Learn 10 easy ways to feature the cabbage head in your home menu more widely  more often. These easy to achieve recipes will help you elevate the cabbage from just the basic coleslaw.  

The underrated cabbage seems to have shot into limelight. This probably is triggered by the article in Vogue promoting it to be the vegetable for 2026 and it is high time these leafy vegetables get some real use. It certainly is versatile and incredibly easy to use in most cuisines.

Familiarize yourself with the Cabbage varieties

The big head of cabbage does actually comes in a few different types, providing a bit of textural and pigment variation.

The common white cabbage: this is the most versatile of all cabbages. They are perfect for all sorts of recipes, mellow and crispy and sit well in salads too. Put these on the grill or tandoor to chargrill.

The red (or purple) cabbage: these are very similar to the white cabbage. It is the colour that attracts the eye. The red cabbage is usually seen in salads and as pickles. However they are equally good when stirfried or braised too.

Savoy (crinkled) cabbage: what is interesting about this variety is the crinkly texture of the leaves. These are great to filled and rolled to make skinny enchiladas!

Wombok: This slightly sweet Chinese cabbage or Wombok is perfect for Asian dressings and stirfries. They are super tasty as kimchi and pickled cabbages. For Indian recipes, I love using wombok for poriyal and kootus as it curls up well, providing a good textural feel.

Bokchoy:Though not typically considered a part of cabbage bokchoy falls under the cabbage family.Most Asian recipes do call for he green leafy bokchoy. They are more green and tender. The flavour is brilliant in Asian style soups and stirfry.

The love-hate relationship with cabbage

You certainly would have come across a bit of a love-hate relationship with cabbage.Some people love it and some are averse. Knowing the science behind it will ensure you know the reason for your dislike.

Cabbages are a part of the cruciferous vegetable family. They are naturally rich in sulfur compounds like glucosinolates.
When cabbages are cut or cooked they release these compounds as volatile sulfur gases. This is the weird fishy smell you may encounter. This may be the reason some people dislike the cabbage. 
There are ways of mitigating this as well when you are cooking. Scroll down to ensure you see the tips to ensure your cabbage experience is better.

Reasons to love the cabbage

Though there is dislike for cabbages among some, there are several more wonderful (and delicious) reasons to love it!

• Cabbages are low calorie vegetable. It is also nutrient dense. That makes it perfect to add volume to your meals.
• It carries high levels of fibre that ensure fullness and avoids constipation.
• Cabbages are good source of vitamins C and K . Both fresh and cooked cabbage are rich in them!
• Cabbages are diabetic-friendly as they are leafy vegetable, meaning they are low in sugar content.
• It has a good amount of folate as well.
• As for taste, they have a mild sweetness and are crisp to bite when fresh. When sauteed or grilled , they retain the sweetness.

Tips to cook the cabbage right

The sulfur smell that comes from cabbages can be reduced by following these.

• Use lemon juice: when you add lemon or vinegar to the shredded cabbage it greatly reduces the smell that develops. You can also add an acidic agent to the cooking water instead.
• Using an open pan: To saute or stirfry use an open pan and dong cover, and cook. This ensure the volatile compounds can escape.
• Quick cooking: Instead of slow boiling, always resort to quick boiling methods when using in soups. Slow cooking any of the cruciferous vegetables releases the sulfur compound, causing the smell.

Lets get some cabbage on the fork!

 

Cabbage recipe range from appetizers to mains. Apart from ease of cooking, cabbages are super versatile in absorbing the flavour and blending in with the flavours of the recipe. Here are some fabulous ones you should absolutely try.
Each of the recipe links are highlighted in blue. Clicking on them will lead you to the exact recipe. Lets start with some appetizers and dips

Cabbage pakoda: You cannot miss the crunch of this appetizer style recipe, perfect for entertaining. You can shred it or cut into cubes to make the pakoda. The chickpea batter with the spices makes it a delicious appetizer.

Tomato and cabbage salad: Now if you are on a summer plan or eating a bit healthier today, you have got to try this lean, fibre-rich recipe. The crunch of this salad with the acidity from tomatoes makes it a fantastic summer lunch.

Pickled red cabbage:This instant tangy pickled cabbage is a great addtion to home made burger, rolls or crunch wraps. We love to add a small bol of this to a meditteranean inspired grazing board as it pairs really well with the dips.

Now lets incorporate these into some mains that you can use much easier. 

Coconut cabbage soup: Carry the cabbage into winter with a comforting bowl of creamy coconut milk cabbage soup. This is a light soup that can be enriched by adding grains or cooked beans.

Paratha with cabbage: Bring in the comfort of cabbage in the form of a stuffed paratha. Made with maize flour, this is a brilliant flat bread recipe to serve with a simple dip or some Indian pickle.

Red cabbage pachadi: This low calorie red cabbage chutney pairs well with rice,flat breads and as a spread for a sandwich. 

Tandoori cabbage: This unique variation helps to ensure a good amount of flavour in the cabbage. It will definitely change any cabbage hater’s mind.

Shredded cabbage pasta: Ensure you have a hearty pasta with cabbage that lends itself well to Italian flavours. This shortcut pasta recipe does not use tomatoes.

Cabbage and spinach muthiyas: Muthiyas are steamed and stir fried snack from the Gujarathi cuisine. This variation ensures it is easy to adapt new variations.

Cabbage puli sadam: Put a twist on the classic puli saadam by adding shredded cabbage while stirfrying, giving it plenty of filling volume and fibre. Since cabbage takes up the spices and flavours well, this South Indian twist is a well-loved recipe.
Cabbage thoran: While going through cabbage recipes, you cannot ignore the  sadhya style cabbage thoran! This Kerala classic stirfry is one of the best warm salads.

Though you have a predominately Indian recipe collection here with cabbages, there is so much more you can do with these cabbages. You can make cabbage rolls,  add them to your momo filling, make coleslaw, chargrill them and so forth.

Stay connected

There are a couple of different bloggers who have  put forth their best cabbage recipes for you to try, so do checkout the links and their blogs through the links above.
We have used affiliate links to help your cooking successful on this blog. This in turn helps us earn a small income to keep this blog going. Hope you will find these link useful, but use them at your discretion. While you are here, here re two products that I find very useful.

Hair growth serum

In shower moisturizer

Dream lengths hair mask

When you try out these recipe please do let us know which one you liked the best in the discussion below.
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While trying to explore the diversity of cuisines across India, one root vegetable that gets so well used is the potato. May it be jeera aloo, urulakizhanagu stew, potato podimas or aloo dum biryani, you will find potato running its own show here. This pattern extends to all the Indian cuisine styles and the one that caught my attention recently was the Manipuri spicy alu kangmet.

What is alu kangmet?

Though the name sounds so complicated this is one of the simplest of the Manipuri cuisine. Basically it a spicy, mashed potato recipe. The ingredients that flavour are mustard oil, chillies, garlic scapes and ngari (fermented fish). in this vegetarian version, we have omitted the fermented fish. The raw onions served with it or mixed in as pieces with the mash flavour it different from classic mashed potatoes. 

Dietary profile for alu kangmet

Traditional alu kangmet has fermented fish paste added to it so it will not really be a vegan vegetarian recipe. However, the recipe we have made today is with most of the flavours without the fish paste making it vegan.
The recipe uses a bit of oil, but not enough to deep fry so I would say they are still low-oil recipes. However, don’t skip using mustard oil for the best flavour.
The aloo kangmet is certainly grain-free, nut-free and nightshade-free.

Ingredients and substitutions

Potatoes: The potatoes are the main ingredient for this recipe. Any variety of potato that cooks soft and mashes well like the Yukon gold or white potato is perfect for this recipe. You can use the same variety that we have used to make jeera aloo.

Garlic greens: The traditional recipe for alu kangmet uses green onions rather than regular onions. I had a small batch of green onions and that is what I have used for this recipe. If you don’t have any red Spanish onion or sweet pink onion can be substituted, 

Dry red chillies: Ooo this is a spicy recipe that packs in a punch. The dry red chillies roasted in oil are the ones that are mashed in with the potatoes. Use the spicier serrano dried or the milder bydigai (Kashmiri chilli)

Mustard oil: The mustard oil is absolutely needed to bring that classic Manipuri flavour to this dish. You will find these in the Indian grocery stores. Most of them say external application only, but read through and you will notice that it will be used for cooking in certain cuisines. The restriction is because of the high euric acids. There are tolerable limits established in certain countries that are deemed safe. The quantity used for this recipe is really small and under regulatory limits. If this is not an option for you, try olive oil or vegetable oil. I will not recommend coconut oil or sesame oil as it imparts a distinct South Indian flavour and takes away from the recipe.  

Salt: Can’t make this spicy mash without salt! Regular sea salt or Himalayan pink salt will make just the same. 

Let’s make alu kangmet

There are only a few steps that lead you to this spicy lip-smacking potato mash.

Prepping the potatoes: Boil and cool the potatoes. Peel them, gently mash them with a fork and set them aside. 

Making the spicy mix: Wash and clean the green garlic leaves. Remove all the dry leaves and chop them half half-inch pieces. Into a frying pan add oil and as it warms up add the mustard oil. Saute the green garlic
(garlic scapes) and then the dry red chillies till they are crisp. 

Bringing it all together: Add all this to the potato and mash the spices into the potatoes with salt. roll them up into small balls to serve with rice.  In the recipe card below are the details of this recipe and you can pin from here too to your board.

Serving aloo kangmet

Aloo kangmet is often served with tan (bread) at breakfast time. However, the small ball of aloo kangmet is so soothing to have with rice. If on a soft diet have this with porridge or congee.

Meal prep alu kangmet

Aloo kangmet stays so good for 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator to have for the week, However, potatoes leach water and lose that soft texture you don’t want it frozen.Hence, I haven’t quite come to be successful in freezing this recipe.

If you are serious about meal prep, invest in a good set of glass boxes for storage. Check out these ones if you are in Australia. They are really a great investments. 

Other recipes from North Eastern India

North Eastern Indian cuisine is rarely blogged about. But each state and tribe brings out some unique flavours. Here are a few recipes we have blogged about earlier. Try some?

Chia al meh

Kechuri

Rosep aon

Phuklein

Collaboration

This recipe is a part of the Sunday Funday collection of “cook with roots”. The bloggers, under Mayuri have collaborated to put some useful recipes together that range in cuisine. Try these recipes that use potato,beets, sweet potato, ginger, parsnips, carrots etc.

Mayuri’s Jikoni : Arbi Ka Paratha

Cook With Renu: Beetroot Paneer Rice With Leftover Rice (Easy Lunchbox Recipe)

Food Lust People Love: Chantenay Carrot Ginger Soup

Sneha’s Recipe: Ginger Almond & Poppy Seed Vadi

A Messy Kitchen: Maple Miso Root Vegetable Medley

Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Parsnip and Leek Soup with Cumin and Mustard Seeds

Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Roasted Beet Galette

Sid’s Sea Palm Cooking: Roasties

Making Miracles: Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie

 

Stay connected

Hope you enjoy this spicy kick recipe that helps you explore the Manipuri vegetarian cuisine. When you make this simple recipe, do comment how you like it and how you served it. While you are here, subscribe to receive further updates.

In this post there are some highlighted links in blue. Some of these lead to products that will pay me a small commission if clicked on or bought. Use these links if it is helpful to you and using your discretion.

This post updation had huge help from both Mayuri and Kayani who have introduced and guided me through the new group, with much motivation.

See you in the next post.

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Kothavarakkai poriyal is a basic stir fry made with cluster beans. Valued for its medicinal properties this cluster beans stirfry is a gluten-free, vegan addition to your everyday Indian meals.

The visit to Bengaluru this time has seen so many changes. My mother-in-law is finally hooked on blogger world. She is now curious about the new idea. She was talking about bloggers, YouTubers and plenty more who have daily appearances on her devices. So, the suggestion to be videoed while she was making the daily food was welcomed instantly. So as a start, we have kothavarakkai poriyal from her kitchen.

What is kothavarakkai?

The tender pods of Cyamopsis tetragonoloba are used as a vegetable known in regional languages as guar, gawarfali, the green seed pods that grow in clusters are the product of interest. Grown in crop rotation the guar plant notably provides the legume but also improves the soil by nitrogen fixation. The low-calorie pods are a good source of fibre and potassium.

Did you know?

The much-valued commercial flour improver guar gum is extracted from the endosperm of the mature dry seeds of this plant. This is used in breadmaking, the cheese industry and ice cream manufacture.

Ingredients for this kothavarakkai poriyal

This kothavarakka proiyal is made by my mother-in-law. It is one of the simplest stirfries yet very very tasty. Here is the list of ingredients you need to prepare this
Cluster beans or kothavarakkai is the main ingredient in this recipe. Wash and clean the beans. Remove the beans from the thick stalk. Pinch off the tail as it tends to be a bit chewy. Now slice the beans as thin as you like.
Tempering: the classic south Indian tempering is of mustard seeds that crackle to flavour the coconut oil, a touch of dals (split lentils ) for the crunch, followed by curry leaves and red chillies that further flavour the oil.
Seasoning: the recipe is usually just seasoned with salt. However, if you like it spicy use about half teaspoon of cayenne pepper powder can be added.
Garnishes: the final addition of the freshly grated coconut adds a lot of difference to the dish. Honestly, it doesn’t feel the same with the desiccated coconut. However, grated frozen coconut still manages a good bit of flavour.
Additional adds:
Shallots: sliced shallots can be added along with the curry leaves. This gives a wonderful aroma to the poriyal. However, this is not common in Tambaram kitchens so my mother-in-law doesn’t use it.
Cumin: if you don’t have mustard seeds, use cumin. The cumin (jeera) gives a different flavour to the oil.

How to make the poriyal?

As a part of this new journey, we have made a short mature video of how the poriyal is prepared. My mother-in-law is the one who is making this so the measurements in the video are approximate. However, you can follow the recipe card below to get the exact measurements and step-by-step instructions. Hope you will like and share this video too. 

Serving suggestions

Kothavarakkai poriyal paired with steamed rice, quinoa or millets with a classic gravy like sundakkai thengaarachukozhambu or podipotta sambhar is a perfect South Indian meal.
To make an easy wrap use a spinach phulka as the base and fill up with this poriyal. If you have cooked potatoes mash add it up to give a  filling wrap.

Meal prep and storage

The poriyal can be made and saved for about 3 days if refrigerated. If storing for a week, I avoid adding the coconut. Since the coconut added is fresh add it after thawing. The cluster beans stirfry is not the best to be frozen. It turns a bit rubbery if texture.

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As we are exploring new ideas this year, hope you stay with us by subscribing to our newsletter. When you try this recipe don’t forget to let us know in the comments how you like it and rate the recipe with a 5-star rating. We will love to stay connected with you. Follow us on Instagram or Facebook to receive updates more often.

Dry til chutney or ellu podi is a common accompaniment on the side of a home-style thali. This dry condiment is a melange of lentils and sesame seeds with spices. Make some of this vegan, gluten-free ellu podi to complement your meals.

Molagapodi or the dry chutney that is used with dosa or idly comes in many flavours like garlic chutney podi and dhaniya podi. This adds a lot of variety to the same breakfasts that we make day after day or the simple home-style lunch. Also, it is one with a fantastic shelf life, thereby a boon to providing some relief to busy mornings. Here is another one that is handy, ellu podi.

Black and white sesame seeds

Sesame seeds are one of the tiniest ingredients that are common in the Indian kitchen. In fact, it is one of the hardest to harvest due to its size too. In the Asian markets, both black and white seeds are available. Both varieties of oil-rich seeds are rich in iron and calcium. Black sesame seeds are explored for their ability to reduce oxidative stress.

Hulled and unhulled sesame seeds

The polishing process at times removes the edible outer coating of the sesame seeds. This is the Hulled sesame seeds. If the outer coat is intact, it is unhulled. Nutritionally they are not very different. In addition, both hulled and unhulled seeds are equally edible roasted or raw. The hulled ones are brighter white and the unhulled white sesame seeds are slightly browned.

Ingredients for this til chutney

Sesame seeds- for this recipe I have used unhulled white sesame seeds. You can use black ones too and the podi looks much darker in colour. Upon roasting the sesame seeds have pop slightly and release the oils. upon grinding if the til chutney looks too oily roast some more of the lentils and adjust to form a dry powder.

Black gram dal- Urad dal or ulundu parippu is the base of most molagapodis. The skinned version is roasted and powdered. If using black sesame seeds, you can use the skinned black ones too. Roast well till they turn golden or aromatic.

Chickpea Dal-Bengal gram or kadala parippu is roasted separately and powdered with the urad dal. These two form the lentil base for most molagapodis. Roasted till slightly deeper brown the dal is crunchy and easy to powder.

Curry leaves- you can’t miss out on the karivepelai to give the classic ellu podi aroma. Add a handful if you have one. Dried ones will work well too, slightly roast before powdering.

Red chillies: depending on the spice levels you prefer can use a couple of different varieties here. The bydige or Kashmir red chilli adds a deep red colour without adding all that heat. Whereas the Guntur varieties give lighter red colour with a lot more pungent heat packed in. The ellu podi in the picture has bydige as I am not a huge fan of the heat.

Salt: Seasoning with salt is an absolute must to flavour and keep a good shelf life for the powder.

Hot tip:

On the first day, the salt doesn’t flavour well as the fresh ground chillies take over the flavour. However, taste test the next day to adjust the salt levels as by now the lentils will start absorbing the flavours and the pungent heat is slightly toned down.

Steps to make the dry til chutney

Roasting: dry and slow roasting of each ingredient ensures that the lentils are cooked and also that they can be powdered well. The sesame seeds crackle when roasted releasing the oil needed to bring the powder together. Each ingredient has a different time to roast, so have to be done separately.
Grinding: A spice mill or a coffee grinder can powder the spice mix. Powder the lentils and seasoning separately and then mix them well together. At times the sesame seeds will become mushy upon grinding as they release a lot of oil. Add a tablespoon or two of the lentil mix and grind further to reduce the stickiness.

Storing the ellu molagapodi

The til chutney will become rancid if exposed to air much faster. If you are making a batch store it in an airtight bottle on the countertop for about 15 days.  Use a dry spoon to serve it. If keeping for a bigger batch keep it in the fridge to slow down the loss of flavour.

Serving ideas for the til chutney

With lunch thali- The dry til chutney can replace the thogayal in the classic south Indian thali meal. It provides a lovely pickle kind of side to add flavour to the dishes.
With idly and dosa- Just like using molagapodi, Ellu podi can be used to dip the idlis and dosas to have. You can add a touch of oil to make a paste that can be smeared on the idlies.
Make a thogayal- Add two or three tbsp of warm water to about the same quantity of til chutney powder and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes. This will form a thick soft chutney. Further you can dilute it with water if needed.
In variety rice- Just like we make pickle masala rice, sprinkle the chutney podi on the stirfrying leftover rice and make a delightful ellu rice. You can add a tempering of mustard seeds and garnish with coriander leaves to make it more flavourful.
In parathas- Add a tablespoon of til chutney to the atta before kneading it and mix well. This gives a unique flavour to the paratha when cooked, yet cannot be seen much.
Add to sandwiches and wraps– Use the til chutney in your rolls, wraps and sandwiches as this dry spice mix will add flavour without going soggy. Add cooked and drained beans, herbs, or a basic salad to the wrap to make it filling. Smear a bit of the paste-like ellu podi on the slices of bread and make a basic tomato-cucumber sandwich, it tastes amazing.

Collaborations

The dry til chutney recipe is added to the A_Z collection of recipes for the Alphabet T. Sesame seeds are Til in Hindi and this long-stay chutney is what I chose to showcase.

Stay connected

When you make this ellu podi, tag us or share with us how you like it. Leave us a comment with a 5-star rating to tell us how it is, we would love to hear from you. Stay subscribed as this year we will try our best to bring you a lot more recipes. Stay connected and see you again soon.