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Overhead photo of cabbage curry in bowl with cilantro garnish. Indian pickles and raita are on the side.
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5 from 9 votes

Easy Cabbage Curry

Here's my simple, every day cabbage curry recipe made with mostly pantry ingredients. Finely shredded cabbage is sautéed with a few spices for this nourishing side dish or sabzi that's delicious with roti or dal and rice.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Indian
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 51kcal
Author: Vaishali · Holy Cow Vegan

Equipment

  • Wok or large skillet

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
  • ½ teaspoon asafetida or hing (hing, optional)
  • 1 small green chili pepper (like jalapeno or serrano, finely chopped or minced. Deseed and remove ribs if sensitive to heat, but a little heat is nice in this simple recipe)
  • 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste (If you don't have this crush three cloves of garlic with a ½ inch knob of ginger and use)
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • ½ large head cabbage (about 6 cups. Finely chopped into thin, bite-size shreds))
  • 2 tablespoons cilantro (chopped)
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  • Heat oil over high heat and add the mustard seeds. Let them sputter. Stir in asafetida if using.
    Mustard seeds sputtering in oil.
  • Working over medium low heat now, stir the minced green chili pepper and ginger garlic paste into the wok. Sauté them for just about a minute. Turn the heat down to the lowest point on your stove and stir in the turmeric. It's important to turn down the heat here because you don't want the powdered spice to burn. Sauté the turmeric for just about 30 seconds.
    Spices added to oil in wok for cabbage curry.
  • Add the cabbage to the wok along with half a teaspoon of salt and quickly mix it all together. Turn the heat back up to medium-high and sauté until the cabbage begins to soften.
    Cabbage added to wok with a wooden ladle in the wok.
  • Cover the wok or skillet with a lid. Use a rimmed lid if possible--one that can hold some water in it. This is a neat technique used in Indian homes to steam veggies without adding water directly to them, which would dilute their flavor. Pour a couple of tablespoons of water on the lid carefully, making sure that it stays on the lid and doesn't get on the stove. If you don't have a rimmed lid that can hold the water, just keep the heat turned to the lowest point, cover, and check the veggies frequently to make sure they don't burn.
    Cabbage curry sauteeing in wok.
  • Stir the cabbage occasionally. How long you want to cook the cabbage is up to you. Some like the cabbage to retain a bit of al dente texture, others, like me, like it soft and silky. I cook the cabbage for around 10 minutes, but for a more toothsome texture you can turn off the heat sooner. You can also let the cabbage brown at the bottom of the wok--it adds nice flavor to the curry.
    Cooked curried cabbage in wok.
  • Add salt and finish with cilantro. Once the cabbage has cooked to your liking check salt and add more if needed. Stir in the cilantro. Serve hot.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 51kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Potassium: 186mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 112IU | Vitamin C: 39mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 1mg