Pattagobi ki Sabzi; Cabbage Vegetable?!

In Hindi we say Bhindi ki Sabzi, Aloo Gobhi ki Sabzi, or Tamatar-Palak ki Sabzi and it is understood – but is there an appropriate translation in English for the ‘sabzi’?  I don’t know.  I don’t think I can call them ‘curry’ if they’re dry, can I?  Calling it Okra vegetable, Potato-Cauliflower vegetable, and Tomato-Spinach vegetable, respectively sounds vague.  Then what is the right word to use – stir-fried?

Oh well, here I’m sharing two styles of Pattagobi ki Subzi (Stir-fried Cabbage?) that I usually cook and like the taste of.

Cabbage with Urad Dal and Chana Dal – Style 1 liked & adapted from here

1 Tbsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds (rai)

1 pinch asafoetida (hing)

1 Tbsp split yellow gram (chana dal)

1 Tbsp split black gram skinless (urad dal)

2 dry red chilies, broken in half

1 spring curry leaves (karipatta)

1 tsp ginger (grated)

1 tsp green chilies or to taste, finely chopped

¼ tsp turmeric powder (haldi)

4 cups cabbage, shredded

Salt, to taste

Lemon juice, to taste

Shredded (fresh or desiccated) coconut & chopped cilantro to garnish

1.  Heat oil, add rai, let pop, add hing + chana dal + urad dal + broken dry red chilies + curry leaves + ginger + green chilies + haldi, and stir until the dals turn lightly golden-brown; don’t let them burn otherwise while eating you’ll break a tooth or two.

2.  Then add cabbage, mix everything well, let cook few minutes, then sprinkle salt & some lemon juice, mix well again.  Switch off heat and cover for couple of minutes.  The steam inside moistens cabbage and lets the flavors blend in well.

3.  When ready to serve, garnish with some shredded coconut and cilantro.  Serve hot with roti or rice.

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Cabbage with Potatoes and Peanuts – Style 2 liked & adapted from here

1 cup diced or chopped potatoes*

2 Tbsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds (rai)

1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)

1 pinch asafoetida (hing)

2 dry red chilies, broken in half

1 tsp green chilies or to taste, finely chopped

4 cups cabbage, shredded

2 Tbsp roasted peanuts

Salt to taste

1 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp desiccated/shaved coconut

Chopped cilantro to garnish

*By diced potatoes I mean cut in bigger chunks, and by chopped potatoes I mean cut in small cubes:

-  If you dice, parboil potatoes in a pan of salted boiling water for 10 minutes until tender, drain and keep aside.

-  If you chop, you won’t need to parboil as they’ll cook faster when sautéed the first thing in oil, but it doesn’t matter even if you parboil (if you have time).

Let's Begin!

1.  Heat oil in pan, add rai + jeera, let pop, add hing + diced & drained / chopped potatoes + broken red chilies + green chilies, stir around until potatoes lightly golden-brown.  This part is different from original recipe because I like the potatoes slightly sautéed than mere parboiled.

2.  Then add cabbage, mix all well until cabbage tender, add peanuts + salt + lemon juice + coconut, switch off heat, mix everything well.  Garnish with cilantro & serve hot with roti or rice.

I like adding roasted peanuts later for the crunch.  There were times when I didn’t have roasted peanuts on hand so I added them at the start sautéing with everything else in oil, but toward the end the moisture canceled out the crunch.

In case you made green chili paste at home, do not put it instead of finely chopped green chilies, because the salt in the paste will make cabbage sweat and get soggy faster.  That’s why salt is added at the final stage for cabbage and spinach sabzis.

I think there’s no particular traditional way of making these sabzis.  You can add, subtract, multiply or divide anything.  Some recipes don’t exactly need to be followed a certain way, such as these Cabbage Subzi recipes.  Go ahead, be flexible.


Search Terms:
- cabbage sabzi / cabbage ki sabzi
- cabbage subzi / cabbage ki subzi
- pattagobi sabzi / pattagobhi subzi
- cabbage recipes

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