Cabbage shaak or cabbage sabzi is an easy-to-make and delicious dish. It can be made with cauliflower and either potatoes or peas.
Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free
Cabbage shaak is a quick healthy, and delicious dish. It is one of those dishes that was made regularly at home growing up. Served with some fresh, hot rotli or puri, basmati rice, or jeera rice, and you are set! It is an easy to make meal. I use fresh cabbage and potatoes or replace the potatoes with frozen green peas to make cabbage peas shaak.
What is it?
Shaak is the Gujarati word for a vegetable spiced dish. So cabbage nu shaak is simply a spiced dish made of peas and cauliflower. In Gujarati peas are vatana and cauliflower is called flower. If you are looking for other shaaks, I have another favorite up – bhinda nu shaak (okra).
Sabzi is who you say shaak in Hindi. So, you may hear it referred to as cabbage sabzi or cabbage sabji.
Easy weeknight meal
There is a reason we used to eat it often for dinner growing up, it is easy to make! As a result, it can def be mixed into your meal rotation. It is a staple amongst many Indian households.
Making this dish is a simple process. If you cook Indian dishes often you should have the key spices handy and you are set. In case you aren’t familiar with Indian spices, see this guide to Indian spices.
Ingredients
You only need a few basic ingredients plus commonly used Indian spices.
Cabbage – chopped
Potatoes – Washed and chopped (optionally peel potatoes)
Crushed tomatoes – The concentrated taste of crushed tomatoes tastes yummy and is more convenient. Feel free to use fresh tomatoes.
Indian spices: mustard seeds, turmeric, red chili powder, cumin-coriander powder, asafetida (hing), and sugar.
That’s all you need!
You can also use cumin powder and coriander powder separately if you don’t use them as a spice blend (common in Gujarati households).
Making the cabbage shaak
- Prep veggies
- Cook spices with veggies
- Check to ensure it is done (if the knife slices through cauliflower easily it is cooked through)
How do you know the shaak is ready?
It usually takes about 12-15 minutes to cook through. When you can easily cut the potato with a knife you will know it is ready!
To make in an Instant Pot:
SAUTE Mode:
- Add oil and jeera. Once jeera (cumin) sizzles add in hing.
- Then, add potatoes and cabbage to the pot. Top with remaining spices and mix.
- Close lid
Cook on HIGH for 4 minutes and do quick release. Serve!
Cabbage Shaak or Cabbage Sabzi
Equipment
- 1 pan
Ingredients
- 5 cups cabbage chopped, 290g
- 1-2 small potatoes chopped, 290g
- ¼ cup crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp red chili powder lal mirch
- 1 tsp dhana jeeru powder cumin coriander powder
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 2-3 tbsp oil
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- ¼ tsp asafetida (hing) skip to make it gluten-free
Instructions
- Add oil to pan and turn gas on to medium-high heat. Once oil is heated add mustard seeds. After they stop popping, add asafetida.
- Add chopped potatoes to the pan.
- Add chopped cabbage to the pan.
- Add all spices except sugar.
- Mix well, lower gas to low-medium and cover to cook.
- Cook about 10-12 minutes (stirring and checking in between to make sure it does not burn) until potatoes are fork tender and cooked.
- Add crushed tomatoes and sugar and mix well. Let cook further 3 minutes.
- Optionally top sabzi with chopped cilantro and serve.
