Kurkuma enhaces the sweet flavor of white cabbage in this satisfying and tasty stirfry, making it ideal for a quick supper in winter. (You can jump down to the recipe here.)
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Late summer and early autumn had so much to offer. Zucchini, eggplants or tomatoes were abundant and affordable in grocery stores, or you may even have had them from your own garden. But at least in my part of the world, that time is definitely over now. If all those desirable ingredients are available at all, they either look pretty sad or they are just horifically expensive. So let´s dive into this season´s food. What could be a good, and yet quick, wintertime meal?
Cabbage – a variety of sorts all around the year
You may have heard about the German fondness of cabbage. It certainly is an important part of German cuisine – not only as Sauerkraut (I will talk about that some other time), but also as a regular, non-fermented vegetable. Just think of all its varieties: From spring to early autumn, you get Cauliflower, Broccoli and Romanesco (which always reminds me a little of a Disney castle). There is also the tender spring cabbage and savoy.
In summer, other vegetables draw more attention. But when they leave the gardens and shelves, more cabbages come in: Winter savoy. Brussel´s sprouts. Red cabbage (an important German christmas item), kale (which northern Germans almost religiously worship) and late white cabbage.
Much better than you think – avoid cabbage cooking mistakes
Now I´m not unaware of the fact that many people (even in Germany, but more so in other parts of the world) have a strong dislike of cabbage. And I can see why. Cabbage smells terrible when it is warmed up again (which I avoid), and may smell bad while cooking (in that case I just open the window. We do that a lot anyway. The dish will not smell like that once it is ready to eat). Moreover, very many people don´t quite know how to prepare their particular variety of cabbage and cook it way too long, then sometimes serve it with or even in a sauce that is… well… let´s just say suboptimal.
You will be surprised by the delicious, sweet-ish taste of white cabbage when you prepare it in the way I will describe to you below. Generally, try frying cabbages instead of boiling them. And don´t fall for the tale of children not liking cabbage. What they don´t like is the weird sauce, or the sogginess of overcooked cabbage, or the nutmeg that was used on it. The following recipe is nutmeg free.
You will notice that this recipe for a quick supper in winter is not only very simple and tastes good, it is also exceptionally cheap. So I´m giving it to you in time – you´ll have more to spend on your christmas dinner!
White cabbage stirfry – a simple winter dish
Ingredients – a quick supper in winter for two adults
White cabbage: Half a head
Potatoes: 500g (if there is a choice, take medium softness)
Some fat for frying (not too little – about 100-150 ml). I prefer coconut oil. Butter does not work well with this recipe, but you can use any frying oil you normally use.
Optional: 1-2 onions, 1 garlic clove
No exact measuring is needed – judge by your experience of how much you will be eating. It tastes better when there is more cabbage than potato or at least 50% each.
Salt: one (flat) teaspoon OR one tablespoon of dried salted vegetable stock
Some Kurkuma OR curry spice mix (if children are eating, make sure it´s not too hot or choose Kurkuma – and check if it already contains the salt you need!)
Variety suggestion – how to add meat or tofu to your quick winter supper
You may be discontented because there is no meat in this recipe. So if you want meat in it, I suggest you don´t use any of the oriental spices, but do use the onion and garlic, add some white pepper and maybe paprika powder and then just have meatballs or wiener and mustard with this cabbage stirfry. Or you can cook it with the spices and at the same time, fry some minced meat with onions, salt and a little bit of tomato pulp, then join the two and stir when both are ready. You can do the same with smoked tofu. However, we eat it without any meat or tofu – the coconut oil makes this simple winter dish very satisfying. I also suggest some sourcream (Schmand, creme fraiche) on top.
Cooking instruction
- Cut the cabbage into narrow strips or into bite-sized pieces. Cut onions to a similar size.
- Cut potatoes (with or without peel) into very small bits, the way you would chop onions. It is possible with a knife, but you save a lot of time if you have a cutting device like this: https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Vegetable-Interchangeable-Chopper-Slicing-Vegetables/dp/B0BNHJF45Z/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3BVVOS0I6XIJM&keywords=vegetable%2Bcutter&qid=1701680718&sprefix=vegetable%2Bcutter%2Caps%2C245&sr=8-5&th=1 (no affiliate link, just to illustrate)
3. Put oil in a pan and heat it (maximum heat on an electric stove, possibly a bit less on a gas stove). Put all vegetables in. Stir well, but make sure the stirrer always moves ingredients from the very bottom of the pan to the top, “scraping” them off.
4. Once you notice the vegetables are getting a little softer – you will see the cabbage becoming glossier – , turn down to medium heat. You can now put on a lid and do some other work in the kitchen, but make sure to come back often (maybe every three minutes) to check and stir. Remember to stir up from the very bottom. Not only do you want to keep the food from burning, you also don´t want to mash up the potatoes.
5. When the potatoes are just soft enough to eat, take the pan off the stove. Depending on the potatoes you used, that will be after 10 to 20 minutes. Stir in salt or dried fond (half of the amount written above, then try it before adding more), then do the same with the Kurkuma. I like Kurkuma a lot so I put in a heaped teaspoon of it, but if you are not so sure yet try half a flat teaspoon at first and then see whether you want to add more.
Enjoy your meal!
Please write in the comments below the subscribe form how you liked it or whether there is any improvement you would make to this recipe. How do you usually cook white cabbage?
I will be adding more quick meal suggestions for wintertime in the following weeks. For another quick winter supper, please view my German pumpkin soup recipes (simple and festive), or read what there is to know about the typical German One-Pot-Meals.
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