Cabbage pachadi is a South Indian recipe of a spicy and tangy chutney made with cabbage (patta gobi), lentils, herbs and spices. A vegan recipe.
Cabbage is one of those veggies that is either liked or hated. Luckily in my home, we do like cabbage and hence I have been able to share some Cabbage recipes on the blog.
In some recipes the taste and texture of cabbage is felt distinctly. But in some recipes, you will not even know that its made from cabbage. This cabbage chutney is one of those recipes. In fact it tastes similar to Mango chutney. Tamarind is added to the chutney and this gives it a sour taste.
The recipe is also a no onion garlic and vegan recipe. Taking veggies in the form of chutneys is a good way to include them in your food.
This cabbage chutney can be served with rava idli or dosa or uttapams. You can also serve it as side chutney along with dal-rice or sambar-rice.
In fact you can also just have it with steamed rice or rice gruel (porridge) and some roasted papads by the side.
How to make cabbage chutney or cabbage pachadi
1. Heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil in a frying pan. Add 1 teaspoon urad dal (split and husked black gram) and 1 teaspoon chana dal (split and husked bengal gram).
2. Saute the lentils on a low flame.
3. Saute till they turn golden and fragrant. Take care not to burn them.
4. Add green chilies. I added 2 green chilies and it made the pachadi spicy. For less spiciness you can add 1 green chili. For a more spicy chutney, you can even add 3 green chilies.
5. Next add 10 to 12 curry leaves. Stir and mix.
Making cabbage chutney
6. Add 2.5 cups of roughly chopped cabbage. If you want you can even blanch the cabbage in hot boiling water for 5 minutes. Strain and then add.
7. Season with salt as per taste.
8. Mix very well.
9. Cover the pan with its lid and cook the cabbage on a low flame for 9 to 10 minutes. in between do check while the cabbage is cooking. Stir and again cover & cook.
10. The cabbage should be half cooked or almost cooked. There should be a slight crunch in them. Do not cook them completely. Let the cabbage mixture become warm or cool down.
11. Now add the cabbage mixture in a grinder jar. Add 1 teaspoon tamarind.
12. Add ⅓ to ½ cup water and grind to a smooth chutney.
13. Remove the chutney in a bowl. Do scrape off all the chutney sticking at the bottom and sides of the mixer jar and add it to the bowl.
Making tempering for cabbage chutney
14. Heat 1 to 2 teaspoons sesame oil in the same pan or in another pan. Lower the flame and add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds and let them crackle.
15. When the mustard seeds finish crackling, add a pinch of asafoetida (hing) and 1 or 2 red chilies.
16. Stir and mix well.
17. Add the tempering mixture to the ground cabbage chutney. Mix well.
18. Serve cabbage chutney with South Indian snacks like Idli, Dosa, Uttapam, Medu Vada, Adai or uttapam. You can also serve it as a side with dal-rice combo or sambar-rice combo.
In the below photo, I served it with dosa and the combo tasted very good.
Few more tasty recipes for you!
- Kara chutney (Spicy chutney made with pearl onions (shallots) and tomatoes)
- Peanut chutney (Warming and Healthy)
- Tomato chutney (2 Ways)
- Ginger chutney (Andhra Style – Allam Pachadi)
- Pineapple pachadi (Deliciously sweet sour tasting dish made with pineapple)
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Cabbage Pachadi
Ingredients
for cooking cabbage
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon urad dal (split and husked black gram)
- 1 teaspoon chana dal (split and husked bengal gram)
- 2.5 cups roughly chopped cabbage
- 1 to 3 green chilies
- 10 to 12 curry leaves or 1 sprig curry leaves
- salt as required
other ingredients
- 1 teaspoon tamarind
- ⅓ to ½ cup water for grinding chutney
for tempering
- 1 to 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
- 1 or 2 dry red chilies
Instructions
preparation
- Heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil in a frying pan. Add 1 teaspoon urad dal (split and husked black gram) and 1 teaspoon chana dal (split and husked bengal gram)
- Saute the lentils on a low flame till they turn golden and fragrant. Take care not to burn them.
- Add green chilies. I added 2 green chilies and it made the pachadi spicy. For less spiciness you can add 1 green chili. For a more spicy chutney, you can even add 3 green chilies.
- Next add 10 to 12 curry leaves. Stir and mix..
- Add 2.5 cups roughly chopped cabbage. If you want you can even blanch the cabbage in hot boiling water for 5 minutes. Strain and then add.
- Season with salt as per taste. Mix very well.
making cabbage chutney
- Cover the pan with its lid and cook the cabbage on a low flame for 9 to 10 minutes. In between do check while the cabbage is cooking. Stir and again cover & cook.
- The cabbage should be half cooked or almost cooked. There should be a slight crunch in them. Do not cook them completely. Let the cabbage mixture become warm or cool down.
- Now add the cabbage mixture in a grinder jar. Add 1 teaspoon tamarind.
- Add 1/3 to 1/2 cup water and grind to a smooth chutney.
- Remove the chutney in a bowl. Do scrape off all the chutney sticking at the bottom and sides of the mixer jar and add it in the bowl.
tempering for cabbage chutney
- Heat 1 to 2 teaspoons sesame oil in the same pan or in another pan. Lower the flame and add 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds and let them crackle.
- When the mustard seeds finish crackling, add a pinch of asafoetida and 1 or 2 red chilies.
- Stir and mix well.
- Add the tempering mixture to the ground chutney. Mix well.
- Serve cabbage chutney with South Indian snacks like idli or plain dosa or uttapam or vada. It can also be served as a side with dal-rice or sambar-rice combo.
Notes
- Do not overcook the cabbage.
- You can also use dry red chilies instead of green chilies.
- You can reduce green chilies for less spiciness.
- This chutney goes very well with idli and sada dosa (plain dosa). It can also be served with steamed rice.
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Hi dassana,
I made it with a smaller batch since at home nobody likes cabbage based sabzis much, but I have been asked to make this chutney again soon. This is another one of your recipes that took me by total surprise. I think now I’ll try other chutneys also..
thanks a lot ruchi. this cabbage chutney does not taste like its made from cabbage and it is one of its specialties. there is one more recipe of cabbage which is delicious and difficult to guess if cabbage has been added to it. its cabbage dal (cabbage kootu). you can check the recipe here – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/cabbage-kootu-recipe-cabbage-dal/
sure, do try the other chutney recipes too.
Hi,,
Made this cabbage chutney/pachadi just now for dinner and had it with Methi parathas.It’s really awesome in taste and hardly any one guessed it rightly.The only difference is that my chutney color turned out brown and not whitish/creamish as in ur pic. But as far as taste is concerned it’s very delicious (doesn’t matter wot color it turned out)
The crunchiness of the chana and urad dal is like another topping in itself.Also the pungent flavour of cabbage is not there.
From now onwards this chutney would b a regular in my Menu and in front of guests too.?
I would insist everyone who visits this page to try and go for this chutney.
Thanxs for making me known some unknown and out of the box recipe like this.
agree ruchi, no one can guess that cabbage is added in the chutney recipe. you are right, color does not matter. what matters is the taste.
this chutney is also a regular at my place. even i feel that readers should try this recipe. its so good. you can also try cabbage kootu recipe. in this recipe also the presence of cabbage is not much felt. cabbage kootu is also a regular dish at home.
and lastly thanks for the awesome feedback.
Hii Dassanna,
Of late,i m referring ur website for many doubts of mine and liked ur step wise pictorial description of the dishes too.it makes all the more easier to make a dish.
U merely make a complicated dish too look like a simple recipe with ur excellent do and don’ts and other recipe notes.
I already tried Rajma bhaji,gobi 65 and some masalas likes Chaat masala,biryani masala,pav Bhajiwali masala etc,which turned out exceptionally too good and aromatic.Just forgot to buy ready-made from shops after making them at home.?
Soon will try baked items like pav,bread,cakes and cookies too.
I was totally bowled out when I saw a chutney recipe coming out of a vegetable like cabbage which is mostly less liked.Will surely try this soon too.Just hav a doubt b4 trying a hand on it,
whether if I can use ordinary cooking oil instead of sesame oil for the recipe?
Kindly pls let me know.
Thanxs alot and salute to ur passion of cooking and sharing perfectly with everyone.?
thanks a lot pretty for this lovely feedback. glad that you liked the recipes which you have tried so far. do try the baked recipes also.
the cabbage chutney is awesome, if i say so. its damn good. you can use any oil like sunflower or peanut oil.