Cabbage tops the list of superfood favorites though it isn’t as popular as its cruciferous cousins Kale and Broccoli. It is cheap, versatile, and packed with nutrients. Green cabbage is a steal at an average of $0.58 per pound (that’s only $0.25 per cup). Green peas, when combined with cabbage and sautéed with spices, increase consumption.
Buying & Storage Choose a cabbage with fresh, crisp-looking leaves that are firmly packed and a head that is heavy for its size. Red cabbage lasts longer than white ones. Cabbage can be tightly wrapped and refrigerated for a week.
Story: When the British ruled India English vegetables were grown in hilly places like Simla in the north and Ooty in the south. In N. India cabbage & peas were cooked with onions and consumed with chapatis, whereas in the South they were cooked with coconuts and eaten with rice.
Nutrition Facts of Cabbage (Brassica ole racia var. capitata)100g raw
| GI=15 GL=2 | Minerals | Vitamins |
| Water 92.18 | Calcium (Ca) 40 mg | Vitamin C 36.6 mg |
| Energy kcal 25 | Iron (Fe) 0.47mg | Thiamin 0.06mg |
| Protein g 1.28 | Magnesium (Mg) 12 mg | Riboflavin 0.04mg |
| Fat g 0.1 | Phosphorous P 26 mg | Niacin 0.23mg |
| Sugar g 3.2 | Potassium (K) 170 mg | Pantothenic acid 0.21 mg |
| Fluoride (F) 1 mcg | Sodium (Na) 18 mg | Vitamin B6 0.12 mg |
| Zinc (Zn) 0.18 mg | Folate 43 mcg | |
| Copper (Cu) 0.02 mg | Choline 10.7mg | |
| Manganese(Mn) 0.16 mg | Vitamin A 98 IU | |
| Selenium (Se) 0.3 mcg | Vitamin E 0.15 mg | |
| Vitamin K 76 mcg |
Cabbage Health Benefits
- Improve digestive health: Cabbage’s fiber content helps the body retain water and maintain the bulkiness of the food as it moves through the bowels.
- Cancer Prevention: cabbage has anti-cancer compounds like Lupeol, Sinigrin, and Sulforaphane are known to stimulate enzyme activity and inhibit the growth of tumors especially in breast and prostate cancer.
- Weight loss: a cup of cooked cabbage has only 23 calories. It is packed with vitamins, minerals, nutrients, and quite filling with fiber. “Cabbage soup diet ” is the most effective popular diet for losing weight.
Spice Power
- Cumin: may promote weight loss and fat reduction; may improve blood cholesterol and help with diabetes and drug dependence.
- Turmeric powder: Curcumin can suppress many molecules known to play major roles in inflammation.
- Red chili powder: contains capsaicin that stimulates sexual arousal by prompting the release of feel-good endorphins.
- Coriander cumin powder: may prevent food poisoning and increase milk flow for breastfeeding mothers. Coriander seeds, high on the list of healing spices possess anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, LDL cholesterol-lowering, and HDL cholesterol increasing properties. Cumin helps digestion.
Method to cook Cabbage n Peas Sauté
- Veg prep: Peel and chop the onion finely. (2 min.)Peel the outer leaves; quarter the head and remove the core. Slice each quarter into strips; hold strips together and cut into 1/2″ pieces.OR Use a food processor to chop the cabbage finely. (3 min.)Wash cut cabbage twice in water; drain in a colander.
- Quick Microwave method:
- Cook cabbage and peas with salt + turmeric in the microwave. (8 min.)
- Heat oil in a frying pan; add spices and let mustard seeds splutter.
- Add onions; stir fry until translucent. (makes a khuch-khuch sound)Add cooked vegetables; sauté well, stirring intermittently. (2 min.)
- Alternate direct heat stir fry method
- Add chopped cabbage to the pan after the onions are sautéed. Cover with a lid, cook on medium heat.
- Continue to stir cabbage at 2 min. intervals until soft. (8-10 min)
Serve Gobi Matar Subzi with Rice or Quinoa Pilaf, Naan, or Multigrain bread.
TIPS
Cabbage has a lot of water, sauté until “al dente” as overcooking depletes vitamins
Variation : Add fresh or frozen cubed potatoes, carrots or corn instead of peas
