This Assamese Style Cabbage Potato Fry recipe is the perfect example to prove that Indian recipes aren’t as complicated and as time consuming as they are widely believed. It takes less than 30 minutes to whip up this delicious, fresh, and wholesome vegan Indian dish. Just like all Assamese vegetable stir-fries, this cabbage fry is also very simple and quick and devoid of tomatoes or excessive spices. We do not even use too much of red chilli powder in our cooking which helps most vegetable fries acquire a very subtle and simple flavour. It is super easy to put together as well as digest.
Cold Pressed Mustard oil is the medium of cooking in most Assamese and northeastern parts of India. It is a pungent and spicy oil with lends its own flavour to the stir-fries and curries. Tempered with dried red chilli and nigella seeds, it has a beautiful and subtle flavour throughout, and the roasted potatoes go perfectly well with the cabbage and add that element of satiety. You don’t need much. Just a few spices, oil, veggies, salt. You toss everything around, let it steam in its own juices, and you are done.
This recipe is extremely versatile and you can add more vegetables like peas or carrots or completely replace cabbage and potatoes with any vegetables of your choice and have yourself a brand new delicious dish. Cabbage is also an extremely healthy vegetable packed with nutrients and vitamins. It also assists in weight loss. Cabbage might not be your favourite vegetable but you make it this way and you’ll change your mind! Known as patta/bandh gobhi aloo sabzi in India, it’s easy, fresh, and wholesome. This is a perfect vegetarian delight to pair up with a bowl of hot rice and dal to take your comfort meal up a notch.
It is also important to cut the vegetables for the stir fry appropriately. Slice the cabbage as thin as possible and cut the potatoes into thin ¼ inch strips. Since cabbage cooks very quickly and potatoes take time, larger potato strips might leave you with cooked cabbage and raw potatoes.
Why make this stir-fry?
- Super quick and easy to make.
- Needs the most basic off-the-shelf ingredients found easily in your pantry.
- A versatile and adaptable recipe that can be recreated with any other vegetables.
- Super healthy and nutritious.
- Foolproof
- Extremely flavourful.
Preparation time – 15 minutes
Cook time – 30 minutes
Serves – 3
Ingredients
- 1 medium cabbage – shredded/thinly sliced
- 2 medium onions – thinly sliced
- 3 medium potatoes – cut into medium strips
- 1 dried red chilli
- 1 tsp. Nigella seeds/kalonji/kaljeera
- 1 tsp. Fresh ginger paste
- ¼ tsp. Turmeric powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- Salt to taste
- Fresh coriander leaves for garnish
Directions
- Take a fresh medium cabbage and start by removing the stem. Cut it in half, locate the stem which is slightly harder than the rest of the cabbage and make a triangular cut to get rid of the stem.
- Cut each of the halves into further halves and begin slicing. Slice as thin and even as possible and keep aside.
- Peel and wash your potatoes. Slice the potatoes into ¼th inch slices and then cut them into medium thick strips. If the potato strips are too thick, you will end up with uncooked potatoes and cooked cabbage.
- Put the potato strips in a bowl of clean water for 5 minutes to get rid of the excess starch.
- Now get your onions and cut them into thin slices.
- Once the vegetables are nicely chopped, heat a pan over medium heat.
- Add mustard oil to the pan and let it heat till it smokes.
- Once the oil is well heated, throw in the nigella/kalonji/kaljera seeds and the dried red chili.
- Saute for a few seconds.
- Add in your thinly sliced onions and saute them with the tempering, stirring occasionally to ensure they cook evenly.
- When the onions begin to become slightly golden-brown, add in your fresh ginger paste. Combine well and let it cook for another minute or two.
- Once the onions become softer, through in the potatoes.
- Stir for a minute and then add the thinly shredded cabbage.
- Turn the heat down to low and stir well to combine everything.
- Cover and allow it to cook on low flame for about 5 minutes.
- Keep the flame low throughout the process.
- It is now time to add in our powdered spices. Season your stir-fry with coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, and salt.
- Give it a very good mix and make sure everything is well combined with the spices.
- Cover again and cook on low flame till the cabbage is tender.
- Take off the lid and give it a good mix, check if the potatoes are done.
- Cover it again for another 5 minutes and let it cook on low flame.
- Turn off the heat and mix it well and voila! There you have your simple yet flavourful Assamese style cabbage potato stir fry ready to be enjoyed in less than 30 minutes.
This is definitely one of my most favourite stir-fries. Serve it with a hot bowl of plain or tadka dal and a steaming plate steamed or jeera rice or simply pair it up with plain phulkas to whip yourself a plate of delicious comfort food filled with the goodness of health. I hope you try this recipe and fall in love with it.
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