I often advocate putting vegetables at the center of the plate, making them the culinary focal point of the meal while giving protein more of a supporting role. But there is more than one way to spotlight vegetables. Having them on the side isn’t the problem, treating them as an afterthought is — that practically dooms them to be less desirable.
Happily, it doesn’t take much effort to turn a vegetable side from a boring should-eat to an alluring want-to-eat. That’s the idea here, where three ingredients — cumin seeds, yogurt and lemon juice — punch up simply sautéed cabbage so much that it could easily steal the show on any meat-and-three plate.
It’s essentially an autumnal version of an Indian-style, creamy cucumber salad I make regularly throughout the summer.
First, you toast cumin seeds in a skillet to bloom their flavor, then crush them slightly to open them up. Then, in the same skillet, you sauté shredded cabbage until it is just wilted; it’s nice to retain some of the cabbage’s fresh crunch here. Then simply stir in the crushed cumin, a squeeze of lemon, and some yogurt.
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The resulting dish is gently crisp and earthy, speckled with flavor sparks of cumin seed and enveloped in a creamy, lemony dressing. It’s delicious warm or at room temperature, and can be served alongside just about any roasted or grilled protein. No matter what you serve it with, it will likely be the first thing you want to dig into on your plate.
Get the recipe: Wilted Cabbage With Cumin and Yogurt
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