Indian Vegetable Sides: Sauteed Cabbage with Coconut

The most simplest way of serving vegetables is to saute them with just a few seasonings; seasonings that truly bring out the flavor of the vegetable and showcase it boldly. 

Along those lines, the recipe I am sharing today is one of the simplest and most elegant forms of preparing Indian vegetable sides. This technique is popularly utilized in South-Indian cooking. There is minimal spice and flavorings, but the presence of coconut gratings and a small amount of green/red chillies and black gram are enough to make the dish tasty. 

This same approach can be used to prepare green beans, carrots, beets, cauliflower etc.

Ingredients (serves 4-5):

1. 1/2 head of a small cabbage, finely chopped
2. 1.5-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil / olive oil
3. 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
4. 1 teaspoon split husked black gram / ulutham paruppu / urad dal
5. 1/4 teaspoon hing / asafoetida
6. 1-2 green chillies
7. salt, as needed
8. 1/3 - 1/2 cup grated coconut

Preparation:

1.  Heat oil in a skillet. When hot, splutter mustard seeds. Add hing, split husked black gram, and green chillies and saute until the gram changes color. 
2. Add the cabbage and reduce the heat to low and mix with the tempered ingredients. Sprinkle with salt, close the skillet and let the cabbage cook. Check periodically and stir and saute until the cabbage cooks. If it takes too long to cook, sprinkle a little water and cook. 
3. When the cabbage is cooked, garnish with coconut and remove from heat. 

Mix well and serve with rice or rotis.

Slight variation: Add peas, carrots, or other vegetables along with the cabbage to create a medley of flavors and colors