checks so many boxes being “a vegan, gluten-free, soy-free and nut-free recipe.” I am going to be subscribing. Thanks so much for the recipe idea Vaishali!
Thanks, Jordan, happy you liked the recipe and hope you try it.
Hi! I misread and instead of 1/4 tsp of turmeric, I put 1/4 cup. I found it quite exotic. A bit strong though. My wife balked at it and said all nasty things about my being able to cook. Wish me luck. I’ll try again.
Sergio (an Argentinian stranded in Italy)
🙂 Hi Sergio, that is hilarious! 1/4 cup would be a bit strong, and I don’t blame your wife. Lots of luck, and hope you’ll try again. It does taste really good with just 1/4 tsp. 🙂
turmeric not in ingredients list
Hi Vaishali,
I really love your recipes – they are healthy, true to recipe and yummy. My fav is the mean veggie moilee which I have recommended to a lot of my friends as well.
I am a tam from Madras (yes. I call it Madras too 🙂 ) and I can say this kootu recipe, simple and elegant, is so much like what I grew up with.
Thanks for all your recipes. keep them coming.
Hey Vaishali, I really know what you mean when you talk of in-laws and food issues. When we step into the newer kitchen in our lives, every ingredient right down to salt intimidate us so much!
I made this kootu for dinner. The flavours are beautiful and very comforting, so much like mom’s food..:)
Hi Vaishali
Thanks for your recipe……..it came out well. Hereafter i will visit ur blog often and try out your recipes.
Hi Vaishali….How are you? today when i was searching for cabbage kootu i visit your blog the recipe was simple and looks great. I am going to try this for my lunch. Let me give my comment after trying this…..thanks in adavance…take care.
Dear Divya, Thanks for your kind words. I appreciate the feedback!
hi vaishali..got onto ur blog when i did a random google search about a cabbage kootu recipe..i must say that this site is a very genuine one and i will definitely visit this blog more often..
keep up the good work!
Divya
Fast forward 10 years later, and I did the same thing – googled cabbage kootu recipe after eating at a friends place. Although, I’, already subscribed to this blog, I did not know you had this recipe. Thank you, Vaishali!