Cabbage upkari recipe with step by step photos – cabbage steamed with coconut and chana dal (bengal gram or split chickpea). A vegan recipe.
Cabbage upkari is one recipe that was a staple at home. This recipe is made with cabbage, beans, cauliflower and even snake gourd, bottle gourd and pumpkin. The chana dal and the coconut were always there and this was my favorite combination with any veggie. This used to be my tiffin box lunch in school with chapatis.
Cabbage upkari Is one of my favorite ways to have cabbage besides the cabbage pakora and cabbage kofta.
I enjoyed making this one cabbage upkari recipe so much… Don’t know why…. Most of the time I like to cook. But this one was so good with all the cutting, chopping and clicking…
You can serve cabbage upkari hot with chapatis, dal and rice. Few more dry Cabbage recipes You can make are:
Some tips for making cabbage upkari
- Usually we don’t add water as there is one steaming method which we follow in our house while cooking veggies. We cover the pan with a broad thali (plate) instead of a lid. And add some water on top of the thali. The water in the thali does not allow the veggies to get burnt or stick to the pan. This also accelerates the cooking process. When the water evaporates and dries whilst cooking, then add some more water on the thali.
- But if you are not going to do this method, then add around ½ cup or ¾th cup of water to the cabbage. This is to ensure the cabbage does not get burnt. Keep on stirring the cabbage after intervals to avoid it from sticking to the pan. Keep on a low flame.
- We add curry leaves to the upkari, but I did not have curry leaves on this day.
- Also I decided to skip mustard seeds, but at home we usually add mustard seeds to the cabbage upkari.
How to make cabbage upkari
1. Firstly pick, rinse the chana dal. Then soak these in water for 1 hour.
2. Remove the first layer of the cabbage. Rinse the cabbage in water. slice the cabbage from the center.
3. Now if you don’t have a food processor, you have to use a knife to chop or slice the cabbage. Slice the two halves of the cabbage finely.
4. Hmmmm… Finished slicing all the cabbage.
5. Now comes the cooking part. heat oil in a pan and fry the cumin seeds.
6. After they sizzle, add the onions and saute the onions till they become transparent.
7. Then add the crushed garlic and saute it till the raw smell of garlic disappears.
8. Now add the cabbage and chana dal.
9. Add the green chilies also.
10. Mix the cabbage with the chana dal. And then add the salt and spice powders.
11. Stir the cabbage with the spice powders.
12. Cover the pan and let the cabbage cook in its own juice. You could add 1/2 cup of water to the cabbage to avoid the cabbage from being burnt. See the Notes section below. Stir in between, by removing the lid of the pan. This is how the cabbage looks after 14 minutes.
13. The cabbage will be half-cooked now and its time to add the grated coconut. Mix the whole veggie well with the coconut.
14. This is how the cabbage appears after 3 minutes. Check to see if the chana dal is cooked.
15. Cook for some more 10-15 minutes or till the chana dal is cooked. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve cabbage upkari Hot with chapatis or phulkas.
Few more veggie recipes for you!
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Cabbage upkari
Ingredients
- 2 small cabbage or 1 large cabbage (patta gobi)
- ½ cup split and skinned bengal gram (chana dal)
- ½ cup fresh grated coconut or desiccated coconut
- 1 medium size onion, chopped
- 5 to 6 garlic , crushed or chopped
- 1 to 2 sprig curry leaves
- 1 green chili, chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder - optional (or cayenne pepper or paprika)
- 3 tablespoon oil
- a pinch of asafoetida (hing) - optional
- ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves or cilantro leaves for garnish
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Firstly pick, rinse the chana dal. Soak the chana dal in water for 1 hour.
- Heat oil in a pan or kadai and splutter the mustard seeds and fry the cumin seeds.
- Add the onions and saute them till they become transparent.
- Now add the garlic and curry leaves and fry for a minute or two.
- Add the cabbage, chana dal and green chilies.
- Add the spice powders and salt as required.
- Mix everything and cover the pan with a lid. Let the cabbage cook in its own juice. You could add ½ cup of water to the cabbage to avoid the cabbage from being burnt. Or check the tips section above the recipe card.
- After 10-15 minutes, when the cabbage is half cooked, add the grated coconut.
- Cover and cook for some more 15-20 minutes till the chana dal is cooked.
- Garnish with coriander leaves and serve cabbage upkari hot with chapatis, dal and rice. It can also be packed in lunch box.
Looks delicious. I just have one questions: how to make sure the chana dal is cooked enough and the cabbage not overcooked?
You can add the chana dal first. Add some water. Cover and cook till the lentils are half-done. Then add the cabbage. Cover and continue to cook.
Just yummy..,thanks for the recipe..my family just loved it n asking to make again infact twice or thrice a week would go they said????????
that is nice to know pallavi. thanks for sharing. thanks for the review and rating too. happy cooking.
This is an awesome recipe.Turned out absolutely delicious.Loved it.
thanks again winnie.
HI
AWESOME! MY HUBBY WHO USE TO NEVER LIKE CABBAGE IS ACTUALLY LIKING THIS NOW. HE SAYS “WOH DAL WAALI HI BANANA”. A MILLION THANKS TO YOU 🙂 GOD BLESS YOU.
thats nice to hear pooja. thanks for sharing ???? wish you also all the best in your life.
Hi,
Honestly, just reading your recipes & seeing those photos itself makes me feel sooo good that i feel that i should right away come to your place & have them 🙂 I tried this upkari..Awesome! my hubby use to hate cabbage, he actually has started liking cabbage. He says “Pooja woh us din jaise banayi thi waise hi banana” A million thanks to you ..God bless you
thanks again pooja ????