Curried Cabbage and Peas

Curried Cabbage and Peas with Basmati Rice

I fell in love with curried cabbage and peas dish at a local Indian restaurant last spring - this fall I finally got around to trying to duplicate it at home. This recipe was created by Anna Thomas and came from The Vegetarian Epicure (book2) via food.com. I modified it to make it entirely vegan and sugar-free and tweaked it a bit for flavors and I think it comes close to the restaurant version. The first time I made this was on a Sunday night - it was so good I made it again the following Thursday! Super easy, incredibly tasty - Mark and I both love it and will make this dish again and again! 

Curried Cabbage and Peas

1 medium head green cabbage
3 T vegetable oil ( although I only use 2)
1 t crushed dried red chilies
1/2 t ground ginger
1/2 t whole mustard seeds
1/2 t cumin
2 bay leaves
1 t ground coriander
1/2 t ground turmeric
2 t salt
1 C water
1 C fresh peas (or frozen)
1 T vegan butter
3/4 garam masala
1 T lemon juice
1/2 t agave nectar


Shred the cabbage coarsely (I use a food processor). Measure out the crushed red chilis, ginger, mustard seeds, cumin, bay leaves, coriander, turmeric, and salt. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet and stir in the prepared spices. Heat the spices gently for about 2 minutes stirring often.

Add the shredded cabbage and saute it stirring often, until it is evenly coated with the spices and beginning to wilt, 10 to 15 minutes.

Add the water and the peas, cover, and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes. Remove the cover, stir in the butter, garam masala, lemon juice, and sugar, and simmer uncovered, for another 10 to 15 minutes. There should be very little or no excess liquid at this point. Serve hot with rice, or as is.

Nutrition per serving (4 servings per recipe): Calories 252.9; Fat 14.0g; Saturated Fat 3.2g; Cholesterol 7.6mg; Sugars 13.9 g; Sodium 1230.6mg; Total Carbohydrate 27.5g; Dietary Fiber 10.2g; Sugars 13.9 g; Protein 8.4g