Cabbage Poriyal – Cabbage With Coconut
Aug 31, 2014, Updated Jan 02, 2018
Vegan cabbage recipe with coconut from South India.
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Before I say anything about this recipe, here’s a disclaimer – my knowledge of South Indian food is limited. Whatever recipes I share from down south are what I have tasted at restaurants or watched on TV. My mom never cooked cabbage with coconut so I don’t know how authentic this recipe of cabbage poriyal is but I have tried to recreate the same flavor that I have observed/tasted in restaurants. So not sure about the authenticity but can assure you that it tastes good!
This is the easiest recipe that you make with in few minutes. I know I say that for a lot of recipe but this is really super simple – there are no spices used in this cabbage poriyal. How did that happen? An Indian recipe without spices! Well, sometimes simple ingredients bring out the best flavor and to relish the flavor of cabbage and coconut in this recipe, you have to keep things simple.
Cabbage poriyal is a famous side dish from South India where cabbage is tempered with mustard seeds, curry leaves and some lentils. It is finally topped with some freshly grated coconut. It’s kind of comfort food, simple yet delicious!
Like I said this recipe can be done in minutes, there’s not much prep work involved. Yes you need to slice the cabbage, I did it by hand but you can very well use your food processor. I got lazy thinking about the cleaning part of it so used knife in place but if you are not lazy like me, use your food processor! You need to cook this uncovered without adding any water, cabbage already has plenty of moisture so there is no need for any extra water. It took around 8-9 minutes for the cabbage to cook and once it’s cooked you garnish it with some freshly grated coconut – so good!
* You can adjust the quantity of coconut to preference. Anywhere between 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup would be fine.
* If you want you can add sliced onions in this recipe. Add them before adding the cabbage and saute till translucent. You can also add sliced ginger after adding the lentils.
* Use freshly grated coconut for best taste. Frozen coconut can be used if fresh isn’t available.
Cabbage Poriyal - Cabbage With Coconut
Ingredients
- 5-6 cups cabbage thinly sliced [from 1 medium cabbage]
- 4-5 curry leaves
- ¼ teaspoon + ⅛ tsp mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon chana dal split garbanzo beans
- ½ teaspoon urad dal split black gram
- ⅓ cup coconut grated
- 2 teaspoons oil
- 1 green chili sliced
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pan on medium heat.
- Once the oil is hot add mustard seeds and wait till they start popping.
- Once the seeds splutter, add sliced green chilli, chana dal, urad dal and curry leaves.
- Saute till the chana and urad dal are light golden brown in color.
- Add the cabbage and cook on medium flame for around 8-9 minutes or till the cabbage is cooked but not mushy. Also add the salt.
- Switch off the flame, add the freshly grated coconut and mix.
- Serve with roti, paratha or as a side dish with rice and dal.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
It’s 2023. A Recipe that you posted on 2014 is helping me. Geez… Thanks a lot live saver !!!!!
haha glad to know! Happy New Year!
Simple easy recipe. Thanks
Can I add finely chopped tomatoes to cabbage poriyal?
you may I don’t add tomatoes to poriyal
can you use desiccated coconut instead of fresh? Do I need to prep it differently
I would not advise that, desiccated coconut has a different taste/texture and works better for sweets etc. This stir fry needs fresh or frozen coconut.
Most of my childhood memory includes getting yelled at by my mother, punampaul.com and eat your veggies; but I used to pay no heed to it. However as time passes, most of us come around to eating vegetables as we are aware of the countless benefits they have for our health.
Cabbage is especially one of the world’s most nutrient dense vegetables readily available for us to enjoy, rich in essential vitamins such as C, B6, K, saturated fat, thiammin, calcium, iron, magnesium phosphorus and a good source of dietary fibers.
But I never liked any cabbage recipe other than in noodles.
This cabbage recipe when I tried at home was not really appreciated by my family but it was really yummy too. Thanks for sharing this delicious preparation. Keep posting wonderful recipes like this.
Simple yet fantastic. ?
thank you 🙂
What a beautiful dish! I love your creativity with cabbage and all of the ingredients in here. Coconut sounds like the perfect addition, too!
Thanks Gayle! Coconut tastes great with cabbage.
Hi Manali,
I’ve never tried cabbage and coconut together before but this looks so great! It’s so simple that I’ll have to try it out.
Thanks Vanessa! You should give this a try…it’s a simply yet delicious recipe!
Looks delicious – I love the combination of grains and spices!
Thanks Jessica!