Savoy Cabbage, Black Kale and Potato Subji
This comforting recipe for savoy cabbage curry with black kale and potato from Meera Sodha's celebrated Fresh India cookbook makes a wonderfully simple vegetarian main dish, perfect for a flavour-packed midweek meal.
From the book
Fresh India: 130 Quick, Easy and Delicious Recipes for Every Day
The go-to guide for vegetarian Indian cooking
130 stunning recipes with a fresh and light feel
Beautiful puddings with Indian-inspired flavours
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Introduction
In Gujarat, cabbages and potatoes are near deities. In Lincolnshire, where they are the main crops, the same is true. I feel as though my bones, and the bones of my ancestors, are partly made up of these two vegetables. When you want something simple, not much beats a tangle of soft buttery cabbage with sweet caramelized onions and crisp potatoes, alongside a fierce pickle, yoghurt and chapattis (see page 288 of Fresh India).
Ingredients
| 1 tsp | coriander seeds |
| 2 tsp | cumin seeds |
| 3 tbsp | rapeseed oil |
| 15 | fresh curry leaves |
| 1 tsp | black mustard seeds |
| 1 | large brown onion, halved and thinly sliced |
| 800g | baby new potatoes, quartered |
| 200g | savoy cabbage, finely shredded |
| 200g | black kale or cavolo nero, finely shredded |
| 1¼ tsp | salt |
| ½ tsp | chilli powder |
| ¾ tsp | ground turmeric |
Essential kit
You will need: a pestle and mortar, and a large lidded frying pan.
Method
Lightly grind the coriander and cumin seeds with a pestle and mortar. Put the oil into a large lidded frying pan over a medium heat and, when hot, add the curry leaves and mustard seeds. When they crackle, add the onion. Cook for around 10 minutes, until golden and sweet, stirring occasionally.
Add the crushed coriander and cumin, followed by the potatoes. Cook for 10 minutes, turning every now and then until crispy. Add a couple of tablespoons of water, cover with the lid and cook for a further 5 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and no longer resist the point of a knife.
Finally, add the shredded cabbage and black kale to the pan with a couple of tablespoons of water and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add the salt, chilli and turmeric, mix well, cover with the lid, reduce the heat to low and cook for another 4 minutes, or until the cabbage and black kale have wilted.
Serve with a fiery pickle, hot chapattis and a dollop of yoghurt, or alongside dal and rice.
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