Cabbage Curry

There was a pantry challenge online to use a head of cabbage.  So many ideas for an ingredient I usually ignore!  No one actually suggested curry, but there was one using a can of cream of mushroom soup and lentils.  Doesn't take much to change the soup to coconut milk and alter the spices.

While I did use red lentils for this because it wasn't an I-have-all-day-to-cook kind of day, you can use pretty much any protein.  Beans, meat, fish, shellfish, sausage, they would all work well because cabbage is such a neutral ingredient.  I did make brown rice the day before, since it takes a while to cook, but most varieties of white rice will be done in the time it takes to make the rest of this.

1 red bell pepper
*1 C dry rice
*1 C dry red lentils
2 Tb olive or coconut oil
*1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp paprika
*2 cloves garlic, minced
*1 tsp grated ginger
2 Tb tomato paste
1 small head of cabbage (under 2 lbs)
*1 can light coconut milk
salt and pepper to taste

1.  Cut bell pepper in half.  Remove seeds and core and place on a foil-lined sheet.  Broil until the skin blackens, about 15 minutes.  Allow to cool, then peel off the skin.  Dice flesh.  Set aside.

2.  Start your rice and lentils in separate pots.  Both need water to cover by about 1 inch, bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer and cover.  White rice will cook in the same amount of time as the lentils, about 15 minutes.

3.  While 1 & 2 are going on, make the curry.  Heat oil in a large saucepan with a lid.  I used my pasta pot.  Add onion and cook over medium until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add spices and tomato paste and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.  Add garlic and ginger and cook another minute.

4.  Cut cabbage into quarters through the stem, to make it easier to slice.  Slice 1/2" wide strips, removing the core as you go.  Add to the pot and toss in spices to coat.  Sprinkle with a pinch of salt to get the process going and cover.  Cook on medium until the cabbage wilts, sometime around when the lentils are done.  Stir every 5 minutes or so, to prevent the bottom from scorching.

5.  Once cabbage is cooked, add coconut milk and lentils to the pot.  It's fine if there's some cooking water left in with the lentils, but if they're really wet, drain first.  Stir in diced red pepper.  Bring to a low simmer.

6.  Taste sauce and add salt and pepper as needed.  Serve hot over rice, with plenty of the coconut sauce.

Serves 4-6, depending on size of cabbage

Difficulty rating  :)