Tuesday, October 29, 2013

patta gobhi matar wali subzi | cabbage and peas dry curry


Patta gobhi matar wali subzi has been one of those winter favorites that I start craving as soon as I see tender winter cabbages and tender green peas. I love it the way my mom used to cook it, I remember I used to eat this subzi as it is even in my childhood. I can have it as a meal now.

patta gobhi matar wali subzi

There are few recipes I haven't made any changes since I started cooking and this is one of those. Luckily, the husband also loves this subzi and it is a frequent winter lunch box subzi for him along with aloo aur harey pyaz ki subzi.

This subzi/curry is more of a north Indian subzi rather than a UP specialty. My mom picked up a lot of Punjabi recipes during our stay in Haryana and Chandigarh and this might have been one of those Punjabi recipes that became family favorites. Like makki ki roti sarson ka saag and chholey or rajma that she used to cook quite frequently. This is a Punjabi way of cooking cabbage and peas with winter new potatoes basically.

 Nothing too difficult about this subzi but there is something very crucial about simple recipes that we are more likely to make mistakes when we don't know the exact time of cooking of ingredients or in what order to add them to the cooking vessel or the combination of seasoning we use. Small changes in an already simple recipe results in a complete different tasting dish. I stick to this recipe immaculately as I don't want even a small change in the flavors. Exactly the way I used to like it in my childhood, this subzi marks the winters for me. Well, at least a part of winters.

ingredients
one medium sized cabbage (about 400 gm)
2 medium new potatoes (about 150 gm)
2 medium tomatoes (about 120 gm)
shelled fresh green peas 150 gm
finely chopped ginger 1 tbsp
chopped green chilies 1 tsp
chopped red onions 1/2 cup
turmeric powder 1 tsp
cumin powder 1 tsp
black pepper powder 1 tsp
mustard oil 2 tbsp
whole cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
salt to taste

patta gobhi matar wali subzi

procedure

Clean and chop the cabbage roughly.

Clean, rinse and cube the potatoes. No need to peel them if the skin is healthy.

Chop the tomatoes and keep aside.

Heat the mustard oil and tip in the whole cumin seeds. Add the chopped ginger, green chillies and onions as soon as the cumin crackles. Stir fry for a few seconds and add the cubed potatoes. Add salt and turmeric powder and stir fry till the potatoes till they get half cooked. Keep the flame medium low so everything gets cooked evenly.

Add the other powdered spices, green peas and mix well , cook for a couple of minutes to see the peas shriveling. Now add the tomatoes and cook covered till the tomatoes get mushy.

Add the chopped cabbage, mix well and cook covered till the cabbage gets limp and looks translucent. Take care not to cook cabbage on high heat or to let it cook too much. It should retain some bite so the taste is not lost.

patta gobhi matar wali subzi

This dry curry is a wonderful blend of sweetness of winter vegetables, earthiness of new potatoes and the fresh tartness of tomatoes. You can always adjust the heat in the subzi by adjusting pepper or chilly and add more peas if you like. Potatoes make this curry a wholesome meal for me sometimes may be along with a kaali daal or rajma.

I wouldn't advise this subzi to be made in summers though. The real taste comes in winters when the fresh tender green peas start coming and the cabbage is tender too. Even the new potatoes make a difference so if it is not winter, this subzi will be impossible to get right.

I cooked it last week, and now I am drooling for it as I type. I know it could well be my breakfast tomorrow. I love my vegetables this much you know :-)

Please tell me if this subzi was made the same way in your home as well? Try it if not. 

7 comments:

  1. I put coriander powder and red chilly powder (instead of green chillies). It looks fantastic.reminds me of my noida /delhi days. The other eternal winter fav is the shimla mirch- alu sabji

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    1. Yes coriander powder is also added in some families Anita. Shimla mirch alu subzi I used to love, but the husband is now intolerant to capsicum so it is rarely cooked.

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  2. must make this with the cabbage i have yum

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  3. Trying it now..will report back on how it turns out!

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  4. It was super yum! Thanks for the recipe :-)

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  5. I put paw bhaji masala instead of any masala and it tastes awesum...plz try

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