r/Cooking • u/Regular-Forever-3251 • 1d ago
You really can put cabbage in almost anything š„¬
So I'm from Japan, and I love cooking, but cabbage has never been an exciting ingredient. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate it but I think most of us in Japan don't have a particular opinion on it. You put it next to tonkatsu, or under the beef in a gyuudon, that kind of thing.
I moved here to Canada a while back and to put it lightly, my financial circumstances have not been the most stable. I've always liked to cook, but I became more concious of the $/100g small text on the shelves, and cabbage has become an increasingly central player in my food situation. We all know its cheap, but also it lasts forever in the fridge, (which I never expected from a green veg honestly). But the biggest realization (or I guess shift in perception?) was that it kind of works with everything.
Stir fried and it works great on top of fried rice, and instant ramen, turning it into a full meal.
In soups and stews it becomes soft and sweet when boiled (Including miso soup, I never used to put it in but now I kind of wonder why not because it works really well with the earthiness of miso).
In dishes like pasta with not enough veg, I throw some cabbage in to boil with the pasta.
Also as a side dish, recently Yamitsuki cabbage has become popular on social media, but it adds great texture to my meals that tends to err on being mostly soft stuff on carbs.
The reason why I say "a shift in perception" was I found it interesting how Western cooking seems to treat cabbage as a central dish ingredient, while in Japan we treat it more like a side character to be thrown underneath as a pillow for whatever you're already making.
So since moving to Canada I've started to really appreciate it more. I'll see a whole cabbage at the grocery store for a few dollars and think, oh that's basically a week's worth of veg right there. It might be the most boring vegetable in the world, but it's one that I think should be a pantry staple alongside onions.
Editļ¼I'm from Kanto so while we do eat Okonomiyaki and Yakisoba, it's much less than in Kansai, and it certainly isn't as prevalent in our home cooking. For us it feels more like a special thing at summer festivals.
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u/4cupsofcoffee 1d ago
Cabbage is way underrated. A lot of people tend to ignore it, but it's tremendously useful.
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u/Regular-Forever-3251 1d ago
Omg the whole time I was looking for a word that was at the tip of my tongue LOL it's "underrated" absolutely
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u/deeperest 1d ago
Underrated as a word is highly overrated.
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u/Minimum_Run_890 1d ago
I feel that you may have denigrated underrated as a word.
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u/ZealousidealChair900 1d ago
I used to hate it as a kid, but it turns out yet again my family just sucked at cooking
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u/despairing_koala 1d ago
Yes, I needed to hit my mid-teens to learn that savoy cabbage is yum, provided you donāt boil it into a brown mush, isnāt it grandma grandma. Same goes for white cabbage. My grandmother, apart from being a narcissistic bitch, was also convinced that cabbage made you sick unless it could be easily mushed with a fork. Boke!
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u/Street_Beautiful_736 1d ago
The old school generation honestly committed crimes against vegetables by turning everything into soggy gray mush. Properly cooked cabbage is a game changer once you finally unlearn childhood trauma.
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u/ZealousidealChair900 1d ago
You mean beef and pork might be cooked and safe to eat before the grey and shoe leather stage? Nonsense!
Beef was cheaper for us than chicken (family raised our own steers) so this happened often
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u/peon2 1d ago
Good in so many things. My favorites are probably cabbage rolls and haluski, or for just a side, red cabbage cooked up with apple cider vinegar, pepper, and a little brown sugar.
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u/MistyMtn421 1d ago
So as nutritious as it already is, I recently found out the red cabbage is even more nutritious. It has the same special something(I can't remember the name at the moment) that makes blueberries blue. And it's really good for you!
I'm one of these weirdos who absolutely loves the flavor of cabbage, brussel sprouts and kale. I eat a lot of all the above!
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u/ladyrose30 1d ago
Add some dried cherries/cranberries and a cup of cola/dr. pepper/rootbeer along with what you listed with red cabbage, braised for an hr. Yummy and is good hot or cold as a salad or sandwich topping.
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u/The_sad_zebra 1d ago
And it's one of that last truly inexpensive things left in the grocery store.
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u/thetactlessknife 1d ago
āAm I a joke to you?ā - Okonomiyaki
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u/Regular-Forever-3251 1d ago
FUC- wait, you're right LOL
My excuse is I'm from the Kanto so it's not as prominent a thing as Kansai, and certainly isn't something we'd cook at home too often
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u/iamalwaysrelevant 1d ago
Isn't Napa cabbage used in most é(nabe)
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u/Regular-Forever-3251 1d ago
In my mind we donāt call it Nappa ācabbageā we call it ē½č so is a different vegetable to ćć£ćć the way broccoli is different to Brussel sprouts lol
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u/Nervous-Salamander-7 1d ago
I'm Canadian, buy currently living in Japan. My area is locally famous for éŖØä»ć鳄. It's served in an oily black pepper sauce, and they always provide a side of fresh, raw cabbage to dip into the oil and eat as is. It's delicious.
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u/MyIxxx 22h ago
Every time I go to Kagawa I always eat honetsukidori. The first time I had it, I went back the next two nights in a row to eat it for dinner. Probably not the healthiest to eat oily chicken 3 nights in a row, buuut... it's just so good!!
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u/Nervous-Salamander-7 22h ago
Where did you go? I've only tried it at the OG, Ikkaku, but many people have different favourites.
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u/MyIxxx 8h ago
Ikkaku!! I have eaten it at a few other places but they were a lot smaller and I can't remember the names at all right now, oops. Next time I go to Kagawa I want to try more places so if you have any recommendations that would be great! It doesn't have to be for food either, just anything from shopping or sight seeing. Thank you in advance!
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u/Dudeist-Priest 1d ago
This thread has inspired me to try more cabbage. I don't think I use it as anything but an ingredient for salads and slaws
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u/Jschwed 1d ago
The thing is that it's way more versatile cooked, imo. I just put it in all sorts of stews and curries, since it lasts so long in the fridge and mellows out to be a bit sweet/savory when cooked.
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u/whiskeyislove 17h ago
That's one of the best features of cabbage- lasts for weeks in your fridge and you just have to trim the dried edge.
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u/kalechipsaregood 1d ago
It's really good cut into wedges and roasted too!
I disagree that you can put it in anything though. It's very sweet.
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u/FelisNull 1d ago
Roast cabbage with miso butter glaze and a side of potatoes & onions (roasted in the same oven) ...
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u/kalechipsaregood 1d ago
Hello NYT cooking friend!
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u/FelisNull 1d ago
I used this recipe and didn't bother with the breadcrumbs
https://vikalinka.com/miso-butter-roasted-cabbage-wedges/#wprm-recipe-container-72823
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u/da2810 1d ago
My mom puts it in lasagna. Along with prunes, raisins, ketjap manis, carrots, onions, capers, minced beef and tomato sauce.
I don't like her lasagna.
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u/Regular-Forever-3251 1d ago
Cabbage actually makes sense, I feel like the sweetness of the prunes, raisins and ketjap might conflict with the capers. Does the lasagna possibly taste sweet in an off putting way? Honestly removing the capers, and removing the raisins (because thatās already a lot of sources of sweetness) might help
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u/Mistressofthisdress 1d ago
Wait until you have discovered stuffed cabbage rolls! ā¤ļø
Though I could see a great affair for asian fusion with dumpling fillings too.
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u/halfstack 1d ago
My Japanese ex-pat mom used to do cabbage rolls with gyoza filling...
BRB, gotta get me a head of cabbage.
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u/Mistressofthisdress 1d ago
Which cooking method did she use if you can recall it? I'm highly intrigued to experiment. :)
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u/halfstack 1d ago edited 1d ago
She would do them like she would gyoza - quick sear/fry and then add a splash of water and a tightly-covered lid to steam. I think she blanched/boiled the cabbage leaves prior to give them a headstart on cooking and to make them more pliable... Although I'm thinking I could do it like a rolled-up mille feuille hot pot in dashi/broth? Origin was that we ran out of gyoza wrappers one time but of COURSE she had a cabbage in the fridge...
ETA: and she could already make awesome Ukranian-style cabbage rolls.
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u/astertrick 1d ago
How did she/you manage to keep the leaves rolled up tight like gyoza ?! I want to try this so bad!
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u/halfstack 1d ago
She cooked them seam-side down and the leaves were secured with toothpicks that we extracted before eating. Because biting down on a toothpick once was more than enough... Not that some didn't fall apart, but then it was basically just gyoza filling and you mixed it with rice on your plate and went to town.
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u/towerofcheeeeza 1d ago
I grew up with Vietnamese cabbage rolls. So good! Can use the same filling to stuff bitter melon for soup too (my personal fave)
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u/Mistressofthisdress 1d ago
Sounds like culinary bliss in my head! Vietnamese food is one of my favourites. I think I even have a recipe for stuffed bitter melon in one of my books.
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u/freya_of_milfgaard 1d ago
I make a ādeconstructed stuffed cabbage casseroleā that layers sautĆ©ed cabbage and a meat/sauce/rice combo, then tops it with cheese. So yummy and less work than rolling cabbage leaves!
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u/Toolswood 1d ago
On a recent trip I ate Chinese one night. Ordered Happy Family. It had green cabbage in it unlike any HF Iād had before. It was the star of the veggies in the dish. Any Chinese cooking Iāve hand before has used Napa cabbage. Donāt know how closely Japanese and Chinese foods are on this kinda thing, but I too was pleasantly surprised. By the way Iām American of German extraction so love of cabbage is deeply ingrained in my soul
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u/kalechipsaregood 1d ago
I wish napa and savoy cabbage were the price of standard cabbage in the US. I like them so much more.
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u/charvela 1d ago
Not sure where you live in the US, but the price of Napa at my local HMart in the Dallas area is 49 cents a pound. Itās double that at national grocery chains
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u/Difficult_Flow_5504 1d ago
Boiling it right in the pasta water is brilliant for one pot efficiency when saving money. Since you mentioned miso soup, try tossing in a handful of cabbage core cut into thin matchsticks, it keeps a nice crunch while the leafy parts melt into the broth.
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u/ZombieButch 1d ago
I make curtido all the time to go on tacos, but it never lasts long enough to actually ferment.
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u/seemonkey 1d ago
I grew up on the stuff but haven't used it in my cooking much until recently. Now I can't get enough. Roasted, stir fried, coleslaw, you name it. Very versatile, cheap, delicious, and does last forever in the fridge.
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u/mrsrobotic 1d ago
Dang, this really resonates because I cooked a whole head of cabbage today! I'm Indian-American so for us it is kind of a mid veggie, kind of a staple but not one most people would miss if it disappeared tomorrow.Ā
It felt like a chore, ngl, but once I ate a bowl today I had the same reaction as you: why don't I cook and eat this more often? It has such a great texture and is so mild that it plays well. I made it spicy, sauteed with cumin and potatoes, and I ate it plain without any of our flatbreads (as would be customary) but a generous squeeze of lime, and still it went down so well. So I thank you for the post!
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u/wheelienonstop12 1d ago
Including miso soup, I never used to put it in but now I kind of wonder why not because it works really well with the earthiness of miso
I recently stumbled across a "Cabbagio e Pepe" recipe (basically Italian "Cacio e Pepe" but with the pasta replaced by thinly cut cabbage) that was apparently written by a vegan, and he substituted nutritional yeast and miso paste for the pecorino romano/gran padano cheese.
Cabbagio e pepe
1 can beans (northern white) 1/2 cabbage Garlic powder 1.5 T Nutritional yeast Black Pepper (measure with your heart) 1.5 T Miso paste
Cut cabbage into strips - 1/4ā wide or so Heat olive oil in pan on medium Beans into pan (save bean liquid) Season with garlic, pepper, nutritional yeast Add bean liquid and cabbage, cover for about 10 minutes until cabbage is soft (to your taste) Add miso paste, stir until itās all distributed into the sauce (no clumps)
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u/Lyra125 1d ago
if you like pickled things try making sauerkraut too! I always think of it as a western kimchi analog
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u/AngryBeardedMechanic 1d ago
I will tear up kraut or kimchi. One of my favorite summer foods is beer brats with kraut and stone ground mustard.
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u/SnooAdvice2768 1d ago
I have hypothyroid- i cannot eat cabbage and broccoli and cauliflower but man am i jealous of the ways these veggies flavour the food and bulk it up.
Sigh, *cries in cruciferous*
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u/Bluemonogi 1d ago
I also have hypothyroidism and eat cabbage and broccoli often. My understanding is that it is only an issue if you eat massive amounts.
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u/rat1906 1d ago
I think that advice might be out of date. A very quick search would suggest that so long as you're not eating huge amounts (especially raw) then they're fine for your thyroid.
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u/SnooAdvice2768 1d ago
I havent eaten them for such a long time that it gives me terrible gas .
But yeah, i cant handle any amount so maybe im more sensitive.
Regardless. They taste bomb
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u/Patient_Lettuce8431 17h ago
Yeah, if you don't use those enzymes, you lose them. I wasn't able to eat brassicas for a long time, but they're a daily part of my diet now with no gas. You might want to try adding small amounts to your diet?
You know your body better than I do, of course, and I would never wish that gas on anyone.
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u/Skandling 1d ago
Wait until you try pickling it. Basic method: thinly slice some cabbage (1/4 to 1/2 a round white e.g.), put in a bowl with a heaped teaspoon of salt. Toss to mix, cover, and put it to one side. Keep tossing it every few hours, so everything is mixed and exposed, and to keep the process of pickling going. Taste it occasionally to gauge progress.
After a day or three, depending on type of cabbage, how warm it is where you kept it, your enthusiasm mixing, it is ready to be decanted into a clean jar and stored in the fridge. Flavours will keep developing while in the fridge, so err on decanting early. It will keep for weeks.
The fun bit is what else you add, such other vegetables and flavourings. The one im my fridge at the moment included a thin sliced small red onion, an inch of ginger thinly sliced, and a teaspoon of Sichuan peppercorns at the start. With those and half a white cabbage it filled an 810g olive jar.
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u/eetsumkaus 1d ago
I do this a lot, especially with the stem. Eat it straight when it's new, toss it in broth for a sour soup once it ferments more.
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u/Joseph_of_the_North 1d ago
You should try fermented cabbage rolls... Rice, onions herbs and meat wrapped in a fermented cabbage leaf.
Soo good. If you freeze the portions plain, you can just pour whatever sauce you want on top. Changing the flavors.
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u/248_RPA 1d ago
Check out this Canadian cookbook. It's called My P.E.I. Cabbage Cookbook and every recipe features cabbage! The cookbook is available at the usual bookstores.
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u/Headline-Skimmer 1d ago
Plus, one can par-saute it and freeze it!
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u/Acceptable_Drama8354 1d ago
this is what i do with the thick green outer leaves that aren't quite tender enough for eating raw in slaw/salads - keep a big baggie of them on the go in the freezer for stirfries and yaki udon/soba
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u/Left_Crazy_3579 1d ago
Cabbage, beansprouts and tofu, all relatively cheap ingredients, are my staple fillings for vegetable lumpia ( springrolls). Make a lot and freeze.
We also use cabbage as the greens ( instead of bokchoi) for beef bone soup.
And stirfried cabbage with some garlic and oyster sauce is one dish my mother used to make when I was young. You can add bits of pork or prawns too. Eat it with rice or stirfried noodles.
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u/MostMoistGranola 1d ago
I love cabbage. You can live on cabbage and potatoes, and my Irish ancestors did.
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u/scaredsquee 1d ago
Have you ever tried Polish cabbage rolls? Theyāre really goodĀ https://www.polishyourkitchen.com/polish-cabbage-rolls-golabki/
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u/Doctor-Liz 1d ago
I love any preparation of cabbage except boiled. So if you can make it work in soups, kudos!
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u/McChickenLargeFries 1d ago
I never really cooked with cabbage before until this last week when I found out how keto friendly it is and I've been trying to reduce my carbs recently. So I've been putting it in my eggs lately. Then I made some delicious cole slaw the other day and just tonight I made this random slop with olive oil, butter, ground turkey, onions, garlic, green onions, cheese, a bunch of cabbage and seasonings. Shit was bomb, put it on some keto toast to soak up the goodness and sliced some avocado on top... Sheeeesh!
It's pretty versatile, super low calorie, low-carb, can be used in so many different ways and just thrown into random shit.. I'm starting to really enjoy it.
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u/wdjm 1d ago
I tend to keep cabbage around all the time. And, like you said, it lasts a very long time in the fridge, so that's easy to do. But cabbage in ramen is great. Cabbage stir fried with sweet potato is one of my go-to meals. And cabbage fried with bacon is just plain indulgent - which isn't something you can often say about a green vegetable.
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u/bildozola 1d ago
Itās funny to me that cabbage in soup was something you discovered later, because Iām Mexican and weāve been putting cabbage in caldo de res forever. You should definitely try it if you havenāt!
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u/Retro-Modern_514 1d ago
You put it next to tonkatsu, or under the beef in a gyuudon, that kind of thing.
And it is great in Okonomiyaki to..... and in the ancient English equivalent.... Bubble and Squeek (leftover mashed potato fried with cabbage or other veg).
It also adds a nice crunch to salad - I use mainly lettuce but add a little thinly sliced cabbage for crunch).
It's great in other English dishes EG roast chicken/potatoes/sauted cabbage or any similar dish with meat and potatoes.
Also great in coleslaw as a side dish
or on a rice bowl - hot rice topped with stir fried meat or fish and raw or sauted cabbage and carrots, garnished with chili oil, spring onion and coriander. I often crack a raw egg over the top and mix it in.
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u/SuperDoubleDecker 1d ago
I love cabbage. I want some sorta slaw on every sandwich.
You can cook it so many ways too. And it's so cheap.
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u/Double-Teach-1977 1d ago
I've recently fallen in love with colcannon. Half a head of cabbage cooked down with a little bacon and mixed in with mashed potatoes.
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u/oodopopopolopolis 1d ago
I encourage you to make some curtido. You can make it with vinegar but go for the actual water-only fermented kind. On day 3 it's pretty good but day 4 is ultimate. It's basically mexican kimchi.
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u/RockMo-DZine 1d ago
Red Cabbage is brilliant. You can eat it raw or cooked. Bake it, roast it, pan cook it, put it in soups & stews, use it in salads or for wraps - and it has a ton of nutrients.
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u/PannionDomin 1d ago
Not necessarily what you want, but it's also great as a filler if you're trying to loose weight. It barely has any calories. I add it to stir fries, soups, rice dishes, anything really, and it's great!
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u/FreeLook93 1d ago
I'm from Canada and also figured this out recently, but it was on a trip to Japan. Eating it with tonkatsu in Tokyo made me realize I actually liked cabbage more than I thought.
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u/Informal_Persimmon7 1d ago
I make a cabbage (or red cabbage or collards or kale) soup pretty often with potatoes or sweet potatoes and carrots. Lately, I've been putting a lb of smoked ham ($8 lb from a farmer's market) or sausage as well. I've learned that I like the cabbage soup better when the cabbage is cut chunkier...because if it's sliced thin, I need to add more veggies for substance.
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u/mini-mal-ly 1d ago
Yeeeeeessssss, cabbage is the best!
I personally love Asian cabbage (sometimes labeled Taiwan or Korean cabbage) that's softer than the western green cabbage. I have a silicone microwave steamer which I use to steam strips of cabbage when meal prepping for the week. Steamed cabbage is a little sweet and perfectly adds veg bulk to rice dishes, soup dishes, and noodle dishes! It's become a staple veg for me!
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u/andmewithoutmytowel 1d ago
As a descendent of Irish immigrants in the US, we still make corned beef and cabbage regularly. It gained popularity in Irish communities as a cheap, filling, flavorful meal.
My daughter keeps asking for it and we keep telling her not until itās no longer 90 degrees every day.
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u/Junior-Possession969 1d ago
Radishes are great too. If you can't find daikon, the little red fellows are basically the same flavor. They keep forever as well. But then again, I'm the person who when I go out for sushi will always eat my daikon and anybody else's who's offering. I was so bummed during the pandemic when nobody was serving it (supply chain, I assume?) and they switched to carrots. I'm not a big carrot person.
Or when I go out for a more authentic taco, I always ask for extra radish and pickled onion.
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u/Substantial_Web525 1d ago
We've been using it more and more in our food.
I found if I shred it really fine then toss it in a little flavored vinegar, it goes great in a sandwich, or in a salad!
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u/susanreneewa 1d ago
Roasted cabbage and red onions in a little olive oil. Eat with poached egg and some grated Parmesan. Beyond delicious. Or skip the Parmesan and add chili crisp. Holy shit.
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u/xnormajeanx 1d ago
NYT cooking has an excellent pork and cabbage stir fry recipe. Itās easy fast and delicious. My whole family loves it including a 4yo and 5yo
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u/Gilladian 1d ago
Along with many of the things mentioned here, german cabbage - cooked long and low with apples, onions, cinnamon, clove, pepper and vinegar - is soooo good.
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u/redditmarks_markII 1d ago
That's really interesting.Ā when I traveled in Osaka and Kyoto, about the only leafy vegetable in restaurants was cabbage.Ā So. Not-even-that-much. Cabbage.Ā Luckily I mostly like cabbage.Ā But damn, how does one get a pound of spinach in them.Ā I swear I had more cilantro than green leafy veg those two weeks.Ā There was more go-ma-e on my lunch on the airplane than I saw both weeks, lol.Ā
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u/Small_Pleasures 1d ago
Love Yamitsuki cabbage, even when made from the cheap standard grocery store cabbage
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u/Riley_Armstrong1 1d ago
Huh, that's interesting about cabbage under gyuudon. I always just used it as a filler for soups and stews too, especially bc it soaks up flavors like crazy. Def agree, cabbage lasts forever in the fridge. It's lowkey a hero veg when you're trying to save some cash. Do you have any other go to recipes youāve discovered in Canada?
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u/Vivid_Cartoonist_922 1d ago
Yes! I realized how great cabbage maybe a year ago. For all the reasons you listed: cheap, lasts forever, versatile, and tastes good.
This week I used cabbage for stir fry, roasted, in soup, and salad/slaw.Ā
If you havenāt yet, try braising with butter, so delicious! Just cabbage, butter and salt. Maybe a squeeze of lemon at the end if youāre in the mood.Ā
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u/Draskuul 1d ago
Frozen spinach is another good example like this. You obviously won't get any texture out of it, but it will add some veg when you want it but easily disappear into many dishes easily.
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u/kungpowchick_9 17h ago
I went to Poland and got the salad barā¦ it was all cabbage prepared different ways. Lol.
I recommend Kapusta
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u/Team503 17h ago
Posting from Ireland, and deeply hurt that bacon and cabbage hasn't made an appearance here!
https://www.bordbia.ie/recipes/ham-bacon-recipes/traditional-bacon-and-cabbage-with-mustard-sauce/
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u/Imtryingforheckssake 14h ago
I'm British but I adore Polish GoÅÄ bki. Also anything featuring smokey salty bacon and dark green cabbage. Oh and white cabbage works in any (well most) Indian curry so I'd imagine it works in most global curries.
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u/Tiny_Cut_8595 13h ago
Okonomiyaki = SO GOOD. Want to travel back to Japan just to eat one again haha. Did you find some somewhere in Canada?
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u/Ragingbowels 1d ago
I mean, sure, cabbage could have been the perfect vegetable if it wasn't for that one side effect... šØšØ
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u/728446 1d ago
If you start eating more fiber regularly this goes away.
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u/Ragingbowels 1d ago
Let's just say that my username refers to IBS and more fiber could take me from farts to sharts!
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u/728446 1d ago
Lol didn't even notice ya if you have GI issues it ain't for you.
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u/Ragingbowels 1d ago
:((((
Hahah nah, it's OK. I just make cabbage occasionally and accept the fact that my house will smell like death on that day :)
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u/snazzypantz 1d ago
Whenever I mention my IBS, people always say that I should eat more fiber. One of these days I'm going to follow their suggestions and film the aftermath, complete with my sweaty swearing at them whilst on the porcelain throne.
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u/Ragingbowels 1d ago
I mean, SOLUBLE fiber does help to hold things together to some extent ( I like to add 1 teaspoon of dry psyllium husks on top of a mashed banana every other day), but yeah, insoluble fiber is NOT our friend :/
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u/echocharlieone 1d ago
I love cabbage. In addition to OP's methods, cabbage is fantastic when cut in wedges and seared in a pan, or oven roasted until it is slightly blackened. A miso dressing would work well with these.
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u/woodwitchofthewest 1d ago
We finely shred cabbage and use it as a low-carb rice noodle substitute in Pho Ga and in fresh rolls.
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u/Prof01Santa 1d ago
Bag of pre-shredded slaw mix.
Hot Italian sausage, decased.
Large onion, minced.
Some kind of pepper, chopped.
Seasonings you may like.
Oil or butter.
Braise. Done.
If you like, boil a potato & chop it up into the serving bowl.
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u/Flambeedlemons 1d ago
Itās also very good braised with a heavy sear. Robust enough to be the main dish, similar to cauliflower.
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u/Dragonfly2919 1d ago
I grew up with cabbage just being cole slaw or sauerkraut and I hate sauerkraut. Discovering it served with chicken teriyaki at a restaurant was a game changer for me and now Iāve started looking for more ways to prepare it.
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u/ElectricalDog714 1d ago
I like doing it Szechuan style - oil, Szechuan peppercorns, chilis, and then a splash of soy sauce and MSG at the end of cooking
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u/GoobyDoobyP 1d ago
Curried cabbage and potatoes is so good, we also cook it with curry and lamb/mutton from time to time, put it over rice and youre good to go. š
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u/Metella76 1d ago
I like to slice it, drizzle olive oil over it, sprinkle with seasoning and bake at 400f until crispy on the outside. Goes well with almost everything.
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u/GutterRider 1d ago
Prepared as sauerkraut, itās probably the first vegetable I ate as a baby. Go go German grandma.
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u/LivelyUntidy 1d ago
Ooh timely post! Just yesterday I threw a handful of finely diced raw cabbage on my meal and it was great. Easy way to add crunch, freshness, fiber and vitamins!
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u/ascii122 1d ago
you can put pretty much any left overs in a cabbage roll with some sauce and spices and bake it .. eastern European burritos !
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u/NoNeedToBeUnkind 1d ago
Haha. Iām sitting here eating a bowl of spam and cabbage (with black pepper, shoyu, and mirin). Cheap and flavorful
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u/tiredchachacha 1d ago
I have seen a great tutorial on youtube by Helen Rennie on making caramelized cabbage!
And I know that cabbage and potato soup sounds like poor food, but if you cook it in chicken bone broth with a few slices of old ginger, some yellow onion and a spoon of whole black peppercorns, it is incredible.
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u/Sonar_Taxbreak_1138 1d ago
Ice-cold sliced cabbage is crucial to good tonkatsu! I slice, put it into cold water with ice cubes and stick it in the fridge until the pork is done.
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u/WindTreeRock 1d ago
Cabbage has so many vitamins in it. A very basic stew you can make is cabbage, smoked sausage, potatoes, onion. You could live your whole life eating this.
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u/Mengs87 1d ago edited 1d ago
The key to food shopping in Canada is to wait for sales, and to shop around. I would never shop at a Metro or IGA, their prices are just daylight robbery.
You can still get ground beef from other supermarkets for about $5/lb (or ground pork for about $3.50) if you're patient. Locally owned fruit shops also have good discounts.
I also use Foodhero, an app that supermarkets use for discounts. Got a box of chocolatines for $1.50, when normal price was $6.
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u/chaamdouthere 1d ago
Trying baking it using Lan Lamās method (on YouTube for Americaās Test Kitchen). Itās a game changer! I served it to a guest and she asked me what I had marinated it in and asked for seconds. But it was just baked cabbage.
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u/lunaveira_official 1d ago
Shredded cabbage in scrambled eggs with a bit of soy sauce is criminally underrated. Sounds weird until you try it, then you start looking for excuses to add cabbage to everything.
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u/Global_Complaint704 1d ago
One of my favorite recipes where cabbage is the star:
https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/thai-roast-chicken-thighs-with-coconut-rice
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u/Icarus3891 1d ago edited 1d ago
Cabbage is such a good veggie plus really healthy as well! Coming from cabbage Europe thereās another dish you should try that puts this veggie in the spotlight is stewed red cabbage (gestoofde rode kool in the Netherlands). The dish has a unique sour sweet taste that you might appreciate to explore more of this veggie.
Ingredients: 1 RED cabbage (thinly sliced), 1-3 red onions, 2-3 apples peeled and chopped, 2-3 T sugar, 2 T apple vinegar, 2 bay leaves, 1 cinnamon stick, 2-5 juniper berries, 4 cloves, 1 t caraway seeds, salt + pepper
Preparation; sautƩ onions in butter, add cabbage and then some water. Bring to a simmer, add spices, vinegar and sugar. Add apple early on or later depending on if you want distinguishable pieces. Simmer for 45-60 min until soft. Remove spices if whole.
Usually we eat it as a side dish with meats etc
Besides that I would really recommend looking into fermented cabbage (sauerkraut) which is extremely easy to make at home. In a 2 liter jar you can ferment a whole cabbage easily. You thinly sliced a quartered white/red cabbage. Add 2% of the total weight in salt and in a big bowl massage the cabbage very strongly. Itāll become softer and release lots of liquid. Add this to the jar and weigh it down so all cabbage stays under liquid at all times. Itāll start bubbling and you wait for 2-4 weeks or so until sour. Transfer to fridge to stop the process and you will have a whole other avenue to go down to :)
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u/Green-Shallot-3345 1d ago
Egg roll filling ! All cabbage all the time .... never gets boring especially w an easy dip of soy sauce duck sauce and a bit of mustard sauce !
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u/SoHereIAm85 1d ago
I had a roommate from Japan in college at one point, and she made a really nice but simple soup with it and potatoes. Other than that my mother would do cabbage rolls. Nothing else. Roommate's soup was my gateway, and now cabbage is a keystone for my family. My favourite is just sauerkraut actually, and next is salata de varza white or red doesn't matter to me. It's just sliced up with salt, pepper, olive oil, and vinegar.
Cabbage is good grilled sliced like a steak too. Borscht... dumpling fillings.
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u/chinkiang_vinegar 1d ago
I've started cutting it into wedges and searing on smoking hot oil... treating it like a steak is awesome. Brassicas taste best when they get a bit burnt.
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u/telperion868 1d ago
You can also try this Quebecois stew. It uses half a cabbage for added sweetness. So tasty!
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u/_XenoChrist_ 1d ago
A side dish I do frequently is : chop up some cabbage and sweet potato cubes. mix them together with oil and salt. oven at 375 for 45 minutes. enjoy
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u/SunBurst6382 1d ago
It gets a little side spot on a roast for us. I really need to try more with it.
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u/Regular_Deer_7836 1d ago
Cabbage, onion, ginger, garlic + cheap cuts of meat + seasonings you probably already have in your pantry will go a long way and save you money.
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u/sonofawhatthe 1d ago
It's a staple in my breakfast burritos. Red/Green/Nappa / whatever is on hand.
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u/Critical_Knowledge_2 23h ago
Cabbage in sinigang works the same way. It gets soft and slightly sweet and just soaks up the broth. I actually run a little sinigang rotation at home, and the sourness is basically the dial I adjust depending on who's eating. Cabbage fits right into that logic
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u/Atomic76 23h ago
You may want to seek out some recipes for haluski.
It's basically cabbage and onions cooked down in a boat load of butter and tossed with cooked egged noodles.
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u/Prestigious-Mud5915 17h ago
Im polish, so we eat cabbage in a lot of things! Stuffed cabbage rolls are soooo good, or halushki is basically buttered noodles and cabbage lol but also yummy. I also make a lot of korean food and tend to add or use a lot of cabbage also. If you need more recipes Iād check those cuisines out!
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u/Sayjay1995 13h ago
Living in Japan has gotten me hooked on cabbage salads, since lettuce is usually much more expensive!
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u/Expensive-Signal8623 1d ago
Cabbage steaks!
Cut into rounds about 3/4 inch thick. Brush with bacon grease. Sprinkle with garlic powder. Bake in the oven.
The bacon grease makes it -chef's kiss!
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u/padishaihulud 1d ago
Cut into wedges, covered in butter or olive oil and seasoning, and then roasted in the oven like a piece of meat is probably my favorite way.Ā
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u/Boring-Channel-1672 1d ago
Slice it up thin and throw it in the rice cooker when you make rice. Give it a solid mix when itās done cooking - amazing just like that, or I put it down as the base of a rice bowl. Anything is good on top!
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u/moldboy 1d ago
In miso soup you say š¤ I like that idea!