Asma Khan’s Bhuna Niramish: Shredded Cabbage with Peanuts
Asma Khan's quick Bengali shredded cabbage dish is fragrant with ginger, turmeric and cumin and features plenty of contrasting textures and flavours.
From the book
Ammu: Indian Home-Cooking To Nourish Your Soul
Over 100 accessible Indian recipes from Asma Khan
Vibrant inspiration for every occasion, including celebrations, dinner parties and midweek meals
From curries to starters, sides, desserts and more
Introduction
Niramish is a classic Bengal vegetable dish that can be made with any kind of vegetable. The name means something ‘without meat or flesh’. This was a popular dish for home cooks as it could be made just before mealtimes and did not require much preparation. Niramish was made with vegetables at the height of their season, when there was a glut and the prices were low. This recipe works best with a vegetable that can be shredded and cooked quickly by stir-frying in a karai or wok. You can add shredded fennel or grated carrots to the cabbage if you want. The peanuts give an added crunch to the dish and the additional protein from the peanuts makes my older son happy – he is an amateur boxer and trains every day
Ingredients
| 4 tbsp | vegetable oil |
| 125g | raw peanuts |
| ½ tsp | mustard seeds |
| 1 | bay leaf |
| 1 tbsp | grated fresh ginger |
| 2 | green chillies, slit in half |
| About 800g | cabbage, shredded |
| 1 tsp | salt |
| 1 tsp | ground turmeric |
| 1 tsp | ground cumin |
| 1 tsp | ground coriander |
| Generous pinch of | sugar |
Method
Heat the oil in a karai or wok over a medium– high heat. Have a plate and slotted spoon ready next to the cooker. Add the peanuts to the oil and stir-fry for a few seconds until they turn a couple of shades darker. Take care not to burn the peanuts: you cannot take your eyes off them. Using a slotted spoon, remove the peanuts to a plate, leaving as much of the oil in the pan as possible. Spread the peanuts across the plate to cool.
Add the mustard seeds to the oil in the pan and wait until you hear the ‘popping’ sound before adding the bay leaf and ginger. Stir-fry until you can smell the ginger aroma – the colour of the ginger should not change. Add the green chillies and cabbage and stir-fry for a couple of minutes, then add the salt, turmeric, cumin, coriander and sugar. Lower the heat so that the cabbage does not stick to the pan and stir-fry until the cabbage is cooked.
Sprinkle the peanuts over the cabbage.
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