Turmeric cabbage stew: a spicy and simple vegan or vegetarian meal or a wonderful side dish for many other dishes.
I am sure I did mention before how much I like cabbage. Any recipe made with it is a winner in my book; I don't think I have ever had anything with cabbage I didn't like.
One of my favorite and most common ways of eating cabbage is to stew it, Romanian style, so to say, the way my grandmother used to do it. Have a look at this recipe; this is exactly what I mean: Romanian Stewed Cabbage.
So when I started experimenting with the Turmeric Paste for Golden Milk, it was only natural that I would think about making a spicier, kind of Indian-style cabbage stew to which I could add a generous amount of turmeric paste.
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Recipe ingredients
Cabbage: white or green. I use white most of the time; it is more common here.
Other veggies: carrots, onions, garlic, tomato.
Spices: lots.
- When I have some turmeric paste, I use about 1 tablespoon of it.
- If I don't have it, I replace it with 1 teaspoon of ground turmeric, 1 tablespoon of grated ginger, and ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper.
- More spices: ground cumin and coriander and dried chili flakes.
More flavors:
- You will add more flavor with honey and cider vinegar; the dish should be not only spicy but also slightly sweet-sour.
- Start with smaller amounts of the two ingredients, check the taste, and add more as required.
Expert Tips
- You might think that the amount of water required is not enough. However, cabbage releases water as well, so don't add too much extra. Keep the pot covered all the time so that not too much steam can escape. When stirring, do it quickly and immediately cover the pot again.
- Stir the cooking cabbage stew often, but don't worry if it slightly catches at the bottom of the pan. It should definitely not burn, but deep brown pieces are the desired effect. They caramelize slightly and add a lot of flavors.
How to serve?
- I serve turmeric cabbage as a vegan or vegetarian main dish most of the time. We have it with rice, crusty bread, boiled potatoes, cornmeal potatoes, or oven-roasted potato wedges.
- A dollop of yogurt on top is almost a must. If you want to keep the meal vegan, serve it with soy or coconut yogurt.
- When serving this as a side dish, think about pairing it with a nice filet of fish or some oven Baked Chicken Thigh; I do love the way cabbage goes with fish or chicken.
- Of course, beef or pork would be just as fitting; anything, actually, I cannot think of anything that wouldn't go well with it right now.
And if you would like to know more about turmeric, turmeric paste, and its health benefits, make sure to read this article: 10 Health Benefits and Uses for Turmeric Paste.
How to store?
- The cabbage stew with turmeric keeps well in the fridge for 3-4 days. Keep it airtight and reheat it on the stovetop. Add a splash of water when reheating, and stir often. It actually tastes better when reheated, as all stews do.
- You can also freeze the leftovers for up to 3 months.
More vegetarian cabbage recipes
Recipe
Turmeric Cabbage
Ingredients
- 750 g/ 1.7 lb white or green cabbage
- 1 large carrot
- 1 onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 large tomato
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¾ – 1 teaspoon dried chili flakes more or less to taste
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 ½ teaspoon honey divided
- 125 ml/ ⅛ cup water
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ - 1 tablespoon cider vinegar to taste
Instructions
- Core the cabbage and slice it thinly. Slice the carrot rather finely as well. Chop the onion and the garlic finely.
- Heat the coconut oil in a large heavy-bottomed pan or Dutch oven. Add the chopped onion and garlic and cook shortly until translucent. Add the cabbage and the carrot and cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes until it begins to soften.
- In the meantime chop the tomato into fine cubes. Add the tomato, coriander, cumin, chili flakes, turmeric, ginger, pepper tomato paste, and 1 teaspoon of honey to the pot. Stir well to coat the cabbage with the spices and let cook, stirring, for 3 or 4 minutes.
- Add water and salt, cover the pan, turn down the heat and simmer the stew for about 30-35 minutes or until the cabbage is cooked to your liking, I prefer it rather soft but not mushy.
- Add half of the cider vinegar, stir well again, and taste. If necessary add the remaining vinegar, honey, some black pepper, and a bit more salt.
- Serve immediately or reheat again later.
Punam Paul says
Most of my childhood memory includes getting yelled at by my mother, eat your veggies; but I used to pay no heed to it. However as time passes, most of us come around to eating vegetables as we are aware of the countless benefits they have for our health.
Cabbage is especially one of the world's most nutrient dense vegetables readily available for us to enjoy, rich in essential vitamins such as C, B6, K, saturated fat, thiammin, calcium, iron, magnesium phosphorus and a good source of dietary fibers.
But I never liked any cabbage recipe other than in noodles.
This cabbage recipe when I tried at home was not really appreciated by my family but it was really yummy too. Thanks for sharing this delicious preparation. Keep posting wonderful recipes like this.
Adina says
Thank you for your comment. I am glad you liked the cabbage. My husband and I love it as well, but I have to admit that it was kind of a battle to get the kids to like cabbage. They are still not particularly happy when I cook something with cabbage, but they have learned to accept it and hopefully they will get to love it as much as we do when they are older. I used to love cabbage as a child as well, not made with turmeric, which was totally unknown in my country then, but cooked in almost the same way just using other spices and herbs.
pakistani recipes says
I love the cabbage recipe. I also made parathas from it and that was also delicious. Thanks for the recipe
Adina says
Thank you for your feedback. I've made parathas with cabbage as well, but never though of using this cabbage recipe. It is a great idea, I will try it for sure.
Chicken Malai Boti says
The Recipe had a really good taste & looks amazing.This one is my favorite.Last night I made Chicken Malai Boti for my family and all enjoy.
Kim says
Okay, Adina. I MUST make this dish - and your turmeric paste. Cabbage and sausage is one of our go-to meals, I'm sure your recipe will be a new family favorite!
Rosa says
This sounds yummy!! My family loves cabbage as well. I'm not sure if they would like the coriander but it's a small amount. Love your photos! 🙂
Monica says
I just bought a small cabbage from our farmer's market yesterday. My husband and I love it. This is a new way of preparing it for me. Looks as good as it tastes, I'm sure.
Thao @ In Good Flavor says
I love cooked cabbage. This cabbage stew makes a great side dish. I like turmeric for its benefits and use it when I can, but I have never seen turmeric paste. Now I know it exists, I'll have to look for it!
Anca says
It's such a great idea, a new way to cook cabbage stew. Love it.
Jutta Holden says
Thank you so very much for all the turmeric recipes?
Marvellina says
I'm loving your turmeric series Adina. Another idea to cook cabbage:)