Prepare it Spicy or non-spicy if you make this once, you won’t make cabbage any other way. This is an easy sauteed spicy cabbage recipe with very few ingredients and tastes delicious! It’s healthy and a great vegan dish, even the picky eaters will love it.

Correct me if I am wrong, I feel cabbage is mostly used for coleslaw and soups. If you make cabbage any other way, please comment below stating your favorite cabbage recipe. I would love to know how you cook for your family.

We love sautéed cabbage and I make this very often. In Sri Lanka, we call it Gova Thel Dala. A few other ways we cook cabbage are cabbage coconut curry with potatoes, red lentil, and cabbage curry, and stirfried cabbage with grated coconut.

Cabbage pairs very well with fish/ chicken. I made this for lunch and served with rice, dhal and spinach curry and pan-roasted chicken. You can have this with bread or toss with some cooked noodles. If you want it as a vegan meal you can serve this with warm rice and other vegan curries.

Sautéing the cabbage needs to be done on medium heat until it is cooked through, but with a slight crunch. Stirring regularly is important to cook the cabbage evenly without burning them. However, I like a little bit of browning here and there.

You can leave the chili flake and chili powder out if you cannot handle the heat. I always take some out for my son separately before adding the chili.

Ingredients

Cabbage – This recipe calls for green cabbage, but red works well too. A few things to remember when choosing a cabbage are that the cabbage should be shiny bright green and firm to the touch. Avoid cabbages with bruised or damaged leaves.

Spices – Black mustard seeds and turmeric powder are important for this recipe. Red chili flakes and red chili powder can be adjusted according to your spice level or can be left out.

Onion & herbs – I used red onions here, but you could use any onion that is on hand. Although, this recipe can be made without onions too. Use fresh curry leaves for this recipe, and adding pandan leaves is optional.

Oil – For an authentic flavor use coconut oil. Other options are olive oil, sunflower oil, or any other flavorless oil.

How to make easy sauteed spicy cabbage?

Heat the pan on medium and add the oil to the pan. Add the mustard seeds and let them pop.

Next, put in the chopped onion, curry leaves, pandan leaf, shredded cabbage, and turmeric powder. Give it a mix and let it cook for 10-12 minutes. Make sure to stir regularly so the cabbage cooks evenly.

After 12 minutes, add the salt, red chili powder, red chili flakes mix well, and cook for another 3 minutes. Serve warm.

Make it kid-friendly

To make this kid-friendly leave the red chili powder and red chili flakes.