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Coconut Braised Cabbage

5 from 1 vote
This quickly braised cabbage is slightly spicy, deeply rich, subtly sweet and simple to make. It uses fridge basics to bring together a deeply flavorful, fall-apart cabbage that pairs perfectly with some crispy chickpeas for an easy, protein-filled plant-based and vegetarian dinner.
Prep Time:15 minutes
Cook Time:50 minutes
Total Time:1 hour
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Fusion, german, Indian
Keyword: cabbage, coconut milk
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 medium cabbage head
  • olive oil as needed
  • salt as needed
  • 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
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas
  • 1 cup white rice
  • 1/4 cup mint leaves optional, for garnishing

Instructions

  • 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!