Melting Curry-Spiced Cabbage

• This recipe transforms green cabbage into a savory side.
• Cabbage provides vitamin K for healthy blood clotting and strong bones.
• To prevent the cabbage from falling apart during cooking, leave the root intact while cutting into wedges.

Melting Curry-Spiced Cabbage is the perfect vegetarian side dish that goes with any of your favorite proteins. Antioxidant-rich cabbage is slightly charred, adding a subtle smokiness while it “melts” into the warm, earthy, curry-infused coconut milk, complemented with the classic flavors of onions and garlic. A dollop of yogurt added just before serving adds probiotics and a bit of cool tang to this dish, and, along with a squeeze of lime, balances out the flavors. Keep reading for our expert tips, including how to enhance the flavors of the spices.

Tips from the EatingWell Test Kitchen

These are the key tips we learned while developing and testing this recipe in our Test Kitchen to make sure it works, tastes great and is good for you too! 

• When cutting the cabbage, make sure to leave some of the root part intact. This will help keep the cabbage from falling apart during cooking.
• We recommend briefly toasting the spices to enhance their flavors.
• Adding yogurt or sour cream to the sauce can really round out the spices.
• Instead of stirring the yogurt into the sauce, we chose to add it in dollops right before serving. This creates a nice contrast of creamy coolness that offsets the warm, rich sauce.

Nutrition Notes

• Cabbage is a cruciferous vegetable that’s loaded with nutritional value. Its vitamin K content will help strengthen your bones and help your blood clot properly if you get cut, and the vitamin C in cabbage is great for your skin and immune system. Then there’s cabbage’s filling fiber, which will also help keep things moving through your digestive system, helping to prevent constipation. 
• Yogurt is loaded with probiotics, those beneficial gut bacteria that create a healthy microbiome. Probiotics need fiber for fuel, and this dish provides it. Yogurt is also a great source of protein and calcium. Strained (Greek-style) yogurt provides more protein, while regular yogurt brings more calcium. 
• Coconut milk brings its classic flavor to this dish, while also adding plant compounds that act like antioxidants. One of these is lauric acid, which may help reduce inflammation in your body.

Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist Josh Hoggle.