Spiced Braised Cabbage
Greetings food adventurers! It’s rough out there right now, but we still have to eat. Cabbage is a nice accessible winter veggie, and one of my favorite ways to eat it is this spiced braised cabbage recipe. I serve it on top of freshly steamed rice with a big dollop of Greek yogurt. Just leave the yogurt off to make it dairy-free / vegan. Comforting, hearty, vegetarian, and hot.
The fresh herbs aren’t exactly seasonal – parsley is surprisingly hardy and is probably fine out there in the garden under the frost-cloth… but it’s also under more than a foot of snow and I don’t want to go digging for it so grocery store parsley it is this time.
We are back on Roshar for this dish, since cabbage closely resembles some of the rockbuds that grow across the province of Alethkar. Just break off the shell, and those rockbuds will cook down just like cabbage! This might be a common dinner meal for families in Kholinar. The cabbage gets all tender and almost melty, spiced with toasted cumin and coriander.
Not feeling like writing a ton tonight. I can share food though. I can put art into the world. I can shine this tiny light and let you all know that you are not alone.
Spiced Braised Cabbage
Special Equipment
- Dutch oven pot
- Microplane (optional, for grating garlic)
Ingredients
- 6 Tbsp tomato paste
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves peeled and finely grated*
- 1½ tsp ground coriander
- 1½ tsp ground cumin
- ¾ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 small head of green cabbage 1 1/2 to 2 pounds
- ½ cup oil divided
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups water
- 3 Tbsp chopped fresh dill or parsley
- Plain Greek yogurt for serving
Instructions
- If making rice, start the rice first so it is ready when the cabbage is done.
- In a small bowl, mix together the tomato paste, garlic, coriander, cumin, and red pepper flakes.
- Get 1 1/2 cups water ready. Set aside. (when you need it, it happens quickly)
- Cut cabbage in half through core. Cut each half through core into 4 wedges. (8 wedges total)
- Heat ¼ cup oil in a Dutch Oven over medium.
- Working in batches, add cabbage to pan, cut side down. Season with salt (divide salt evenly between the wedges).
- Cook cabbage about 4 minutes per side, until lightly charred. (I find that tongs work the best for this step)
- MEANWHILE, Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Transfer the seared cabbage to a plate.
- Pour remaining ¼ cup oil into the hot pot.
- Add spiced tomato paste and cook over medium heat for two minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add 1 1/2 cups of water to the hot tomato paste, stirring until the paste is incorporated. Bring to a simmer (this will happen quickly).
- Turn off the stove burner.
- Nestle cabbage wedges into the sauce in the pot (a bit of overlap is okay if it doesn’t all fit flat).
- Transfer cabbage to oven and bake UNCOVERED for 20 minutes.
- Carefully turn the wedges over, then bake for another 30 minutes.
- Scatter fresh dill and/or parsley over cabbage.
