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Cabbage Chutney (South Indian Cabbage Pachadi)
4.5 from 16 votes

Cabbage Chutney (South Indian Cabbage Pachadi)

Spicy and tangy Cabbage Chutney also known as Cabbage Pachadi features healthy cabbage with lentils. It also included flavorful herbs, spices and tangy tamarind. This vegan recipe comes from the South Indian cuisine and is made without onion, garlic and coconut.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
25 mins
Servings: 4
Calories: 70 kcal
Course: Side Dish, Condiments
Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

For cooking cabbage
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil (gingelly oil)
  • 1 teaspoon urad dal (split and husked black gram)
  • 1 teaspoon chana dal (split and husked bengal gram)
  • 2.5 cups cabbage chopped
  • 1 to 3 green chilies - add as needed
  • 10 to 12 curry leaves or 1 sprig curry leaves
  • salt as required
Other ingredients
  • 1 teaspoon tamarind
  • ⅓ to ½ cup water - for blending chutney
For tempering
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
  • 1 or 2 red chili halved and seeds removed, dry

Instructions

Sautéing Chutney Ingredients
    Cup of Yum
  1. Heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil in a frying pan. Add the urad dal (split and husked black gram) and chana dal (split and husked bengal gram)
  2. Fry the lentils on a low heat till they turn golden and fragrant. Take care not to burn them.
  3. Add chopped green chilies. For less spiciness add half of a green chili or or 1 green chili. For a more spicy chutney, you can even add 2 to 3 green chilies.
  4. Next add the curry leaves. Stir and mix..
  5. Add the chopped cabbage. If you want you can blanch the cabbage in hot boiling water for 5 minutes prior to sautéing the ingredients. Drain all the water and then add the blanched cabbage.
  6. Season with salt as per taste. Mix very well.
Cooking cabbage
  1. Cover the pan with its lid and cook the cabbage on a low heat for 9 to 10 minutes. In between do check while the cabbage is cooking. Stir and again cover & cook.
  2. If the cabbage starts sticking to the pan. Add in a splash of water. Mix and deglaze the pan. Cover and continue to cook.
  3. The cabbage should be half cooked or almost cooked. There should be a slight crunch in them. Do not cook them completely. Let the cabbage mixture become warm or cool at room temperature.
  4. Now add the cabbage mixture in a blender or grinder. Add 1 teaspoon tamarind.
  5. Add ⅓ to ½ cup water and blend to a smooth and fine chutney.
  6. Remove the chutney in a bowl. Do scrape off all the chutney sticking at the bottom and sides of the mixer jar and add it into the bowl.
Tempering
  1. Heat 1 to 2 teaspoons sesame oil in the same pan or in another pan. Lower the flame and add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds and let them crackle.
  2. When the mustard seeds finish crackling, add a pinch of asafoetida and 1 or 2 red chilies.
  3. Stir and mix well.
  4. Add the tempering mixture to the ground chutney. Mix well.
Serving Suggestions
  1. Serve cabbage chutney with South Indian snacks like Idli, Dosa, Medu Vada, Adai or Upma.
  2. You can also eat it as a side dish with dal-rice or sambar-rice or rasam-rice.
  3. It also tastes good as a side with plain steamed rice or rice gruel (porridge) and some roasted papadums by the side. Simply mix the chutney with the steamed rice or the savory rice porridge.
Storage
  1. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for a day only. Before serving, let the cabbage pachadi come at room temperature.

Notes

  • Cabbage: Do not overcook the cabbage and make it mushy as you won't get the best flavors in your chutney. Swap green cabbage with purple or red cabbage to make a vibrant colored chutney.
  • Tamarind: In place of tamarind use ½ to 1 teaspoon of tamarind paste or sauce (unsweetened) or as required to make the chutney sour. Optionally you can also add lemon juice if you do not have tamarind or tamarind paste. Do keep in mind that lemon juice will give a different quality of sour taste than that of tamarind.
  • Lentils: Adding lentils in the recipe gives it a nutty flavor. However feel free to skip them, if you are out of stock with lentils.
  • Spices: The spiciness and pungency in the cabbage chutney comes from the green chilies. For a less spicy version, reduce the quantity of green chilies. You can easily sub dry or fresh red chillies with green chilies.
  • Variations: To make a green colored cabbage pachadi, add about 2 to 3 tablespoons of chopped coriander leaves (cilantro). You can also make a coconut cabbage chutney by adding about ¼ to ⅓ cup fresh or desiccated coconut (unsweetened). Add the grated coconut after the cabbage is half-cooked and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.
  • Scaling: Easily scale the recipe to make a small or a large batch to feed people as needed.

Nutrition Information

Calories 70kcal (4%) Carbohydrates 6g (2%) Protein 1g (2%) Fat 5g (8%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Sodium 338mg (14%) Potassium 94mg (2%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 3g (6%) Vitamin A 238IU (5%) Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 1mg Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 1mg Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 29mg Vitamin B6 1mg Vitamin C 68mg (76%) Vitamin E 1mg Vitamin K 34µg Calcium 36mg (4%) Vitamin B9 (Folate) 314µg Iron 1mg (6%) Magnesium 9mg (2%) Phosphorus 17mg Zinc 1mg

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 70

% Daily Value*

Calories 70kcal 4%
Carbohydrates 6g 2%
Protein 1g 2%
Fat 5g 8%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Sodium 338mg 14%
Potassium 94mg 2%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 3g 6%
Vitamin A 238IU 5%
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 1mg
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 1mg
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 29mg
Vitamin B6 1mg
Vitamin C 68mg 76%
Vitamin E 1mg
Vitamin K 34µg
Calcium 36mg 4%
Vitamin B9 (Folate) 314µg
Iron 1mg 6%
Magnesium 9mg 2%
Phosphorus 17mg
Zinc 1mg

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.