Dry Cabbage and Potato Curry (Aloo Patta Gobi Sabzi)

This dry cabbage and potato curry is a quick and easy sabzi that tastes great with dal (lentils) and roti (homemade flatbread). A simple Indian vegan lunch for hungry times!

Like potatoes? Try this dry potato sabzi too.

If you like to have wholesome vegetarian food that doesn't have any processed ingredients or dairy, an Indian sabzi is the way to go. It is made with a few simple ingredients like onions, tomatoes and a few common spices and is naturally vegan.

Of course, you must pair it with bread, especially if it is a dry sabzi like this one. And a bowl of dal is nice though optional if you're in a rush.

Speaking of dry sabzi, here's a really different sabzi made with taro root or colocasia, also known as arvi or arbi fry.

Ingredients

Note: exact amounts are mentioned in the recipe card further down.

Instructions

1. Chop and slice all the veggies. Like so:

2. Heat the cooking oil in a wok or karahi on medium heat and add the cumin and mustard seeds. Let them sizzle, then add the onions and fry until golden brown. Don't over brown them or the sabzi will take on a dark tinge.

3. Add the tomatoes, potatoes, turmeric, chilli powder, and salt. Stir and add a couple of tablespoons water if the spices seem to be sticking. Lower the heat and cover the wok. Allow the potatoes to cook on gentle heat for 6-8 minutes.

4. Add the cabbage and coconut and mix well with the potatoes. Again, cover the wok for 5 minutes and cook the the sabzi on gentle heat for 5 minutes.

5. Take off the lid after 5 minutes, increase the heat to medium and stir the vegetables with a large spoon for 4-5 minutes until any remaining liquid has been absorbed, and the sabzi is shiny.

6. Spoon out the sabzi in a bowl and serve hot with roti or any Indian bread.

Top tips

• Slice the vegetables fine if possible so the sabzi cooks quickly.
• The potatoes, especially should be cut into small cubes for even and fast cooking. If they are too large, the cabbage will become tender, but the potatoes will still be undercooked.
• Resist the temptation to add water after you add the cabbage to the wok. Overcooked, limp cabbage is no fun! Don't worry, the cabbage will release water when you cover it and cook it on low heat for 5 minutes.
• The texture of the cabbage in the cooked sabzi should be neither too hard, not too soft. It needs to be cooked through and tender, but not mushy. At the cost of repeating myself, the trick is not to add water after you add the cabbage and let it cook in its own steam!

Variations

• Instead of potatoes, you can also add green peas to the sabzi. About one cup of frozen peas, added at the same time as the cabbage give a slightly different flavor to the sabzi.
• For a more coconut flavor, use coconut oil instead of your regular cooking oil. Alternatively, if you don't particularly care for coconut, you can leave out the shredded coconut too.
• A fistful of chopped curry leaves also add a ton of flavor to the sabzi if you can get hold of them. They can usually be found in Indian grocery stores. Throw them in 5 minutes before the sabzi is done cooking.
• Chopped cilantro as a garnish also goes nicely with cabbage sabzi.

Want more Indian vegan sabzi recipes?