Growing up, dinner was always six o’clock sharp, no later and no earlier. I grew up on the same weekly menu for as long as I lived with my parents, and they still eat according to this same menu to this day.
This routine seems to be deep-rooted. As I get older, I see a pattern emerging: Sunday is pasta night, Monday morning is pepper rasam, and in the evening, it’s chapati. Tuesday morning is a garden-inspired rasam, and Fridays are becoming sandwich nights.
On chapati night, I serve this simple dal, a quick guacamole, and this cabbage carrot palya. This combination goes well together and has become a regular on the table for years now.
I prefer to keep this palya simple, as it is normally served with other complex dishes. For a more deeply flavoured dish, add 1 tsp finely grated ginger, roughly chopped toasted cashews and a squeeze of lemon towards the end of cooking.
cabbage carrot palya
preparation 20 minutes
serves 3 – 4, as a side dish
ingredients
2 Tbsp peanut or coconut oil
½ tsp black mustard seeds
1 Tbsp split channa dal
1 tsp split urad dal
12 curry leaves
2 – 4 Tbsp water
3 cups/200g cabbage
1 medium/80g carrot
1 tsp fine rock salt
1 tsp jaggery
¼ cup/20g dried shredded coconut
to serve
preparation
- Finely chop the cabbage – measuring 3 cups; peel and grate the carrot using the larger side of a box grater – measuring 1 cup. Set aside.
- In a skillet, on medium-high heat, add the oil and mustard seeds. When the seeds turn grey and pop, add the channa and urad dal. Fry until both dals are golden-brown, then add the curry leaves and fry for a few seconds.
- Turn down the heat, pour in the water and immediately add the cabbage. Cover and simmer the cabbage until cooked but still firm, stirring every few minutes – approximately 4 minutes. If there is any liquid left on the bottom, uncover it and increase the heat to high until it has evaporated.
- Stir in the grated carrot – cook 1 – 2 minutes more, uncovered, stirring until the carrot is soft.
- Season with salt and jaggery, sprinkle in the dried coconut and combine well. If you like, add a small amount of finely chopped fresh coriander.
tip
Use a variety of cabbage (Savoy Cabbage) with dark outer leaves for a variation in deep greens. It doesn’t affect the taste but the contrast is lovely.
variation
- In spring, add in fresh green sweet peas, when adding the cabbage.
- Replace the carrot with finely chopped fenugreek leaves.
3 responses
Hi Stacey,
I’ve been making this dish lately and loving it. I make it with the small black lentils. Tried it today with Chana Dahl, as the recipe suggests. Brought it for a dinner to friends this evening and it was a success. I have a question: I soaked the dal for a few hours before cooking them but it still came out hard to chew. You don’t mention soaking the Chana Dahl over night. Do you suggest doing that or do you cook it dry?
Hi Anna,
I also love this dish! If you can get your hands on a handful of fresh fenugreek, this is also a wonderful addition. The chana dal is meant to add a crunch, just make sure you fry them until golden brown. The crunch adds a nice contrast when serving it with a dal. If you prefer you can soak them for a few hours but make sure you have time to air-dry the dal before adding it to the voggarane as you really need to fry them well – the proper frying is what makes them more edible.
Thanks Stacey,
Just seeing this now. I’ll try it out with soaking them for a few hours and then frying them. My concern when I did them without soaking them was that they will be difficult to digest. I am actually about to make this dish now. instead of the Chana Dahl I am using the small black Beluga lentils. I did soak them over night, so they will cook very fast. They are a power food and add a real heartiness to the dish. It turns it into the main meal rather than a side dish. A light filling lunch. Going off to make it now. Shabbat Shalom