Cabbage is certainly an unsung hero and braised cabbage is a star! Cabbage marries well with many ingredients, and fits into any budget. Serve this braised cabbage as a comforting side dish or part of a main meal.
Personally, braised cabbage tastes best when we perform Amman prayers.
Some interesting information regarding the Amman prayer, if you would like to read more about this.
Hindus perform the Amman prayer giving thanks to the Goddess Marie Amman for their health and well-being. It is also referred to as the “porridge” prayer. “The prayer is observed during the Tamil month of Aadi, which falls during July and August.
Thousands of years ago there was an outbreak of measles in a village in India. “The goddess came to the aid of the villagers and nursed them back to health. She fed the villagers porridge and a mixture of turmeric and syringa leaves. When they were healed, she returned to the forest.”
He said the people in the village went looking for her and found her under a syringa tree. This encounter led her to reveal herself as the Mother of Nature.
“The goddess requested that every year at this time they gather to worship her and distribute porridge.”
PRAYER
Keeping the tradition of prayer and worship, Vayapuri said devotees prepare the porridge, which contains mealie meal, sour milk, salt, onions and shallots.
“Devotees will also prepare three separate vegetable curries and mixed vegetables. The curries, seven kinds of seeds and porridge are offered to the Mother. The seeds are then thrown for the birds to eat. The seeds are a token of appreciation for the harvest of crops and for providing people with food.”
Curries and the porridge were then fed to the people.
“It is believed that when a sick person drinks the porridge, they will be healed of any ailment.
“The household members then make up food parcels to distribute to their surrounding neighbours.”
BRAISED CABBAGE
Ingredients
- 1 small cabbage
- ¼ cup cup oil
- 1 small onion
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- few curry leaves
- 3-4 dried chillies
- 1 tsp jeera seeds
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- salt to taste
- freshly chopped coriander
Instructions
- Slice cabbage thinly. Wash and drain out water well
- Heat oil in a large clean pot over medium heat. Add onions, mustard seeds, jeera seeds, dry chillies and curry leaves. Fry this to brown slightly and when the mustard seeds start to pop, add in the chopped cabbage.
- Close lid of pot and allow cabbage to steam and shrink for 10 minutes. Stir cabbage well, add salt and sugar.
- Allow cabbage to fry brown on all sides, adding a little water at a time, if necessary
- Allow waters to evaporate.
- Cabbage must me cooked through and browned with crusty bits on the sides of the pot, then it’s ready
- Takes about 20-25 minutes to achieve this.
- Garnish with coriander.
