Stir-Fried Cabbage with Fennel Seeds + Banana Cardamom Milkshake

We're celebrating Meatless Mondays with balanced, delicious meal plans. We hope you'll join us -- whether you're vegetarian all the time or just here and there. 

Today: How to make dinner out of cabbage. Hint: it includes fried eggs and an after-meal milkshake.

  

Over the past week, you've eaten a lot of turkey. You've had your fair share of sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, stuffing, and pie, too. Soon enough, you'll be gearing up to do it all over again.

So take advantage of this inter-holiday calm to eat cabbage for dinner. And not just ordinary cabbage, but caramelized cabbage spiced with South Indian flavors -- the type of dish that might not make it to your holiday table.

We know you're wondering how to make cabbage into a complete dinner and we've got 3 words to answer that question: eggs, rice, and milkshakes. Nestle the cabbage between a fluffy bed of rice and a quivering fried egg, then blend up a banana smoothie for an after-dinner treat. And voilà: It's cabbage for dinner.

The Menu

Take advantage of our handy grocery list and game plan, or click the recipe photos or titles to see (and save and print) the full recipes.

Madhur Jaffrey's Stir-Fried Cabbage with Fennel Seeds by Genius Recipes

Banana Cardamom Milkshake by Merrill Stubbs

The Grocery List

Serves 4

Rice
Half of a large head of cabbage
1 large onion
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
2 large bananas, peeled
Vanilla ice cream
1 lime
Seeds from 8 crushed cardamom pods

You probably have vegetable oil, salt, cayenne pepper, eggs, and milk in your kitchen. If not, pick those up, as well.

The Plan

1. Cook whatever rice you have, whichever way you prefer. Keep an eye on it while you make the cabbage. 

2. Prep the vegetables. Remove the coarse outer leaves of the cabbage, then slice it into long, thin shreds using a bread knife or a food processor. Peel the onion, cut it in half, then slice it into thin half-rings. 

3. Heat 1/4 cup of vegetable oil in a wide pan over medium-high heat. Add all of the seeds to the oil and as soon as the sesame begins to pop, add the onion. Stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes, until browned.

4. Add the cabbage and stir-fry for 6 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and cayenne, to taste. Turn down the heat and cook for 7 to 8 minutes more, stirring now and then. 

5. Meanwhile, fry one egg per person. Return to the cabbage. Once the onions are caramelized and soft, add a tablespoon of lemon juice and the garam masala and season to taste. Fill bowls with rice, then top with stir-fried cabbage and a fried egg. It’s dinnertime. 

6. Now for your after-dinner treat: Blend the bananas, 4 scoops of vanilla ice cream, and 1 cup of milk with the lime juice and cardamom seeds. Sip away.

Photos by James Ransom and Sarah Shatz