Cabbage Poriyal

I'm back to blogging for this month's edition of Blogging Marathon# 18 (BM#18). This month I'll be  joining my marathon buddies for 3 straight weeks and hopefully if time permits, I want to make it to the 4th week as well. My theme for week 1 is "Dry Vegetable Sautes/ Sides".

For the first day, I made this simple Cabbage Poriyal. Recipe is from Chandra Padmanabhan's "Dakshin" cookbook. I made the spicy variation given in the cookbook and we loved the addition of ground onion and green chilies paste that gives the curry a little kick. 

Ingredients:

Cabbage - 4-5 cups, finely chopped (a small head of cabbage)
Potato - 2 medium, peeled and diced (optional)

Shelled Green Peas - ½cup
Salt - to taste

For the Spice paste:
Onion - 1 small, coarsely chopped
Green Chilies - 2
Coconut - 2tbsp, grated
Cumin seeds - 1tsp

For Tempering:
Chana dal - 1tsp
Urad dal - 1tsp
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Cumin seeds - 1tsp
Dry red chili - 1
Asafoetida (Hing) - ½tsp
Curry leaves - few

Method:

• Heat 2tsp oil in a saute pan. Add the tempering ingredients and once the seeds start to splutter, add the cabbage, potatoes (if using), green peas and salt.
• Cover and cook on medium heat until the veggies are tender, about 8-10 minutes.
• In the meantime, grind all the ingredients listed under spice paste using very little water.
• Add the spice paste to cabbage mixture and cook until the raw smell of onion is cooked, about 5-6 minutes. 

Serve with rice and dal. I served this dish for a simple lunch with visiraavakaya (gooseberry pickle).

For a milder version of the same curry, simply omit the spice paste and use 2 green chilies and 2tbsp grated  coconut instead. This basic recipe can be used for almost any vegetable like carrot, chow chow, beets, cauliflower etc.

Lets check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked up for Day 1 of BM# 18.

For everyone in the US, enjoy your 4th of July Holiday.