Friday, May 14, 2010

Simple Lunches - 20 (Cabbage with whole green moong)

Our Washington Post newspaper is accompanied by a magazine supplement every Sunday like I think most papers in the US do. I get to the magazine during the week usually while watching some vacuous show on TV. Imagine my surprise and utter delight when I saw this article in the magazine. It seemed like a lovely coincidence coming right after this post. I am so very glad to know that a humble laundry line can teach so much about culture and identity.

"On our 16-month journey from Southeast Asia to North Africa, we were consistently drawn to the colorful images of laundry hanging off balconies, over bushes and on river banks. Our initial interest may have been a reflection of our spin-cycled, machine-dried perspective, but the more we traveled, the more the laundry became, for us, an essential part of the landscape...." Read, Following the Line: Photographing laundry around the world and do not miss the slide show.

When my mom visits us here she requests that I buy cabbage on every trip to the grocery store. The reason being it is very easy to make a quick stir fry along with some dal and a meal is ready. I am not particularly fond of cabbage and the family doesn't complain about them but they don't ask for them either. But I do see the value in my mom's words. The problem is - there is always a small piece laying around the fridge forlornly aftr the bulk has been used for a stir fry. This recipe came about trying to use up one such piece. A very simple and light side dish for rice or chapatis. I used whole moong dal but they would work with channa dal, toor dal or split moong dal cooked just enough to retain the shape.



Cabbage with whole green moong
1. 1 1/2 cup of thinly shredded cabbage
2. 1 Cup whole moong cooked (soft but should retain the shape)
3. 4 green chilies slit
4. 2 tbsp chopped shallots
5. 1 tsp grated ginger + 2 cloves chopped garlic(optional)
6. 1 tsp sambhar powder
7. seasonings: mustard, cumin and curry leaves
8. salt + 1 tsp ghee

Method
1. In a heavy bottomed pan heat the oil or ghee and add the seasonings followed by the green chilies and shallots and saute till the onions turn brown.
2. Add the garlic and ginger if using and saute for a minute more.
3. Add the cabbage and salt and let it cook till it gets a bit soft (should retain some crunch)
4. Add the cooked moong dal and a bit of the water they were cooked in.
5. Add salt and sambhar powder, cook for 2-3 minutes.

Serve with chapatis or rice.

13 comments:

  1. I normally add yellow mung, bu not the whole mung beans.I have to try this, it makes it even more wholesome.

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  2. Ah! The comfort that only simple foods can bring! :)

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  3. love the clothesline as well!

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  4. That was a beautiful feature on laundry, I loved that pink house in Italy!

    Sometimes I get tired of cabbage, it seems never-ending, sometimes I'm all for it!

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  5. That's a beautiful slide show Indo, thanks for sharing it.

    Whenever I have leftover cabbage (or anything from the brassica family) and I forget about it, i've noticed my refrigerator smells really funky. So now I try to cook the whole head in one go.

    Mamatha

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  6. Simple and satisfying meal :)

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  7. beautiful slide-show! i dont know however we as a humanity decided that laundry lines were against the beautification of the residential community (my previous place had a rule against hanging laundary outside, which i found hilarious). cabbage with mung daal looks delicious. at my place its always my husband who cooks cabbage, i somehow have never gotten a good hang of it.

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  8. Love such simple meals Indo..comforting!

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  9. I am just the opposite, I love cabbage and can live on this cabbage fry practically 365 days. The family on the other hand is not fond of cabbage. Like the idea of adding whole green moong to cabbage.

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  10. I would love to go to Dhobi ghat (place of mass handwashing clothes for Mumbai people I think) somewhere in Bombay to take a photo, heard so much about it and seen few amazing photos in mags. Cool theme! :)

    Love Cabbage and dal side dish with Chapatis, always yummy. Looks good Indo.
    Trish's friend came to lunch today, made Butter chicken, Cilantro naan, Jeera Rice and Besan laddoo, now going to the mall digest all that! :D

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  11. Thats indeed healthy, love the combination too..gr8 to follow you.

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  12. Lovely!! Great for rotis!!

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  13. Strangely BS loves cabbage dishes.

    Am off to look into those photographs

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