Why not combine two of your favorite dishes in one meal and enjoy them together as Braised Cabbage and Potato with Chicken Curry with Peas.
Braised Cabbage and Potato
Adapted from a recipe of Eshana Suleman
Ingredients:
- 3 cups of chopped cabbage
- 2 potatoes (peeled and cut into 2 – 3cm cubes)
- 1 red onion (finely sliced)
- ½ tsp bicarb
- Boiling water
- 3 – 4 tablespoons of cooking oil
- 1 teaspoon whole mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon whole jeera seeds
- ¼ teaspoon methi seeds
- 1 tsp green chili paste
- 1 ½ tsp red chili paste
- 3 dry red chilies
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ¼ tsp Hing
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Fine salt to taste
- Chopped dhania
- Curry leaves
Method:
- Add cabbage and potatoes to a large bowl.
- Sprinkle bicarbonate of soda.
- Pour boiling water over and leave for a few minutes.
- Add oil to a pot and add the onion.
- Braise onion and dry chilies until softened.
- Add crushed garlic and the whole seeds.
- Fry 1 – 2 minutes.
- Add drained chopped cabbage, hing, potatoes, chili pastes, salt, sugar, and lemon juice.
- Simmer covered on low until the water evaporated, cabbage cooked and potatoes are done.
- Turn up the heat and allow it to ‘fry’ just a little bit until it starts to catch.
- Garnish with greens.
Chicken Curry with Peas
Ingredients:
- 8-10 chicken pieces (thighs and legs)
- 2 onions (chopped)
- 2 tomatoes (blanched in hot water) peeled and chopped
- 1 tsp garlic/ginger paste
- 1 tsp red chili paste
- 1 green chili sliced
- coconut oil (just enough to coat the bottom of a pot)
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 tbsp Kashmiri chili powder
- 1 tbsp wet leaf masala
- 1 tsp garam masala
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ tsp jeera powder (divided)
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ½ tsp coriander seeds
- ½ tsp shah jeera
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 4 green cardamom pods
- 1-star anise
- 3 cloves
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 bay leave
- 1 sprig of curry leaves
- Hot water as needed
- ½ bunch chopped coriander with stalks + leaves to garnish
- 1 cup frozen peas
Method:
- Dry roast all seeds and grind in a coffee grinder till course but not a fine powder.
- Heat oil and add onion and chili and fry till onion tender.
- Add ground spices and fry for a few minutes.
- Add chicken and fry till the chicken changes color and is no longer pink.
- Add ginger/garlic paste, chili pastes, and masalas (except garam masala).
- Toss until meat is well coated.
- Add salt and curry leaves and allow masalas to fry on low heat uncovered until it starts catching.
- Add a splash of boiling water from the kettle (so you don’t the lower temperature of your food) if needed.
- Add tomatoes and simmer on medium/low for 10-15 minutes, until chicken is cooked and gravy thickened.
- Add the frozen peas, garam masala, and chopped coriander and simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Garnish with coriander leaves.
Prepared, tried, and tested Melanie Kramar