I am a big fan of Vij's, an elegant and innovative Indian restaurant in Vancouver, BC. (We even gave you a peek inside Vikram Vij's home kitchen!) The cookbooks by the owners of this restaurant are some of my favorite resources for Indian home cooking, and there was one recipe from their first book I had had bookmarked for a long time: A simple one of cabbage in yogurt curry.
I finally made this, a few weeks ago, and I was blown away by its color! Hello, turmeric! (Watch out, this stuff stains like crazy.) The cabbage virtually glowed in its bright yellow sauce, with pops of black mustard seeds. It tasted sweet and mellow, as cooked cabbage usually does, and the sauce was fragrant — a rich, tangy dressing for a pile of rice. It was satisfying enough to be a vegetarian main dish, although in this case I served it as a side dish to spicy grilled chicken.
If you're wanting something quick, spicy, and vegetable-centered, this curry might very well hit the spot — another point for cabbage and its wonderful ways.
• Get the book: Vij's: Elegant and Inspired Indian Cuisine $19.77 at Amazon
More about Vij's:
• Chef Kitchen Tour: Vikram & Meeru of Vij's in Vancouver
• Tilapia in Yogurt and Ginger Curry - Cookbook Review & Recipe from Vij's at Home: Relax, Honey
Cabbage in Mild Yogurt and Mustard Seed Curry
In North America, cabbage is associated with coleslaw and lunch. In India, cabbage is one of the most popular vegetables and is used in a variety of vegetarian dishes. At Vij's, we serve this curried cabbage as a side to any of our meat dishes. The size of the cabbage pieces doesn't matter — if you prefer chunkier pieces, then cut them that way — but be careful not to overcook them, as the cabbage will become sweet and lose its crunch. We recommend that you use 4% milkfat yogurt, and nothing less. Actually, if you aren't watching your weight, it's best to use 10% milkfat Mediterranean-style yogurt. If you are lactose intolerant, substitute 1 1/2 cups stirred coconut milk for the yogurt. Serves 6.
1 head green cabbage, in 1 inch x 1 inch x 3 inch pieces
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tsp asafoetida
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt, stirred
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 Tbsp ground coriander
Place cabbage pieces in a colander and rinse well. Drain cabbage of any excess water. Heat oil in a large frying pan on medium-high for 1 minute. Add asafetida and allow it to sizzle for 10 seconds. Add mustard seeds and cook until you hear the first popping sound, about 1 minute. Immediately turn off the heat. (The popping sound means that the seeds have cooked and are beginning to burn.)
After 5 minutes, stir in yogurt and turn on the heat to medium, stirring continuously for 1 minute. Add salt, cumin, turmeric and coriander. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the oil glistens. Add cabbage and stir well. Make sure the masala and cabbage are completely combined. If you are ready to serve the cabbage, reduce the heat to low and continue cooking it for 5 minutes. Otherwise turn o¤ the heat and reheat on medium-high for 3 to 4 minutes just before serving. Can be used right away. Will keep refrigerated for up to 1 day in a sealed container, but this dish loses its texture after a day in the fridge.
From the book Vij's: Elegant and Inspired Indian Cuisine (c) 2006, by Meeru Dhalwala and Vikram Vij. Published by Douglas and McIntyre an imprint of D&M Publishers Inc. Reprinted with permission of the publisher.
(Images: Faith Durand)
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This looks so good. Just used the Printer Friendly button for the first time and that looks good too!
Oh Vij's. YUM.
yum. i don't have asafoetida though.
me neither... I'd love if there was more info provided on asafoetida
be warned those who have not used asafoetida before, the "foetid" part of the word is accurate. the smell is powerful and rather stinky. but it mellows when cooked, and doesn't seem to taste stinky.
i have to store my container of it in the basement because i kept smelling a funky smell whenever i walked into my kitchen when i had it in my cabinet with all the other spices.
Ahhhh Vij's. The only restaurant I will stand in line for in the rain. This dish is perfection.
Is there a substitute for asafoetida? I hate to hunt for these odd use herbs, only to be left with it with not many uses and only to find out I might not like the recipe anyway. Hence, my huge supply of black mustard seeds!
this might not be one of those, but many recipes that i have seen that call for asafoetida list it as optional. i think it highlights the flavors and brings depth to the dish, rather than serving as the star of the show.
and as far as i know, there is no substitute:(
Anyone have advice on how to keep the yogurt from curdling? Since the recipe didn't exactly endorse refrigerating leftovers, I scaled it down to one serving (~5 oz cabbage, 1/4 cup Fage Total). Should I just have had the heat way lower than medium? My finished product was not at all creamy like the pic here. Oily with grainy patches of spices/curdled yogurt (but still tasty!).
Asfoetdia is also called hing. It's used in cuisines in cultures that don't use onions and garlic and gives a roughly analogous flavor. It's a resin so won't go bad really. I found it in an Italian grocery store with an Indian section. I like it in lentils.
I just made this recipe and *I loved it*. Which is not surprising because Vij's restaurant is phenomenal. A link to my blog where I showed my step by step:
http://whatjulieate.com/2012/10/26/hell-to-the-yes-cabbage-curry/
I made this last night and mine curdled like crazy, too. BUT, I didn't have the higher fat yogurt called-for in the recipe. Perhaps that's why the fat content matters? Regardless, it was declicious. I served it with Rebar's easy Sesame Tofu and some rice.
There are two tricks to preventing the yogurt from curdling. Also, you are correct that the full-fat versions are easier to cook with. However, following these two steps will work with low fat and non fat as well:
1. Mix in a level tablespoon of flour or other starch (corn starch works too) per each cup of yogurt, before adding it to the dish.
2. Temper the yogurt as you would do with egg yolks, for example. Pour a bit of the hot curry into the cold yogurt and stir it around, slowly bringing up the temperature of the yogurt, before adding it all back into the pan.
Doing this should prevent the curdling.