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.