Coconut Braised Cabbage

I’ve always been a cabbage girl. And somehow, in my affinity for cabbage, I started to think that this automatically meant other people were not so into cabbage. But then I developed this Coconut Braised Cabbage recipe and showed a teaser on my Instagram, and you guys were so down. So quickly this fridge-clean-out recipe became one of my favorite recipes to develop for the blog. It’s spicy, sweet, soft from the cabbage and protein-packed from the crispy chickpeas. It’s a 10/10 affordable meal, and although it takes a bit of time and care, the results are so worth it.

Why do we braise cabbage?

Throughout my entire career, I assumed people didn’t want stewed cabbage. I thought everyone wanted crispy or charred or blackened. But cabbage is naturally at its best when it’s cooked, like really really cooked. Stewed cabbage breaks down the harsh fiber of the vegetable, bringing out a soft, chewable texture as well as some of the cabbage’s natural sweetness.

A braise doubles this reaction by charring the outside of the cabbage first (for some extra flavor and color) and then slow-cooking it in a liquid over a longer stretch of time in the oven. This breaks down the cabbage but also infuses it with flavor, making it one of my absolute favorite ways to make cabbage.

How to braise cabbage

This recipe braises cabbage in a thick, flavorful, curry-inspired coconut broth. To braise cabbage, you first want to char it on all sides to bring out the extra flavor, then add it to a liquid about 2″ deep and continue to cook it either on the stove or in the oven.

Even though this is a vegan version of a braise, it’s not unlike traditional animal braises. It starts with a sear first, then goes straight into a slow cook.

Ingredients for the braising liquid:

• 1/4 red onion, or one small shallot
• 2 birdseye chilies
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 small limes
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon each of coriander & cumin
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 2 cups oat milk, or plant-based milk of choice

Ingredients for plating this coconut braised cabbage:

• 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas
• 1 cup white rice
• 1/4 cup mint leaves, optional, for garnishing

How to make this coconut braised cabbage

Braising cabbage sounds difficult, but I promise that it just takes some patience! Allowing all of those flavors to cook into the cabbage is what makes this dish so irresistible, so you won’t want to skip these steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Cut the cabbage head in half, remove the core and cut into quarters.
• Prepare all the other ingredients: finely dice the red onion, remove the seeds from the birdseye chilies and finely chop them, mince the garlic with a microplane and halve the limes. Set aside.
• Bring a cast iron pan to medium-high heat. Add a generous glug of olive oil. Add in the cabbage quarters and cook until each side is charred, about 3 minutes per side. Flip and repeat until every side of the cabbage is slightly blackened. Remove from the pan and set aside.
• Bring the cast iron pan down to medium-low heat. Let it cool slightly before adding another glug of olive oil. Add in the onion and chilies and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the onion is softened and the chilies are fragrant. Season with salt.
• Then add in the garlic, turmeric, coriander and cumin. Stir for 1 minute or until the garlic is fragrant. Add in the tomato paste and juice from one lime. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally for another 2 minutes or until the tomato paste darkens slightly. Season again to taste.
• Add in the coconut milk and plant-based milk. Stir quickly to combine all the ingredients into a smooth, bright orange broth. Cook for another 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and let this mixture come to a simmer.
• As soon as the broth begins to simmer. Turn off the heat, add the cabbage straight into the pan and cover the pan with aluminum foil.
• Move the covered pan to the oven at 375°F and set a timer for 45 minutes.
• While the cabbage is braising, rinse and dry the chickpeas and spread them out on a baking sheet. Cover them with a bit of olive oil, the juice from the second lime and salt. Toss together. Add these to the oven to roast at 375°F for 30 minutes.
• While everything is roasting, cook the white rice in your preferred method.
• When the cabbage is done, remove it from the oven. It should be a fall-apart, pull-apart texture. Spoon some of the braising liquid over the cabbage to make sure it has all the flavor!
• To plate, add the white rice, then a full quarter of cabbage. Top with more braising liquid and the crispy chickpeas. Garnish with mint and serve warm!

Looking for other vegan dinner recipe ideas?

I have a few that I love! Here are some of my favorites:

And that’s it for this Coconut Braised Cabbage!

If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.

And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3