Sunday, July 05, 2009

Cabbage and peas curry

Dear foodies,

Hope you guys are having a great weekend. I surely am having fun, cooking up a storm from the bags of fresh veggies and fruits I bought at the farmers market here. The one I visited this time is the largest I've ever been too, and it was overwhelming to see the abundance of fresh produce and deli items in one place. Here are a few photos from the trip. And as expected I bought more than I planned too. I went to one of the fruit stalls to get a basket of strawberries and ended up buying a huge pineapple :-P The guy at the stall force fed me a piece of pineapple and after tasting the juicy fruit I could not resist, and the story repeated itself for the pound of plums and nectarines that I have sitting on the kitchen counter...and oh, the bag of cherries too :) I made a yogurt & berry cake for breakfast y'day and a second batch of strawberry-rhubarb jam to accompany the whole wheat bread that I also bought at the market.

Today, I slow-roasted a pound of tomatoes for trying out Nupur's pasta salad recipe, pan roasted colored baby carrots with a herb-balsamic glaze and made some super yummy tomatillo salsa :D Hopefully that will all make it to the blog, and to you, before the summer fades off. I am loving the long days of summer. Though it has completely messed up my sleep routine, I am enjoying the long hours of sunlight that allow me to take photos of the food I cook for dinner. I'm still not sure if I am cooking so much because the photos turn out good, or if its the fresh produce from the market thats more tempting.

After reading Shaheen's beautiful Malabar food post on Sailu's blog, I was carving some cabbage thoran. Luckily, I had a beautiful head of cabbage & fresh green peas in the fridge and I set out making the curry and roti's for dinner that night. I made it the way my mom makes it, which is only slightly different from the way Shaheen explained. My mother also substitutes the coconut with soaked moong dal sometimes, this time though I stuck to the former.
Cabbage & Green Peas curry
Ingredients:
  • 1/2 head of Cabbage (~ 3.5 cups, shredded)
  • 1/2 cup - fresh, Green peas (or frozen)
  • 4 Tbsp - freshly grated Coconut (or frozen)
  • 2-3 - Green chillies, slit lengthwise (adjust to taste)
  • 1/2 tsp - Mustard seeds
  • 1/2 tsp - Jeera/Cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp - Channa dal
  • a sprig of Curry leaves (~ 6-8 leaves)
  • 1 Tbsp - Oil
  • Salt to taste
Method:
  1. Peel the outer layers of the cabbage, and halve it. Discard the thick core and shred/cut it in thin long strips.
  2. Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard & jeera seeds, as they start to splutter add the channa dal. When the dal starts to change color add the slit green chillies, roughly torn curry leaves and saute for a few seconds.
  3. Toss in the shredded cabbage along with some salt, cover with a lid and cook for 3-4 mins. The salt releases the inherent water in the cabbage which should be sufficient to cook it in.
  4. Finally add the grated (thawed, if frozen) coconut, mix well and cook for a additional 2-3 mins to allow of the flavors to mingle. Fresh cabbage hardly takes time to soften, so check to see if its tender. The cabbage should retain a bit of crunch when done.
  5. Turn off the heat, add the fresh peas, cover and let the curry rest for 5-7mins before serving with warm roti's or rice.
* You could also soak soy granules (eg: nutrela brand) in some warm water for 10 mins, squeeze out the water and add it to the curry in step 4, instead of coconut ~ Mom's update.
This a dish that gets done in minutes and blows you away with its simplicity. No overpowering spices, just a basic tadka and the flavors of the veggies that come together harmoniously. I made some chapati's to go along with it, but it pairs really well with rice and sambar too. My fav combu though it with rice & buttermilk. The mild cabbage along with the juicy peas is a delight to eat. If using moong dal, pre-soak it in water for 15-20 mins and add it along with the cabbage. Since it has a short cooking time, it will be done along with the cabbage. In this case, you can skip the coconut. I occasionally add slivers of ginger to the initial tadka, which lends some spice to the cabbage and a variation of taste. Sodhi is another interesting dish that I use cabbage in or this raw salad.

25 thoughts:

Sonia said...

I love Cabbage-peas curry. I also make it quite often. And my version is different. I also had posted it in my blog here.:) http://tinyurl.com/ooohgl

Anonymous said...

I like cabbage and peas curry too. One of the best combination. Excellent with white rice. Thank you for sharing.

Radha

pelicano said...

I haven't made this in awhile! I have a few recipes collected, but the one I like is also simple and light- very similar to yours. Perfect meal for a warm summer day.

P.S. Bought some sev today. :-D

pelicano said...

And what did you say? Force-fed? Uh-huh... :-) You sound like me at the markets; I end up buying some of this, some of that...and the week after I make myself stay home.

Pavani said...

I made the same exact curry last week when I some company for dinner. I add some grated ginger to the tadka. Simple and delicious. Hope you had a good weekend. Its back to routine from tomorrow. Have a fun week ahead.

amna said...

cabbage thoran rocks no?

chakhlere said...

Wow Priya!!
I also love this subzi!!
Its very healthy also.

Grt clicks!

Parita said...

I love to visit farmer's market, its soo good to see fresh fruits and veggies, i feel like buying all of it:) I make cabbage thoran exactly the same way, looks delicious!

Nirmala said...

I love this simple curry. At home amma would make a curry with little carrots chopped which we would call the Congress poriyal as it has white, orange and green colors! Try this with some tamarind based kulambu especially one with drumsticks. You will not think of other combos then :)

Manju said...

i totally love this combo of cabbage and peas in thoran :)

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much.. I have been googling recipes for cabbage all these days!

Well, I have a doubt..

Can we use the same method to cook purple cabbage??

Unknown said...

Wow delicious and very comfort curry looks yum

Nithya said...

yumm yummm curry.. mom used to make it the same way..

Love the pics a lot. :)

Priya said...


Sonu, saw your version and will give it a try next time :)

Radha, thank you so much for dropping by. Thoran with rice is a sure hit combo :)

Pel, yes, good and good for ya' :))
yippie, so are you going to put up pics, or recipes ?? :D

Pavani, yep, back to routine now, how I wish we had a summer break just like in school :) Its specially tough to get back after a long weekend. Did you guys watch any firework displays ?

Priya said...


Nags, totally :)

chakhlere, yes, and it gets done in a jiffy, that's the best part :)

Parita, I get into trouble when I got to the farmer's market too. Everything looks so fresh and cheap, that its tough not to go overboard na. This time I bought more fruits than veggies.

Nirmala, my mom made it too, but we were not creative enough to call it that :D I was feeling lazy to grate/chop carrots while making this. And yes, kulambu with this tastes divine!

Priya said...


Superchef, it seems to be a hit with everyone here, simplicity seems to win hands down.

Princess Nuchu, I'm guessing it should be the same. The cooking times may differ, the purple one might take a lil longer to soften. Here is a quick link with some info on cooking purple cabbage.

Rekha, true, its a very comforting dish.

Nithya, thank you :) Going by the comments, this seems to be a basic recipe that many seem to follow at home.

Trupti said...

looks delicious..lovely combo. I never tried this combination


Trupti
Fashion Deals For Less

Shri said...

This is how my mom made it and I still follow the same recipe with channa dal.I love the combination of this curry with roti.You have such an elegant pic!

Swami said...

Wandered here by accident...

But the cos-curry evoked pleasant memories of days gone by.

In our house we dont add sugar but just thengai and ginger at the end.

My mami adds a little sugar at the end. Both renditions taste divine... Especially with vetha kozhambu and thayir sadam.

Soma said...

I am going crazy too buying things whenever i am going to do grocery.. all the juicy fruits & berries are so absolutely tempting. strawberries are 99 cents a lb! I got 10 lbs! now figure what i do with it. we already finished 4 boxes just fresh.

I have my cabbage out.. cooking cabbage for dinner. My little one loves the way you have done yours:-)

Bong Mom said...

This was like a staple at the work cafeteria in B'lore. Granted I didn't like it ;-) But now this bowl makes me want some

lubnakarim06 said...

Oh wow.....that's an drool worthy combo.....makes a perfect side dish with piping hot rotis....

Vani said...

Nice combi. The thoran looks grrat, Priya!

Indian Khana said...

The curry looks so simple and delicious...just the way I like..looks wonderful

Anonymous said...

Priya,first time here ...Real rocking blog..missed you somehow.
expect me often ..eh ?
keep rocking.have a good day.

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