I was not a big fan of cabbage while growing up. But recently I have started liking it more and more. May it be simple cabbage upkari or cabbage vada , it tastes delicious. So when I buy cabbage, I make sure to make more than one type of dish with it, so that we don’t get bored of it.
Aruna sent me this recipe. She said she had learnt it from a Gujrathi friend. I tried it and it tastes very good. It is sweet from sugar, spicy from green chilies and sour from lime juice. It hadly takes 10mins to make.
Ingredients: 2 cups of cabbage cut into long pieces 3 green chilies A pinch of asafoetida 1/2 tea spn mustard seeds A pinch turmeric 1/4 tea spn garam masala 1/2 tea spn sugar 1 tbl spn lime juice 2-3 strands coriander leaves Oil Salt
Method: Heat oil, add mustard seeds and When it starts popping, add the chilis and asafoetida. Add the cabbage, mix well. Add turmeric and mix well. Allow the cabbage to reduce a bit. After 5 min add the garam masala , salt and sugar. The cabbage should not over cook. Add the lemon juice and coriander leaves. Serve hot.
Serves : 2-3 Preparation time : 10mins
Those who know about Koddel (a Konkani dish with coconut base), may say this does not look like or taste like koddel . When I read this recipe in “Udupi special” in a Kannada weekly, I felt like trying it. I have not seen or tasted any koddels before. They are more popular in South Kanara , and we don’t have this dish in North Kanara (from where I come).
Usually koddels have a thick gravy consistency, they are served as side dishes and they have a different masala for the base with garlic seasoning . In the article from where I picked up this recipe, it is mentioned as Udupi Kannada speaking brahmin’s recipe.
Whether it is koddel or not, it was amazingly delicious. Since this dish is bit sweetish, I served it with Gujrathi daal . I used less coconut than mentioned and made it a dry dish.
Ingredients: 1 cup chopped green beans 3/4 cup fresh/frozen coconut 4-5 red chilies 1 tea spn coriander seeds 3/4 tea spn cumin seeds 1 tbl spn jaggery 1/4 tea spn tamarind extract (or 1-2 pieces of tamarind) A pinch turmeric 1/2 tea spn mustard seeds 4-5 curry leaves Oil Salt
Method: Grind together coconut, red chilies, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, jaggery and salt. (Do not fry any of the ingredients like we do for other dishes). Cook green beans in enough water. When they are cooked, add the ground paste, tamarind and mix well. Heat a little oil and add mustard seeds. When they start popping, add curry leaves, fry for a min and add this seasoning to the dish. Serve hot as a side dish with rice.
Serves : 2-3 Preparation time : 20mins
