In the late Autumn, I planted a bed of cabbages, placing them about 40cm apart; in between, I grew a variety of lettuce seedlings. By the time the lettuce was ready to be picked, the cabbages were beginning to spread out and to require more room. The ground that once nourished the lettuce began to nourish the cabbages. It’s a great way to use the space efficiently. 

I also planted a bed of coriander and now have lots of lush leafy leaves – perfect for this herby green sauce.

The sauce can be used on almost anything, giving this plain old cabbage a lift. You can swap the coriander and mint for dill or parsley.

note

Green cabbage is best for this dish. I like to use the Savoy variety. When buying the cabbage heads, make sure they are fresh and crisp. Look for tight and compact cabbages with few loose leaves that feel heavy for size.

steamed & braised cabbage wedges with herby coriander goodness

serves 4

preparation 15 minutes

ingredients

1 small head cabbage

2 Tbsp ghee

herby coriander goodness

¼ cup/35g pine nuts, or nuts or seeds of choice

1 tsp coriander seeds, toasted

¼ cup/50g olive oil

1 bunch/40g fresh coriander

½ bunch/20g mint leaves

1 Tbsp grated ginger

1 Tbsp sweet white miso

½ tsp fine rock salt

freshly ground pepper

prepare the cabbage

  1. Cut the stem off the cabbage head, remove any loose outer leaves, and cut into quarters. Place the cabbage wedges in a steamer. Steam the cabbages for 8 minutes or until tender.
  2. Finish in a lightly ghee hot pan, BBQ, or under the grill of your oven. Baste with ghee, turmeric and chilli powder to add some spice.

prepare the sauce

  1. Toast the pine nuts and coriander seeds until golden and fragrant.  Place all the sauce ingredients into a blender and grind until smooth. Brush, drizzle or spoon the sauce over the cabbage wedges.

Serve

  • With other grains. Brown rice, white basmati, millet and barley are just a few options. I especially love it with pongal & tamarind gojju or saffron rice.
  • With pasta. Enjoy alongside your favourite pasta and fold this herby coriander goodness sauce through the pasta.
  • Alongside any creamy dal or spicy rasam.