Cabbage Rice

I don't think that anyone can beat South Indians in making different varieties of rice. It is a staple in every house and the taste can be altered by changing just one ingredient. So, naturally I am notorious for making different kinds of rices. I have more than 35 rice dishes on this blog and there are a lot of rice dishes I make that I have not even posted on the blog. Rice is great for people who are on gluten free diet, is cheap and is very easy and quick to make. You could flavor it with anything and if you add a lot of veggies, it becomes a complete meal. Yes, it has lot of carbohydrates, but one has to make a compromise somewhere. What do you say?

One year back - Tomatillo Rice/Salsa Verde Rice
Two years back - Eggless Brioche, Tindora Pulav
Ingredients:
Rice - 1 1/2 cups uncooked (I used Jasmine rice. You can use basmati or long grain rice)
Cabbage - sliced thin into 2" strips (Or shredded) 4 cups
Peas - 1 1/2 cups (I used frozen peas)
Lime - 1 juiced
Oil - 4 TBSP
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Red chillies - 3  broken
Curry leaves - a few
Chana dal / Bengal gram dal / split chickpea dal - 2 tsp
Urad dal / Black gram dal - 2 tsp
Cashews - 2 TBSP
Asafoetida / Hing - generous pinch
Salt - to taste
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp or to taste
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Cilantro - chopped 3 TBSP

Method:
Wash and rinse rice. Drain. Add 3 cups of water to it and cook either in rice cooker or on stove top. Let cool for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and spread on a plate to cool completely.

In a pan, heat oil. When hot, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add red chillies, curry leaves, both the dals, asafoetida and cashews. When the cashews and dal is golden brown, add the chopped/shredded cabbage. Sprinkle some salt, turmeric and let it cook. After a minute or two, add frozen peas. If you are using canned peas, you can add just before adding rice to the pot. Let the cabbage cook stirring occasionally. When the cabbage and peas are cooked, add cumin, red chilli powder and mix well. Add the cooled rice and mix well. Add the chopped cilantro and mix one more time. Adjust the salt if needed. Keep it on very low heat covered for a few minutes. Turn off the heat and after about 10 minutes, add the juice of the lime and mix well. Serve warm or at room temperature. This makes a great one pot meal that is perfect for lunch, brunch, dinner.

Variations:
You could add about 1/2 cup of grated coconut to it. Instead of lime juice, add tomatoes along with other veggies. If you are making this in a non-Indian kitchen, you can leave out mustard seeds, curry leaves, red chillies, both the dals and asafoetida. Just toast cashews in oil and add cabbage and peas to it. Use chilli pepper flakes or cayanne and proceed. You can use any other herb instead of cilantro. You could use black beans instead of green peas. Use 1 can (15 oz)  rinsed well and drained.

Enjoy.

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