Easy Cabbage Curry

Creamy and full of flavor, this easy cabbage curry recipe can be prepared in 15 minutes. This delicious side dish pairs well with roti and rice and is made with 11 simple ingredients. This cabbage curry is gluten-free, vegan, soy-free, and nut-free.

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The humble cabbage has quite an interesting history. This leafy vegetable is said to have been hopping around the globe for the past 4000 years. Cabbage happens to be the star of dishes such as Kimchi in Korea, Colcannon in Ireland, Kapuska in Turkey, and Pikliz in Haiti, to name a few.

While it is popular in edible dishes, cabbage leaves have also been used as a cure for aches and baldness. Some speculate that this was the reason Babe Ruth had a cabbage leaf on under his baseball cap…

But I am not a baseball fan, so I digress. Let’s get back to the star of today’s post – cabbage.

With its high nutritional content and affordability, cabbage has been a staple for me. Even as a child, my mom would feed my sister and me a cabbage curry made with toasted cumin seeds and mustard seeds, in addition to a plethora of other Sri Lankan spices.

Whether it is added raw into salads, roasted in thick slices, made into a soup, or a stir fry with other veggies, I adore cabbage, as you can tell from all the cabbage recipes. So, today, I have a quick and easy cabbage curry recipe to share.

I love this cabbage curry because:

• This cabbage curry is absolutely delicious.
• It is a versatile dish that is gluten-free and dairy-free.
• In this curry, cabbage is bathed in a rich and creamy coconut sauce that is spiced to finger-licking perfection.
• This curry tastes mildly spicy, but the spice level is customizable.
• And you only need 11 main ingredients to make it.

What are the ingredients needed to make this curry?

You will need the following 11 main ingredients plus salt and black pepper to taste, as well as 2 optional ingredients to garnish this curry with:

1. Oil
2. Fresh Onion
3. Garlic Cloves
4. Fresh Ginger
5. Cabbage
6. Coconut milk
7. Tomato Paste
8. Coriander powder
9. Smoked Paprika powder
10. Red Chili powder
11. Turmeric powder

OPTIONAL: Parsley and Red Pepper Flakes (for garnishing)

Substitutions

• Oil
  I used olive oil, but any other oil, like coconut oil or vegetable oil, will work as well.

• Onion + Garlic + Ginger
  Fresh onion, garlic, and ginger makes such a huge difference in this curry as opposed to the powder version of each. However, if you would rather not peel and chop the onion, ginger, and garlic, most grocery stores sell already peeled and chopped versions of these 3 in the produce section. These tend to be a little less budget-friendly.

• Cabbage
  Green cabbage is usually available at most stores and works well with the natural coloring of the spices. You could also use red cabbage, but the red color from the cabbage and the coloring from the spices might make the resulting curry look a little less appealing. Savoy cabbage would be another substitute. However, savoy cabbage is more tender than green cabbage, and the cooking time would decrease considerably. I must note that I have not used savoy cabbage in a curry.

• Coconut milk
  I used thick and creamy Chaokoh coconut milk. This can be substituted for light coconut milk, too, but the resulting curry will be less creamy.

• Tomato Paste
  This could be substituted with crushed tomatoes. But I have found that tomato paste works best.

• Spices
  A combination of coriander powder, smoked paprika powder, red chili powder, and turmeric powder worked so well in this dish. However, coriander could be substituted with cumin powder. And if you have curry powder on hand, you could use it (instead of the coriander and turmeric) along with the smoked paprika. If you want even more flavor, add a teaspoon of garam masala at the end when this curry has finished cooking. If you prefer this curry to be mild, then leave out the chili powder. However, if you would like a fiery hot curry, add in more chili powder and/or some cayenne as well.

• Garnishes
  I used some fresh parsley and red pepper flakes. But, fresh herbs like cilantro or dried parsley or dried cilantro would work as well. The red pepper flakes can also be left out if you prefer.

Variations

If you want to add more vegetables to this curry, frozen green peas, cubed potatoes, and sliced carrots are good options.

This is a thick curry, so if you prefer a thinner curry or a more liquid curry, then add in some vegetable stock or some water.

Instructions to make this easy cabbage curry

I cannot stress how easy this curry is to make. The prep, on the other hand, can be a bit more tedious.

To start, peel and chop the onion, ginger, and garlic.

Rinse the cabbage and discard any excess outer leaves. Then, chop the cabbage up into bite-sized pieces.

Add the oil to a pan and set it over a stovetop cooker set to medium-high heat.

Add the onion, ginger, and garlic to the pan with the oil and let them saute for about 5 minutes.

Then, add in the cabbage and the spices and stir well.

Add in the coconut milk and stir.

Then, cover the pan, lower the heat in between medium and low, and let it cook for about 7 to 9 minutes.

When the time is up, remove the cover and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir well.

Serve as is or garnish with chopped fresh herbs and red pepper flakes.

What to serve this cabbage curry with?

This cabbage curry pairs well with yellow rice, Sri Lankan roti, paratha, and any Indian flatbreads.

This curry can also be served as part of a larger curry dinner, including mung bean curry, lentil curry, chicken curry, croquettes, and chutney.

Storage and reheating

This cabbage curry can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.

My mom has frozen and reheated this cabbage curry often by placing the airtight container in the freezer. She lets it thaw a bit on her kitchen counter and then uses the defrost setting on her microwave to defrost it.

The chilled cabbage curry can be reheated by placing it in a pan over a stovetop or by placing it in a microwave-safe dish and microwaving it until it is warm.

Thanks so much for stopping by. If you make this recipe, please let me know in the comments below what you think of it, or tag your creation on social media with @savoryspin or #savoryspin. For more fusion, spice-filled, recipe ideas, please subscribe and follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and/or Pinterest!