Cabbage poriyal-Indian style cabbage stir-fry made with shredded cabbage, shredded coconut and seasoned with mustard seeds. Another simple everyday side dish recipe made in less than 15 minutes from scratch. A real food, clean eating, and soul-satisfying dish perfect for easy weeknight dinners.
This healthy dish does not require a long list of ingredients, like any other Indian recipes. And the good news is that these ingredients are available in any of the leading grocery stores.
Cabbage poriyal is an incredibly delicious low-fat recipe made with just a teaspoon of cooking oil, which is significant to try on the busy weeknight dinners.
Cabbage is the least preferred vegetable for the guys in my family, and I always forced to search for various recipes to incorporate cabbage into another menu. And this is one of the main intentions to come up with cabbage Manchurian, Indian cabbage curry, cabbage paratha, cabbage subzi, and cabbage chutney.
Why Cabbage?
The internet is overflowing with the details of cabbage’s medicinal values and their importance. When you hear the word ‘cabbage,’ it is also associated with the term ‘healthy.’ The cabbage is packed with nutrients like Vitamin K and Vitamin C. And, an excellent source for folate and manganese. If you are not aware of this earlier, this post can give you a clear picture. And this justifies why we should eat this vegetable at least once a week.
What is Cabbage poriyal?
For those who are not familiar with cabbage poriyal- this tastes delightful and straightforward made in such a way to retain all the natural flavors of cabbage taste with the beautiful blend of the aroma of mustard seeds and the creamy coconut.
This delicious, easy recipe requires simple preparation, and simple ingredients accordingly cut down the time you spend in the kitchen. Another beneficial factor is, this can be customized to suit your specific preference. A crowd-pleasing pan-frying staple that is easy and simple to make in no time.
The cabbage poriyal is the most essential and popular recipe in Tamil cuisine. And this is one of the important South Indian cabbage recipes. This lighter side dish is being prepared every day in millions of households in South India. Furthermore, this comforting luscious food is usually served in marriages or the vegetarian feast as well.
This cabbage poriyal is favorite in other cuisines on the top but tagged with different names. This is also called as cabbage Thoran in Kerala and Vepudu in Andhra, kosu palya in Kannada cuisine. Where In Andhra style, Kerala style cabbage poriyal's preparation and cooking part remains the same but slightly varies with the seasoning ingredients.
How long the Cabbage poriyal last?
It is best to be served immediately and can stay great for four to five hours at room temperature. Additionally, if it is kept in the refrigerator, it can be last for two-three days. And freeze it if you plan to store it for a longer time.
I know another question pops up here, why it is best to serve immediately? Because the coconut has less shelf time and naturally gets spoiled in the standard room temperature. I would not recommend storing more than the above time frame, as the vegetables lose their freshness and thus taste different after these shelves storing time.
The pairing ideas
This cabbage poriyal is excellent to serve with rice. However, serving with Indian flatbreads like roti or chapati is also a delectable idea.
Make ahead preparations
I know the working mom’s morning hours are exceedingly busy; often we don't find even for personal care. The time involved in making in cabbage poriyal is comparatively low.
Shredding cabbage with the mandolin is stress-free where you need a couple of minutes to work with cabbage.
Shredding the cabbage with mandolin saves tons of time you spend on chopping them with a knife. Furthermore, you can keep it simple by cutting them the previous day itself.
The key ingredients for cabbage poriyal
Cabbage
It is the universal ingredient, I do not need to talk much about its availability. As all the grocery stores have them around the season.
The mustard seeds
This ingredient gives a whole new flavor. Though the quantity described here sounds so little. It demands ¼th teaspoon only. And this little quarter teaspoon does wonders in the final output of the dish. It not only adds the flavor but also adds a contrast color.
While we talk about the substitution, there is no closure replacement for this spice. However, you can swap it with cumin seeds.
Here in Pennsylvania, I don’t find it difficult to locate and is available in specialty stores like Wegmans and whole foods. Online would also be a suitable place to locate Indian ingredients.
Moong dal or petite yellow lentils
This is added to increase the protein content and enhance the texture. You may find it hard to locate this one item. I did not see them much outside of the Indian stores and online stores. Therefore, you may skip using as this will not break the cabbage poriyal recipe.
Grated Coconut
You can find frozen grated coconut in the Indian stores. Alternatively, you may also use the desiccated coconut or coconut flakes from the baking isles. Frozen grated coconut and the desiccated coconut varies in the flavor.
Frozen version, is fresh and moist and has the subtle flavor and creamy taste to cabbage poriyal. So, if you have access to frozen grated coconut, I would recommend to use it.
Red chili
I have added broken red chili to add heat to the dish. If you prefer, you may skip using or add them as a whole.
The variations
- Add finely chopped carrots. This adds extra color and richness to the cabbage poriyal.
- Add green peas. Like the above, this combo also gives rich color and texture.
- You may add or substitute green chili.
- Add curry leaves if you have them handy.
How to make cabbage poriyal
In a pan, add cooking oil, mustard seeds, moong dal. Fry until moong dal changes its color to a golden brown. Then add shredded cabbage, broken red chilies, salt, and water.
Simmer the flame and close the lid for the 10 minutes. Cooking with the covers on creates steam inside. This additional steam and the low heat is well enough for the cabbage. But be sure to stir them in between to avoid any burnt bottoms when making cabbage poriyal.
Sprinkle some water, if it is not done completely.
Finally, add grated coconut and give a gentle stir. Transfer to the serving bowls and serve hot.
You may like other spicy stir-fries like,
Cabbage poriyal-Indian style cabbage stir-fry
Ingredients
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- ¼ tsp black mustard seeds black
- ½ tsp urad dal /skinless black gram
- 1 red chili broken into pieces
- 2 tbsp onion chopped
- 2 tbsp moong dal /split yellow moong bean
- 1 cup cabbage shredded
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup water or as required
- 2 tbsp grated coconut
Instructions
- Over medium heat, in a pan add vegetable oil, black mustard seeds, urad dal, red chili, moong dal.
- Fry until moong dal turns golden brown.
- Add chopped onion and saute until soft and tender.
- Now add shredded cabbage, salt, and water.
- Simmer the flame, close the lid and cook it for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally in between.
- When it is cooked well, add the grated coconut.
- Combine gently and serve hot.
Anonymous
Good
Ron
Suja, I remember this dish from my travels in India, except I think they used more than one hot chili, as it was very spicy. I noticed in your video that you stir-fry the dahl, does that make it cook quicker?