A crunchy colorful cabbage salad that is tasty, and super easy to make. This Indian salad has an earthy tempering of mustard seeds and turmeric over finely chopped cabbage and a mix of crisp veggies finished with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
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This recipe is adapted from a dear friend who often whipped up this colorful and flavor-packed spicy cabbage salad for potlucks and dinner parties. I would always be in awe to see her make it. It was always a hit and it not only stood out but also perfectly complemented all the other elaborate Indian dishes.
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Ingredients
- Green & Purple Cabbage - Thinly sliced cabbage makes a crunchy base for this salad. They are not only affordable but also have a longer shelf life.
- Peppers - red and green peppers add a nice pop of color but you can use any peppers you have They add the perfect sweetness to the salad.
- Carrots - If you have a julienne peeler, use it to make those pretty noodle-like sticks or simply slice them thinly.
- Red onion - the deep color adds a pretty pop of color and crunch
- Spices - black mustard seeds, asafoetida, turmeric, and red chili powder, make flavorful and earthy tempering with a touch of heat from the red chili powder.
- Lemon - a generous amount of freshly squeezed lemon juice adds tangy and fresh flavor to the salad rounding up the spices.
How to Make Cabbage Salad
The best part of this dish is the tadka or "tempering" which takes less than 5 minutes to make. Heat up the oil until it's shimmering and add the mustard seeds. As they start popping, add hing or asafetida, turmeric, and red chili powder. That's all! Pour this aromatic tadka on the cabbage slaw that elevates the flavors of each vegetable in the salad.
Serving
Serve as a side dish with your favorite Indian meal. Or get creative and serve it as a spicy slaw with Masala Chicken Burgers, Pulled Butter Chicken, Tandoori Chicken, Hariyali Salmon, Chicken Tikka Kebab, or Tandoori Salmon. This low-calorie vegan salad will complement any meal.
A Perfect Side Dish with Vegetarian Meals
More Cabbage Recipes
We love to incorporate cabbage into our everyday meals. It is an inexpensive vegetable with a long shelf life and can be enjoyed raw or cooked. Here are some of our favorite Indian cabbage recipes:
- Cabbage Rice - A popular one-pot meal on the blog, this recipe uses a lot of cabbage that simply melds along with the rice.
- Gobi Paratha - Red Cabbage Parathas.
- Patta Gobi Sabzi - Cabbage stir fry with options to add lentils, peas, or carrots this versatile recipe is quick & flavorful.
- Veg Hakka Noodles - Cut cabbage into long thin strips and load it up in this family-favorite noodle dish.
- Lemon Coriander Soup - Spicy Chicken soup with ginger and jalapeños.
Recipe
Indian Cabbage Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups green cabbage thinly sliced and chopped
- ½ cup red pepper thinly sliced
- ½ cup green pepper thinly sliced
- ½ cup carrots julienned
- ½ cup red onion thinly sliced
- ½ cup purple cabbage. thinly sliced and chopped optional
- 1½ tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
- ¼ teaspoon asafetida
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 lemon cut into half & juiced
Instructions
- Mix all the veggies in a medium bowl.
- Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add mustard seeds. Turn the heat off as the mustard seeds start to pop. Add asafetida, turmeric & red chili powder.
- Pour this tempering over the veggies. Add salt and lemon juice. Mix well and enjoy.
Video
Nutrition
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Andy Blackwell says
This Cabbage salad is brilliant, thank you so much. Forget coleslaw, this is the 'go-to' for us now. I made it this evening to go with frittata, roasted Mediterranean vegetables and new potatoes. Delicious, and healthy. I just want to try it with everything: curries, roti, kebabs, cold meats, even fish and chips (we're British)!
claudia says
perfect for all the green and red cabbage I have. Thank you!
Hollis Claire says
This looks amazing!!! How long would this salad last in the refrigerator? I'd like to meal prep some healthy lunches.
Archana says
It can last for 2 days refrigerated.
michelle says
Great way to get more veggies in.
Kim says
Excellent flavor!
Anushree says
I loved it!
Liz T says
Love this!!! So fresh and bright! I used a lime instead of lemon because it's what I had, and used some paprika and black pepper instead of chili powder for my young kids. Definitely will be making this again.
Archana says
Thank you Liz! So glad that the children loved it too!
Rupa Chigurupati says
This salad is delicious and I make it all the time. I add curry leaves to the tadka and mix in a handful of fresh cilantro at the end. Great recipe! Thank you Archana!
Archana says
Love the addition of curry leaves!
Sangavi R says
Tried with just cabbage, carrots and onion.Yum yum. Out of the world. Relished it thoroughly. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Dan Markowicz says
I wish looking for a side dish for some fish curry I made, and I had lots of cabbage on hand. This recipe did not disappoint! I also added curry leaves alongside the mustard seeds, and I think it gave the salad a crispy texture. I was also able to use some of the asafetida I bought years ago!
Shilpa says
This was easy and delicious. We served it fusion style with gobi manchurian on top. Love the receipe - thank you.
Archana Mundhe says
Wow, fusion style with gobi manchurian on top sounds absolutely amazing! Thanks for sharing your creative twist—love it!
Zarin says
Very tasty- real superb recipes.
Archana Mundhe says
Thank you!