Sunday, February 10, 2013

Coconut Curry Cabbage

Our favorite Indian restaurant, The Curry Pot, occasionally features this dish on their noonday buffet.  I love both cabbage AND coconut, and was truly surprised to find that they go so well together!  I found several recipes when I searched online, some of which had a very lengthy ingredient list, but this is a truly easy and satisfying one.  It's a bit intimidating to venture into the world of Indian cooking - I have always been a little stymied by it (my food tends to turn out all heat and no spice).  But this one is a winner!  I serve it with some type of dal (I especially like palak dal and naan (which I can get pre-packaged at my local grocery).


Ingredients
  • 3 cups green cabbage (finely chopped or shredded using food processor) 
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • Salt – to taste
  • 1/4 tsp mustard seed
  • 1/4 tsp cumin seed
  • 1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder 
  • 1 Curry leaf (I substituted with 1/4 tsp curry powder or to taste)
  • 1/4 cup shredded coconut   
  • Green Chilles – sliced, to taste (I left these out since my daughter is not a fan of spicy)

In a pan heat the oil over medium heat.  When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds. When they start popping add cumin seeds, curry leaves or powder, and turmeric powder. Add the shredded cabbage into the pan with a generous pinch of salt.  Reduce heat, cover and cook till cabbage is nice and soft, but not mushy.  Add green chilies, shredded coconut, and check for seasoning.  Cover and cook over low heat till the cabbage absorbs all the flavor from coconut.

2 comments:

  1. do you use fresh coconut or dried coconut?

    also, I didn't know there was such a thing as a curry leaf...I thought curry referred to a spice blend. upon research, I found the following:

    Curry Leaves
    The curry leaf tree, or Murraya koenigii grows wild in India and is an aromatic member of the citrus family. The tree reaches a height of up to 8 feet with 12-inch long leaves made up of 24 leaflets that grow from the vein of each leaf.

    Curry Powder
    Curry powder is generally made of a mix of toasted spices including cumin, turmeric, coriander, cumin, mustard, ginger, garlic, chiles, cloves and salt. Curry powder does not usually contain curry leaves as they lose their scent and flavor upon drying.

    Culinary Uses
    Many Indian dishes call for fresh curry leaves to enhance the taste in sauces. You can keep the leaves in the freezer to have them on hand for your recipes. Roasting the leaves directly before adding them to your dish brings out the heady flavor. You can use curry powder to mimic the flavor in authentic Indian cuisine, giving vegetable and meat dishes decidedly spicy or hot tastes.

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  2. I use bagged coconut like you find in the baking aisle of your grocery. I'm sure fresh is better, but a ton of work!!
    Thanks for the research on curry!

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