Cabbage poriyal recipe with step by step photos – Lightly spiced, sauteed and steamed cabbage recipe from South Indian cuisine. It makes for an excellent vegan side dish with sambar, rasam or any South Indian meal. Try this easy and inexpensive cabbage side dish tonight!
I often make poriyals and a veggie roast, when I make sambar or rasam. I choose to make them as an accompanying side dish, since they taste good with sambar-rice combo and they are also easy to prepare.
This cabbage poriyal recipe uses pearl onions, but you can even skip them. Or you can use onions instead of pearl onions.
In this recipe i have used green cabbage. But feel free to swap it with red cabbage.
By now I have shared quite a number of poriyal recipes like Beetroot poriyal, Beans poriyal and Vendakkai poriyal.
Most poriyal recipes are easy and quick to prepare. Even a beginner can make them easily.
You can serve it as a side dish with sambar-rice or rasam-rice combo. Or you can have it with roti, plain paratha or lachha paratha or with bread slices. It can also be packed in the lunch box.
How to make Cabbage Poriyal
1. Peel and remove the top skin from the cabbage. Rinse. Quarter the cabbage and blanch in hot water for 5 to 10 minutes. Then shred cabbage or chop it.
I used 350 grams of cabbage, which yielded 4 cups of tightly packed shredded cabbage.
Preparing tempering
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of sesame oil or any oil (sunflower, peanut or safflower oil) in a shallow pan. Lower the heat and add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds and crackle them.
3. Once the mustard seeds begin to crackle and pop, add 1 teaspoon urad dal (husked and split black gram).
4. Saute the urad dal till it starts changing color.
5. The urad dal should become a maroonish color. Saute on a low heat, so that the urad dal does not get burnt.
TIP: Chana dal (Bengal Gram) can be added instead of urad dal. If adding chana dal, then soak them for 30 minutes in hot water.
After 30 minutes drain all the water and add the chana dal. Then saute the chana dal while tempering, instead of urad dal.
6. Then add ¼ cup sliced pearl onions (sambar onions) or shallots. You can also use ¼ cup of finely chopped onions.
Also add 10 to 12 curry leaves and 1 to 2 green chilies, chopped. You can also use 1 to 2 dry red chilies instead of green chilies.
7. Saute for a minute.
8. Then add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder and a pinch of asafoetida (hing).
9. Stir well.
Making cabbage poriyal
10. Then add the shredded cabbage. Also, season with salt as required. Stir and mix again very well.
11. Add ¼ cup of water. Stir again.
12. Then cover the pan with a tight lid. On a low heat simmer the cabbage till its cooked.
13. Check after every 5 to 6 minutes and give a stir so that the cabbage does not get burnt.
14. If the water has dried up and the cabbage is not cooked, sprinkle some more water (about 3 to 4 tablespoons). Cover and continue to cook.
15. In the below pic, the cabbage has cooked and become tender. There should be no water in the poriyal before you proceed to the next step.
16. Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of grated fresh coconut.
17. Stir very well.
18. Lastly add 2 tablespoons of chopped coriander leaves to cabbage poriyal. This step is optional and you can skip the coriander leaves.
19. Stir and Serve cabbage poriyal hot or warm as a side dish with sambar-rice or rasam rice. You can also have it with Indian flatbreads like roti, plain paratha or with bread. It can also be packed in a tiffin box.
More Cabbage recipes
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Cabbage Poriyal
Ingredients
- 350 grams cabbage or 4 cups tightly packed chopped or shredded cabbage
- 2 tablespoon sesame oil
- 6 to 7 pearl onions or shallots or ¼ cup sliced pearl onions or shallots or onions
- 1 to 2 green chilies, chopped or 1 to 2 dry red chilies, deseeded and broken
- 10 to 12 curry leaves
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon husked split black gram (urad dal)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
- ¼ cup water or add as required
- 3 to 4 tablespoon grated fresh coconut
- 2 tablespoon coriander leaves, chopped
- salt as required
Instructions
preparation
- Peel and remove the top skin from the cabbage. Rinse.
- Quarter the cabbage and blanch in hot water for 5 to 10 minutes. Then shred cabbage or chop it. I used 350 grams cabbage, which yielded 4 cups tightly packed shredded cabbage.
making tempering for cabbage poriyal
- Heat 2 tbsp sesame oil or any oil (sunflower, peanut or safflower oil) in a shallow pan. Lower the flame and add 1/2 tsp mustard seeds and crackle them.
- Once the mustard seeds begin to crackle and pop, add 1 tsp urad dal/husked split black gram.
- Saute the urad dal till it starts changing color. The urad dal should become a maroonish color. Saute on a low flame, so that the urad dal does not get burnt.
- Then add ¼ cup sliced pearl onions (sambar onions) or shallots. You can also use 1/4 cup of finely chopped onions. Also add 10 to 12 curry leaves and 1 to 2 green chilies, chopped. You can also use 1 to 2 dry red chilies instead of green chilies.
- Saute for a minute.
- Then add ¼ tsp turmeric powder and a pinch of asafoetida. Stir well.
making cabbage poriyal
- Then add the shredded cabbage. Also season with salt.
- Stir and mix again very well.
- Add ¼ cup of water. Stir again.
- Then cover the pan with a tight lid. On a low flame simmer the cabbage till its cooked.
- Check after every 5 to 6 minutes and give a stir.
- If the water has dried up and the cabbage is not cooked, sprinkle some more water. Cover and continue to cook.
- Cook till the cabbage becomes tender. There should be no water in the poriyal before you proceed to the next step.
- Then add 3 tbsp grated coconut and mix very well.
- Lastly add 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves. This step is optional and you can skip the coriander leaves.
- Stir and serve cabbage poriyal hot or warm as a side dish with sambar-rice or rasam rice. It can also be served with roti or plain paratha or with bread. It can also be packed in lunch box.
Notes
- The recipe can be doubled or tripled.
- To make the dish gluten-free skip adding asafoetida or use gluten-free asafoetida.
- You can use green cabbage or red cabbage.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Cabbage Poriyal post from the blog archives first published in November 2015 has been updated and republished on January 2023.
Loved it and it was so easy to make too! Loved that you recommended the right oil to make it with. Made all the difference.
Thank you and nice to know. Thanks for the rating too.
I love this cabbage recipe. It reminds me of cabbage thoran but has a slightly different taste and texture. Thank you!
Yes true and thanks.
I have always loved this cabbage poriyal when I was young in Malaysia but having moved to England, I’ve never made it. Finally I did and it’s so yummy! Compliments from my guests as well! Thanks. Love your website.
This recipe is excellent. Highly recommended!!
Thanks Prashant
Easy to make and tastes great ! Thanks!
Welcome Bash
This was the very first recipe I tried from your site.I was drawn to the lovely step by step pics and my preparation matched exactly.I also appreciate the fact that you mention the quantity of spice powders and other ingredients to be added at each step ,so I don’t have to scroll up unlike other recipes where it is mentioned add all the spice powders.I can also see the trouble that you take to post such perfect recipes.
This turned out to be so delicious that I had two small bowls of cabbage after finishing my lunch.I have never relished cabbage so much before this.Now I prepare in this way only.In fact I just finished preparing this.
Thanks a ton for the wonderful job that you do.
thank you winnie. poriyals made with coconut with any vegetables taste too good. you can even try with beetroot and green beans.
this suggestion of adding ingredients measurement was given by a reader. we implemented it and it was received very well by other readers of the blog too. yes i agree one does not have to scroll up and down. it makes preparing the recipe easy.
thanks again and most welcome.
I have never liked cabbage and green beans. But now that I’m married and need to make nutritious meals for my family I am forced to make these vegetables! But thanks to your poriyal recipe I actually look forward to having cabbage!! My husband calls you the annapurna of our house. Thank you for your great work. It has made life for non cooks like me very simple.
Regards,
Teejay
Welcome Teejay. Glad to read your positive comment. Thanks to both of you for your kind words.
Tried your recipie, it’s great!! ? shipped the coconut though..
thanks nancy for positive views. but do try the cabbage poriyal once with coconut.
Cabbage poriyal is my all time favorite. Healthy and yummy.
thankyou antonet 🙂