Cabbage stir fry is a simple and delicious side dish served with Indian meals. Cooked in 10 minutes, this humble "Gobhi Ki Sabzi" or sautéed cabbage is healthy, vegan, and gluten-free. A versatile recipe that can be easily jazzed up with ingredients such as tomatoes, carrots, peas, potatoes, or even lentils!
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Cabbage stir fry is an Indian Spiced side dish AKA Patta Gobi ki Subzi. The recipe has an earthy tempering of cumin seeds and ground turmeric, and the tender cooked cabbage is spiced up with chili. I like to add soaked mung dal to this dish for a nutty bite and also to add some proteins to the dish. Adding mung dal is entirely optional and I promise you will have a flavorful dish even without it! And if you love these flavors do try the Brussels Sprouts stir fry and Kohlrabi Curry recipe that uses the same spices and cooking technique.
Cabbage Stir Fry 2 ways
1. Instant Pot Recipe
Although you do not need a pressure cooker to cook Cabbage, I often use it as it makes cleanup easy for sure. And the last few times I showed this on my Insta stories, many of you asked for the recipe. So here it is!
Set the Instant Pot to sauté mode and heat oil. Add cumin seeds and allow them to sizzle. Press Cancel to turn off the Sauté mode. Next add turmeric, red chili powder, cabbage, salt, and give a quick stir. Add water and layer the soaked dal on top, do not mix as the dal can stick to the bottom of the pot. Close the lid and adjust the pressure cook time to 1 minute followed by quick release. Press cancel and open the Instant Pot. Mix well and garnish with cilantro
2. Stove Top Recipe
In a large non-stick pan heat oil. Add cumin seeds and allow them to sizzle. Add turmeric, red chili powder and cabbage, salt, and soaked mung dal. Mix well and cook covered with the lid for 5 minutes on medium heat. After 5 minutes taste and if the texture is good for you, turn the heat off and enjoy the cabbage. If you like it cooked soft, mix well and cook covered for another 5 minutes.
Serving
From prepping to cooking this dish can be ready in under 20 minutes and makes a perfect side dish to serve. I like to serve it with Roti or Parathas or as a side dish with dal and rice or even with khichdi.
Variations
- In India, cabbage is chopped finely and the sabzi is soft cooked. But you can also cut the cabbage coarsely or cook it just enough so it still has a little bite and crunchy texture.
- Skip the Red chili powder in this recipe altogether or substitute it with chopped green chili. Add more or less chili depending on your spice preference
- This recipe also works with red/purple or savoy cabbage
Favorite Recipe Spins
- Add a cup of green peas along with the cabbage for a delicious Cabbage with peas or Patta Gobhi Matar Ki Sabzi
- Add a medium potato diced small along with the cabbage an Instant Cabbage with potatoes or Aloo Patta Gobhi
- Diced tomato along with cabbage for a bright tangy taste
- A cup of shredded or finely diced carrots for a pop of color and a hint of sweetness
Remember, this Indian spiced cabbage also makes a great party side dish. Go ahead and make it for your next get-together and the guests will love it!
With an impressive dose of vitamins and nutrients, this hardy vegetable has a long shelf life and is used in a lot of dishes. I like to buy and use both the green and purple varieties in my cooking. The humble cabbage always comes to the rescue when I am out of ideas on what to make. From adding it to noodles, soups, lettuce wraps, khichdi, or crunchy topping in turmeric roasted cauliflower tacos or spicy chicken tinga tacos, Cabbage is a must-have in my fridge.
More Indian Cabbage Recipes
- Cabbage Rice - Loaded with cabbage that simply melts in this dish, this is my mom's recipe that is super popular among the home chefs
- Cabbage Paratha - Made with red cabbage this is a fun way to eat cabbage
For more recipes, check out this collection of 35+ Curries!
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Recipe
Patta Gobhi Ki Sabzi | Cabbage Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 lb green cabbage
- 2 tablespoons moong dal optional
- 1½ tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder or 1 small green chili chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons water
- ¼ cup cilantro finely chopped for garnish
Instructions
Optional Step:
- Soak the mung dal in ¼ cup of hot water while you prep the cabbage
Prep cabbage
- Cut the head of cabbage in half. Then take one half and place it with the flat side down on the cutting board and thinly slice the cabbage into long strips. Then cut the strips in half. Chop about 6 cups of cabbage
Instant Pot Recipe
- Set the Instant Pot to saute mode and heat oil. Add cumin seeds and allow them to sizzle. Turn Saute off. Add turmeric, red chili powder, and cabbage. Add salt and mix. Add water and layer the soaked dal on top. NOT: Do not mix as the dal can stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Close the lid and cook for 1 minute followed by quick release. Press cancel and open the Instant Pot. Mix well and garnish with cilantro
Stove Top Recipe
- In a large nonstick pan heat oil. Add cumin seeds and allow them to sizzle. Add turmeric, red chili powder and cabbage, salt, and soaked mung dal. Mix well and cook covered with the lid on for 5 minutes on medium heat
- After 5 minutes taste and if the texture is good for you, turn the heat off and enjoy the cabbage. If you like it cooked soft, mix well and cook covered for another 5 minutes
Video
Notes
Cabbage Stir Fry Variations:
- In India, cabbage is chopped finely and the sabzi soft cooked. But you can also cut the cabbage coarsely or cook it just enough so it still has little bite and crunchy texture.
- Red chili powder in this recipe can be skipped altogether or substituted with chopped green chili. Add more or less depending on your spice preference
- This recipe also works with red/purple or savoy cabbage
My favorite recipe spins to this cabbage stir fry
- Add a cup of green peas along with the cabbage for a delicious Cabbage with peas or Patta Gobhi Matar Ki Sabzi
- Add a medium potato diced small along with the cabbage an Instant Cabbage with potatoes or Aloo Patta Gobhi
- Diced tomato along with cabbage for a bright tangy taste
- A cup of shredded or finely diced carrots for a pop of color and a hint of sweetness
Nutrition
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Tracy T says
Loved it.
Archana says
Thank you Tracy!
KR says
Tried recipe today, it came out good.
Yas says
Quick and easy recipe for all my leftover cabbage leaves
I used ghee for the oil which was bit much so added an onion & a dash of white vinegar for balance.
Will try the tomato version next, expect the acid from tomato would act similarly to vinegar in cutting the oil in this recipe
Stacy says
I have a large head of napa cabbage. Will it work well in this recipe?
Archana says
Yes! Napa cabbage works.
Monika says
Love love love it
Stan says
What kind of red chili powder do you use? Is it spicy?
Archana says
I use Kashmiri red chilli powder and it's mild. You can read about it more in my spice guide - https://ministryofcurry.com/essential-indian-spices/
Stan says
Thank you! Looking forward to making this tonight.
Heather says
Awesome recipe!
Snehal Berajawala says
Super easy recipe, great for weeknights when you want a quick filling nutritious meal.
Joyce M. says
Definitely helped bring me back to Rewat, India. I appreciate the combination of spices and seeds. I did not have the white lentil seeds, but I will be on the hunt for them. I will make this dish again with that for added protein. I love the colors and the warming flavors. Danyavad/Shukriya Archana for your culinary research, time and effort to put this together. -Joyce
Danita says
This looks delicious. Would red lentils work vs mung dal? I typically have the red lentils on hand.
Archana says
Red lentils will work, you will have to cook them for a bit longer than mung dal.
angela cayne says
Yummmy and easy.....made this often with variations.
Danita says
Made this tonight. I added the cubed potato and used red lentil since that's what I had. I let them soak for 20 mins or so. I cooked 2 min due to using red lentils and it worked perfect. Wonderfully flavorful dish. Thanks.
Archana says
Thank you for the feedback! Good idea to soak the red lentils.
Roxy says
Is it possible to make and freeze this dish? Made it tonight and my husband and loved it but there’s plenty leftover (too much) for the 2 of us.
Archana says
Yes! You can freeze it.
Devianee Davedeen says
Like your receipt ,I will follow it to know more . Thanks for sharing
Anjali says
Hi Archana. I recently got an Instant Pot and have been enjoying your recipes (spinach dal is a favorite!). When I tried the cabbage stir fry, I found the pressure wouldn't build and the pot displayed the 'burn' notice. What am I doing wrong? Thanks!
Archana says
Hi Anjali, this recipe calls for very little water and so the Instant Pot needs to be promptly closed after adding ingredients so as to avoid the added water being evaporated. Also, the newer Instant Pots can be more sensitive to BURN. Next time, you can add extra 2 tablespoons of water and make sure to close the lid promptly
Anjali says
Thanks, Archana! I'll try that.
Samir Hussien says
Where can I find your cooking books
Archana says
You can fins a physical copy of my "The Essential Indian Instant Pot Cookbook" on amazon or here -https://ministryofcurry.com/product/the-essential-indian-instant-pot-cookbook/. I also have a couple of e-books - https://ministryofcurry.com/ebooks/
n/a says
didnt think it would but this is a great recipe. I added 1/2 can chick peas and used chicken stock instead of water, loved it. Thank you.....