Easy Recipes With Cabbage

Cabbage, the pretty and pleasant looking green (at times purple) leafy vegetable is easily available in markets. Apart from being easy to procure, cabbage is an excellent source of Vitamin C along with Vitamin B6, Vitamin B2 and Vitamin K.

Since cabbage is high in fiber, it provides good roughage making it a good remedy for constipation and other digestion related problems. The presence of beta – carotene helps in maintaining eye health and delays cataract formation.

Lets have a look at some easy recipes with Cabbage:

Easy Cabbage Sandwiches and Burgers.

Even a leaf of cabbage inserted as layer between 2 loafs of bread along with a cheese slice is good enough to amp up the taste and flavour of the sandwich. One can really play around with ingredients and make their own sandwich but here’s how you can make a simple one.

Take one loaf of bread. Add a slice of cheese, sliced tomatoes, chopped cucumber. You can add your favorite veggies or simply top up with some paneer/ bacon or chicken. Add some shredded cabbage. Season everything with some salt and pepper and finish the sandwich by keeping the second bread loaf over this … your sandwich is ready.

Stuffed Cabbage

Quite an exotic looking dish, this one is fairly simple to make. Take enough water in a saucepan and immerse as many cabbage leaves as you want to make rolls out of and allow them to boil for 5 minutes. Remove them without tearing them.

Now separately make the filling. Take some oil in a pan. Add some chopped onions and allow them to brown. Then add crumbled paneer, green chilies, salt, red chilli powder, ginger garlic paste and allow it to cook. You can also make this filling with minced meat (kheema) if making a non-vegetarian dish is the agenda. Then take one leaf at a time and carefully place the filling in the center. Fold the edges and make every leaf into a roll. Secure them toothpicks or threads.

For the gravy, either use canned tomato puree or make a paste with onions, tomatoes, ginger garlic paste, salt, red chilli powder and yogurt. Heat some oil in a pan and add all these ingredients. Once cooked, puree them in a blender. You can add some water to make sure that the gravy is not too thick.

Transfer the gravy back into the pan and add each roll one by one into it. Allow them to cook in the gravy for 10 minutes. Your stuffed cabbage rolls are ready.

Image Source - Yuval hoffman - Creative Commons

Coleslaw

Coleslaw is extremely simple and quick to make and works as an amazing side dish. It goes well with chips, french fries, chicken, fritters and many finger food items.

In a bowl whisk together some mayonnaise, salt, black pepper, lemon zest and juice. Add shredded cabbage, carrots, onions, celery and give everything a good mix and your coleslaw is ready.

Kimchi

This is for those who love Chinese food. Though there are many versions and variants of kimchi, which are made out of various traditional sauces, we will stick to a simple way of making one.

Combine some sesame oil, chilli powder, soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar and salt in a bowl. Mix everything well and add cabbage cut in cubes and mix again. Transfer in a jar. Refrigerate the jar for about 1-2 hours and serve chilled.

Indian Style Cabbage

This is most traditional and homely version of cabbage in Indian kitchens. Though each family makes it differently, here’s a simple and basic one – Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds. When they begin to crackle, add salt, red chilli powder, turmeric and coriander powder. Add some hing (asafoetida) over this and give a good stir. Now add chopped cabbage leaves in the pan and mix well. Pour in some water and allow the cabbage to cook. In about 15 minutes the vegetable is ready and can be enjoyed with some nice warm chapatis.

Wraps

Wraps are meals in themselves. Wraps can be made with almost any stuffing that one desires. Leftover food can also be innovatively recycled into wraps. Adding shredded cabbage leaves just takes the flavour to another level. Here’s one way of making them –

Take a wholewheat wrap and spread some green chutney on it. Add some chopped onion, chaat masala, cumin powder and shredded cabbage. Add some cooked paneer/roasted chicken/sliced kebab pieces; roll the wrap and its ready and just dig in … simple, isn’t it?

Image Source - Sharada Prasad CS - Creative Commons

Green Salads

Salads are known to be high on fiber and are loaded with vitamin C and E, folic acid, lycopene, and alpha and beta-carotene, especially if your salad includes some raw vegetables.

In a bowl bring together some sliced onions,  carrots and tomatoes. Add some fruits (like grapes, apples, plums). Then add a generous amount of shredded cabbage leaves. Add salt, black pepper and some olive oil and give everything a good toss. Squeeze some lemon and  garnish with roasted peanuts and serve fresh.

Vegetable Soup with Cabbage

Soups made with multiple vegetables are very nutritive.

Heat some cooking olive oil in a pan. Add some chopped garlic, celery, onions, bell peppers and carrots. Add some vegetable stock to this and stir well. Add in chopped cabbage and allow the soup too cook. Cook for 15 minute and serve hot.

Simple sauteed cabbage

If time is not your friend and you need to make something really quick, this one is for you.

Heat some oil in a pan. Add chopped cabbage and give it a good stir. Sprinkle some salt and pepper and saute for 10 minutes. Once the cabbage turns tender and brown, turn off the flame. Serve Hot.

Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut finds roots in Eastern European and German cuisines.

Take one Cabbage and shred it roughly. Sprinkle some salt over it.. Pound it gently with a potato masher till there’s some liquid to cover and the cabbage is covered in brine. Transfer the cabbage into a mason jar and keep pressing the cabbage to keep it covered under the liquid. Adding some water is optional. Culture it in 15 - 20° C for about 2 weeks until the desired flavour and texture is achieved. Open the mason jar everyday to release any gas if formed. Keep the jar in the fridge and have it along with meals. Exotic and different, isn’t it?