Cabbage, Mushroom and Tomato Curry over Yellow Rice

Why use cabbage in Indian food? I don’t know; why shouldn’t I include cabbage in Indian food? Cabbage is a member of the cruciferous vegetable family and is thought to fight cancer so I like to cook with it. Since I had made the Indian flat bread I thought I should make an Indian inspired entrée. The cabbage had been in the refrigerator for a few days so it became dinner.

When we go to the farmers’ market on the weekend I tend to buy enough produce for three families, and there are two of us. Needless to say sometimes things aren’t used as fast as I would like. The cabbage and mushrooms were the oldest items in so they needed to be cooked. For you fellow accounting geeks I try to follow the FIFO rule of refrigerator inventory management.

The jalapenos I got at the farmers’ market yesterday were blow your head off hot. I never expect jalapenos to be that hot. I had the same thing happen last year with a jalapeno so now I always test them by rubbing my finger on the cut side and then putting it in my mouth. You know immediately when the peppers are hotter than normal. I think it is the dry weather we have been having the last few weeks that made the peppers so hot. If the jalapenos had their usual level of heat I would have used two or three in this sauce.

I make a few standard curry sauces and mix the vegetables up depending on what I have in the house. This tomato based curry is one of those sauces. The sauce also goes well with beans, potatoes and squash.

Cabbage, Mushroom and Tomato Curry
Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon of black mustard seed, toasted
1 teaspoon of cumin seed, toasted
1 teaspoon of coriander seed, toasted
14 ounce can of diced tomatoes
1 jalapeno, stem removed
1 red onion, cut into chunks
1 teaspoon of canola oil
1 teaspoon of turmeric
½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
1 head of red cabbage, shredded
1 cup of almond milk, unsweetened
4 cloves of garlic
½ pound of fresh shitake mushrooms, stems removed
½ cup of cilantro, minced
1 fresh lemon, quartered

Directions:

Grind the mustard, cumin and coriander seed in a spice mill until fine.

Place the tomatoes, jalapeno, and red onion in a blender and process until smooth.

Place the canola oil in a large heave bottomed skilled and over low heat cook the turmeric, and ground spices.

Add the tomato puree and continue to cook for a couple of minutes. Add the sliced cabbage, shitake mushrooms and almond milk and cover the pot and cook over low heat for at least 20 minutes or until the cabbage is tender.

Taste for salt and pepper and correct seasoning before serving. Sprinkle each serving with cilantro and serve with a lemon wedge. The lemon juice makes a big difference in the overall flavor of the dish.

I served this on top of yellow rice with a paratha on the side.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 85.57
Calories From Fat (16%) - 13.92

Total Fat - 1.61g
Saturated Fat - 0.16g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 32.69mg
Potassium - 642.27mg
Total Carbohydrates - 16.42g
Fiber - 6.05g
Sugar - 2.68g
Protein - 3.78g

Pressure Cooked Yellow Rice
Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 cups of brown basmati rice
4 cups of water
1 teaspoon of turmeric
1 teaspoon of canola oil
½ teaspoon of kosher salt
½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Place rice in a wire sieve and rinse well. Place all the ingredients in a pressure cooker. Lock the lid and turn the heat on high. When steam begins to escape lower the heat and cook for 18 minutes. Use the quick release valve to bring the pressure down. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve.

Nutritional information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 236.54
Calories From Fat (9%) - 22.06

Total Fat - 2.59g
Saturated Fat - 0.43g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 165.94mg
Potassium - 150.56mg
Total Carbohydrates - 47.98g
Fiber - 2.28g
Sugar - 0.54g
Protein - 4.94g

Comments:

This is a reasonably simple Indian inspired dish. It can easily be made after work with a minimum of preparation and intervention. If you prepare this dish in a heavy pan over low heat it only needs to be stirred every ten minutes or so.

This dish makes great leftovers for lunch the next day. Like all cabbage based dishes it reheats well in the microwave. The flavors will improve the next day as seems to happen with most Indian dishes.

If you like more heat you can add cayenne to this dish. Fresh ginger would also be a nice addition. You could include a little mint if you like. I would also make this with potatoes if I weren’t serving paratha and yellow rice tonight.