Recipe: Curried Cabbage Bangalore Style

Another recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks, Yamuna Devi's, The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking, I served this with Keralan masoor dal, Pakistani Old Clothes Beef Brisket, and Basmati Rice.  

The recipe is normally made with a small portion of green mung beans, but because I also served dal, I left out the beans.  I forgot to take a photo so I will add one the next time I make this.  Here's a photo of the original recipe instead!

Curried Cabbage Bangalore Style

Serves 3-4

INGREDIENTS:

• 2/3 cups whole green mung beans, sorted, cleaned and cooked
• 1 t. cumin seeds
• 1 t. black mustard seeds
• 2 hot green chilies,  seeded and minced
  
• 1" piece fresh ginger root, scraped and sliced into thin julienne
• 5 T. ghee or mustard oil 
• 1/4 t. Cobra brand asafetida (other brands reduce by three-fourths*)
• 10 fresh curry leaves or 1 bay leaf
• 1 pound green cabbage, trimmed, cored and finely shredded
• 1 t. turmeric
• 1 T. ground coriander
• 1 t. salt
• 2 t. lemon juice
• 1 t. honey

INSTRUCTIONS:

*I use Pure Indian Foods Best Hing Ever and used 1/8 t. 

Combine the cumin, black mustard, green chilies and ginger in a small dish. Heat the ghee or mustard oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat (mustard oil must reach the smoking point).  

When hot, drop in the spice-seed mixture and fry until the mustard seeds start to pop.  

Immediately drop in the asafetida, curry leaves or bay leaf, cabbage, turmeric and coriander and cook, stirring frequently, for 10-20 minutes or until the cabbage is wilted, brown and crisp, or quite tender.  The cooking time will depend on the size of your pan, the quantity of cabbage, the heat intensity and the preferred degree of doneness.

In the last few minutes, add the beans, salt, lemon juice and honey.

Serve piping hot or at room temperature.