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.

Palak Dal

Palak Dal is basically Indian beans and greens.  I like this recipe because it gives just a bit more depth and texture to the beans and I love the flavor of ginger.  I substituted the asafetida with garam masala, which I had on hand already.  I serve this with coconut curry cabbage and naan.

1 cup lentils, picked over and rinsed

6 cups water, plus more if necessary
1/2 pound spinach, washed and finely chopped
1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 medium green chile peppers, minced (I may have left these out)
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon chile powder
a pinch of asafetida, optional
more salt to taste
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

In a large pot over medium-high heat combine the lentils and water. Bring to a boil, then add the spinach, ginger, turmeric, 3/4 of the green chiles, and all of the tomatoes. Reduce the heat, and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the lentils are extremely soft. You may need to add a bit more water during the cooking process to keep the lentils soupy. After an hour and a half, stir in the salt.

In a separate pan, heat the butter and cumin and fry until the cumin seeds start to pop. Now add the red chile powder (and asafetida if you're using it) and fry for another 30 seconds. Taste and add more asafetida if you like. Add this butter mixture to the lentils and allow to cook for another five minutes. Taste, and season with more salt if needed. I also enjoyed a touch of lemon juice added at this point. Serve topped with the cilantro and the remaining green chiles.