Creamy cabbage to fill and nourish

Ellie Krieger

I often advocate putting vegetables at the centre of the plate, making them the culinary focal point of the meal while giving protein more of a supporting role.

But there is more than one way to spotlight vegetables. Having them on the side isn’t the problem, treating them as an afterthought is ‒ that practically dooms them to be less desirable.

Happily, it doesn’t take much effort to turn a vegetable side from a boring should-eat to an alluring want-to-eat. That’s the idea here, where three ingredients ‒ cumin seeds, yoghurt and lemon juice ‒ punch up simply sautéed cabbage so much that it could easily steal the show on any meat-and-three plate.

First, you toast cumin seeds in a skillet to bloom their flavour, then crush them slightly to open them up. Then, in the same skillet, you sauté shredded cabbage until it is just wilted; it’s nice to retain some of the cabbage’s fresh crunch here. Then simply stir in the crushed cumin, a squeeze of lemon, and some yoghurt.

The resulting dish is gently crisp and earthy, speckled with flavour sparks of cumin seed and enveloped in a creamy, lemony dressing. It’s delicious warm or at room temperature, and can be served alongside just about any roasted or grilled protein. No matter what you serve it with, it will likely be the first thing you want to dig into on your plate.

Wilted cabbage with cumin and yoghurt

Serves 4 to 6

Total time: 15 mins

INGREDIENTS

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 medium cabbage (about 900g), cored and sliced 6mm to 13mm (8 cups)

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup plain whole-milk yoghurt

DIRECTIONS

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, toast the cumin, stirring or shaking the pan frequently, until the seeds are fragrant and a shade darker, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board, then use the broad side of a chef’s knife to crush the seeds slightly.

In the same skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the cabbage and salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the cabbage is just wilted but still has a definite crunch, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the cumin seed, lemon juice and the yoghurt, and toss to combine. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Storage: Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Gently rewarm over low heat.

The Independent on Saturday