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Epicurious

Cabbage Stir-Fry With Coconut and Lemon

4.1

(21)

Cabbage stirfry with coconut and lemon on a blue oval plate with two wooden serving utensils.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Anna Hampton

I’ve made this stir-fry with a variety of cabbages that we get in our farm share, including savoy and napa, but it’s also quite delicious with regular old green or purple cabbage and even finely shredded Brussels sprouts. This version of palya (a fried or sautéed vegetable dish) is flavored with fried mustard seeds, dals, and red chile pepper and finished with coconut, lemon, and cilantro. Feel free to substitute fresh green chiles for the dried ones, or add green peas to introduce some sweetness into the mix if you don’t have coconut on hand. This side dish is great served over rice with dal and raita, as a topping for tacos, or as a filling for pita sandwiches.

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    25 minutes

  • Yield

    Serves 4–6

Ingredients

1/4 cup unsweetened grated coconut (fresh, frozen, or dried)
2 tablespoons mild-flavored oil, such as canola
1 teaspoon yellow or black mustard seeds
2 teaspoons chana dal (the split kernel of a variety of chickpea) and/or urad dal (black gram beans), or 2 teaspoons lightly crushed yellow split peas
1–2 dried red chiles, broken in half
1 small head of cabbage (about 1 1/2 pounds), trimmed, cored, finely chopped (about 8 cups)
3/4 teaspoon (or more) kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon (or more) fresh lemon juice

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Thaw frozen coconut or soak dried coconut in a little hot water to plump up.

    Step 2

    Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over medium until shimmering. Add 1 mustard seed. When seed sizzles and pops, add remaining mustard seeds, cover, and cook until seeds start popping, about 10 seconds. When popping starts to subside, immediately add chana dal. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, tossing constantly, until dals are reddish golden brown and smell nutty, about 2 minutes. Add chiles and toss to coat. Add cabbage, salt, and turmeric and cook, stirring, until cabbage wilts but still has a little crunch, 3–5 minutes. Add coconut and cook until heated through, about 1 minute more.

    Step 3

    Remove from heat. Stir in cilantro and lemon juice. Taste and add more lemon juice and salt if needed.

TagsStir-FryIndianSouth AsianAsianCabbageLeafy GreensVegetableCoconutFruitLentilBean and LegumeSideMainDinnerLunchDairy FreeGluten FreeVeganVegetarianEasyQuickWeeknight Meals30 Minutes or LessSauteWokRamadanBon Appétit

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