My Very Own Curried Cabbage and Peas

I really love Appetite for Reduction.  Like, a lot.  We’ve talked about this before.  And when I get a huge cabbage, the first thing I usually think of is the curried cabbage with peas from that book!  However, I really only like that recipe.  I’ve become spoiled by The 30 Minute Vegan’s Taste of the East, because all the curries are made with whole or at least individual spices.  Maybe a few recipes call for curry powder, but I always prefer the recipes that start with whole spices.  So I decided to make the recipe from Appetite for Reduction more complicated (rare for me!), but, in my opinion, way more delicious.  Something about tasting the actual individual spices really makes it more special.

Jessica’s Curried Cabbage with Peas

1/2 large cabbage, shredded

1 large onion, thinly sliced

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced

3 small tomatoes, chopped (about 2 cups)

1 cup frozen peas

1 tsp whole cumin seeds

1 1/2 tsp whole coriander seeds

1/2 tsp whole yellow mustard seeds

1/2 tsp whole fennel seeds

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp turmeric

1 tsp sumac

salt, to taste (at least 1 tsp)

1/2 tsp peanut oil

1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat, then add spices, except for turmeric.  Toast for a few minutes, until nice and fragrant.  Add onions, garlic, and ginger, sprinkle with salt, and saute until onion is translucent.  Stir in turmeric.  Add tomatoes and give it a good stir.  Cook until tomatoes start to melt down.  Add cabbage, and another good sprinkle of salt, in batches if necessary.  Cook until cabbage is wilted, about 10-15 minutes  Sprinkle on sumac (if you don’t have sumac, add something sour, like the juice of a lemon or lime or some rice vinegar), then add the peas.  Stir and cook through.  I left mine on the stovetop for another extra 15 minutes on low heat to let the flavors meld.  Taste for salt.  Serve with rice or whatever you like!

I liked mine with the scallion potato pancakes, the actual recipe from Appetite for Reduction.  These were simple to make, held together way nicer than the recipe said they would, and were mighty hearty.  A great way to use up farmers market potatoes!

I didn’t have any cooking spray, so they aren’t nicely browned, but they are nicely crispy.  They’re baked, so they’re low in fat, but the pancakes are still packed with flavor from loads of scallions and a touch of toasted sesame oil.  These may seem like conflicting flavors (Indian versus Chinese), but I gave my potato cakes a sprinkle of lime juice and some hot sauce and they went together just perfectly.

As Isa says, these pancakes refrigerate nicely, but I don’t recommend reheating them.  My friend Emily told me today that when you reheat cooked potatoes it changes their molecular structure or something, which is why reheated Thanksgiving leftovers always taste a little…off (mashed potatoes!).  I admit that my first plate, I reheated the pancakes because I went for a walk before I ate and I didn’t like them.  I ate them today lukewarm (straight out of the fridge, but I left them in my purse for a couple hours, so they weren’t cold), and they were tasty!  Nice and onion-y, filling, crunchy, but also creamy.

Try them both!

Local: potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes, garlic, onion.