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.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 3 tablespoons rapeseed oil
- 15 fresh curry leaves
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 1 large brown onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 800 g baby new potatoes, quartered
- 200 g savoy cabbage, finely shredded
- 200 g black kale or cavalo nero, finely shredded
- 1¼ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon chilli powder
- ¾ teaspoon ground turmeric
How to Make It
- 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.
