Thursday, November 6, 2008

Cabbage

My dear friend, Sunshinemom, is hosting a wonderful event called Food in Colors, and this month's theme is - purple and black! Those aren't common colors in the food universe - okay, maybe purple but definitely not black. But I did find the perfect colors in cabbage and whole urad dal (also known as black gram or black lentil).

We use the beautiful purple cabbage quite a lot in my house. The crunch of the cabbage with the tempered spices is delicious. And the color really takes your breath away.


Here are some cool facts about purple cabbage that I didn't know:

1. The purple color comes from the presence of a phytochemical which acts as an antioxidant, and is said to improve one's memory. This phytochemical is what gives the purple color.

2. Purple cabbage is not as healthy as green cabbage, and should be eaten in moderation!

Now onto the recipe:

Purple Cabbage

1 head Purple Cabbage, cut into thin strips
Salt, to taste
2-3 tbsp Water

Tempering:
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp whole urad dal
3-4 curry leaves

Heat a saucepan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the cabbage, salt and water and toss around a couple of times. Now close the pan and leave it alone for about 5-7 minutes. The salt tends to sweat the cabbage and you'll find this is more than enough water for it to cook.

We like the cabbage really crunchy at home, so I take it off the heat at this point, but if you like it softer, you can add more water or leave it on the stove for a bit longer.

For tempering - heat a skillet with a few teaspoons of oil. When hot, add the mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves. When the mustard seeds begin to pop, remove from heat and add the tempering ingredients to the cooked cabbage.

Serve hot as a side to rice or rotis or as a warm salad.


To know what my marathoners are doing, check out their lovely blogs:
DK, Siri, Srivalli, Ranji, PJ, Curry Leaf, Medha, Priya, Bhawna, Raaji, Ruchii, Kamala, Roopa, Divya Kudua, Rekha, Divya, Lakshmi, Raaga, Lakshmi, Sripriya, Viji, Kamalika and Pavani.

25 comments:

Bhawana said...

Thats nice :). I too like purple color cabbage :). lovely recipe.

Unknown said...

perfect entry for both the events:) looks very bright and fresh:)

Sunshinemom said...

Wow! This looks so beautiful - it reminds me of a Mysore Silk Saree in folds:) I know that comparison itself sounds funny but that was the first that came to my mind because of the rich color!! Thanks for the lovely entry:)

Unknown said...

yeh perfect entry for the event nice colour

Unknown said...

I too was thinking of posting this for FIC!!

Kitchen Chronicles said...

super entry for FIC. Purple cabbage is the 1st thing which struck me when I read this month's FIC announcement.

R said...

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Finla said...

WOw this is a really good idea , now you have ispired me to join up too :)

lakshmi said...

that looks like a tangled purple satin ribbon!

Ranjani said...

pretty:)

CurryLeaf said...

Looks like purple ribbon,lovely

Ramya Vijaykumar said...

Lovely color, you have cooked for the right time nice velvety ribbon like great sides Arundathi...

Anonymous said...

This is the first time I've come across savoury red cabbage. Usually in Western cooking it is served sweet and a bit tangy, like with vinegar and sugar. Yours look very interesting!

raaji said...

the color is lovely for my eyes bu not for my tastebuds....afraid of trying it.

Srivalli said...

Anu that looks good...but when I had used the purple cabbage, it turned kind blackish!..this has retained the colour!..

Unknown said...

Nice entry, Thanks for the info on purple cabbage. I too have send in the same entry for FIC :).

kamala said...

Looks good ANu..Love the color

Priya Suresh said...

Wow lovely colour..looks like lavander fry...simple yet delicious stir fry..

Medhaa said...

I love the color but find the cabbage very strong in taste so sont eat it.

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Wow, so vibrant!!

TBC said...

I'm sure that Harini is going to get a lot of purple cabbage entries.;D
This is the first thing that came to my mind when I saw her event announcement post.
Love the pic!

Divya Kudua said...

The pic is so pretty...almost like a water colour painting!!never tried cooking with purple cabbage..!!Your dish sounds quite simple..;-)

Mandira said...

oh i love purple cabbage! n this recipe looks so easy to do!
mandira

Bharti said...

Lovely..that purple and black combo has me scratching my head. Love your idea.

Arundathi said...

THANKS EVERYONE! :-)

sunshinemom - a saree? very creative i must say!