Muttakos!

Leftover cabbage from the 4th of July, you say? Me too! I made Muttakos, of course. In Hindi, Muttakos means cabbage, and in keeping with longstanding tradition Muttakos indicates the name of the prepared dish as well. This recipe produces a mild preparation of cooked split red lentils (Masoor Dal), onion, tomatoes, a few spices, and of course cabbage. The fried mustard seeds give a bit of bitter softened by the almost caramel-like quality of the fried fenugreek. As the cabbage cooks, it softens both in texture and flavor. The main palette depends on the type of curry powder (Masala) you use. I opted for a fairly mild organic store-bought blend, but feel free to use your favorite.  

Rice is a great accompaniment and makes a complete protein with the lentils.

The serving dish you see up there is my new karhai from India. 

3 C. Water

¼ tsp. Turmeric

1 C. Split Red Lentils-Picked over and rinsed

1 14 oz. Can Diced Tomatoes with Juice

¼ tsp. Brown Sugar or Jaggery

2 Tbs. Ghee (clarified butter) or light vegetable oil

1 ½ tsp. Black Mustard Seeds

½ tsp. Fenugreek Seeds

1 Tbs. Good Quality Curry Powder

1 med. Yellow Onion, Diced

1 ½ lb. Green Cabbage, Stemmed, in ½" Pieces

Chopped Cilantro for Garnish

1. Pour the water into a soup pot, add the turmeric. Stir. Bring to a boil.

2. Add the lentils. Stir well, lower the heat, cover, simmer 20 minutes or until the lentils are cooked through and falling apart.

3. Add the tomatoes and sugar. Stir well. Puree with an immersion blender or a stand-alone blender. Set aside.

4. Heat the ghee in a soup pot. When it is hot, add the mustard seeds. They will pop, so cover the pot.

5. After the mustard seeds have popped for a few seconds, add the fenugreek and fry for about 20 seconds.

6. Add the curry powder and fry for about 5 seconds.

7. Add the onion and cabbage. Stir well, lower the heat, cover, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

8. Pour in the lentil/tomato puree, bring heat to medium, stir everything well, cover, and simmer 20 minutes. 

9. Serve garnished with the cilantro.

Serves 6