Purple Cabbage Poriyal Cabbage Curry With Coconut

Cabbage is called Muttaikose in Tamil and Bandh Gobi in Hindi and is a very common vegetable side dish often cooked in every Indian cuisine. The flavors are based on how we flavor the cabbage. This particular purple cabbage stir fry has no onion or garlic and is seasoned in coconut oil and topped with freshly grated coconut. The flavor of the cabbage with the coconut is amazing and it pairs really well with sambar rice and rasam rice. I love cabbage and it is one of my favorite vegetables. I can eat this cabbage curry just as is like a salad. Not just this cabbage curry but have to say that I love any stir-fry with coconut like Beetroot Curry, Beans curry, or Asparagus curry. These stir-fried poriyals are delicious, especially with freshly harvested vegetables. We grow tons of beets and beans and occasionally cabbage as well. Though I have never grown purple cabbage before, it is on our list to try soon.

Why make purple cabbage poriyal?

Vibrant and colorful - Purple cabbage curry is not just flavorful but colorful. The vibrant colors make it very attractive and visually appealing. Flavor - The slightly sweet flavor of cabbage pairs beautifully with the nutty flavor of coconut. Healthy - Purple cabbage is rich in vitamins, minerals, and anti-oxidants and the fresh coconut adds healthy fat to the mix. Easy to make - Cabbage cooks really quickly and the poriyal comes together in less than 30 minutes from start to finish. Great vegan and gluten-free side dish - Purple cabbage poriyal is a wonderful vegan and gluten-free side dish when making a traditional Indian meal.

Ingredients needed

Check the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact measurements and printable detailed recipes. Cabbage - This poriyal is made with purple cabbage. If you only have green cabbage at hand, we can make the exact same recipe using green cabbage as well. Coconut - We use Freshly grated coconut for the cabbage poriyal. I use frozen grated coconut after thawing it. Seasoning - I season the poriyal with mustard seeds, urad dal/ullutham paruppu, red chilies, curry leaves, and asafetida. We can use a mix of red chilies and green chilies if we prefer. Oil - I would highly recommend using coconut oil to make the purple cabbage poriyal. Any curry made with grated coconut tastes amazing when seasoned in coconut oil. It enhances the flavor of the coconut. Salt and sugar - My mother always adds a little sugar when making any curry with coconut. I do the same and trust me, it tastes amazing.

Step-by-step process

Remove the outside leaves of the cabbage if wilted and chop/shred it into equal-sized pieces. Wash the chopped cabbage and drain and keep it aside.

In a wide pan, heat coconut oil and add the seasoning ingredients - Mustard seeds followed by urad dal, red chilies, curry leaves, and asafetida.

Once the seasoning ingredients are fried, add the chopped cabbage and stir well.

Add the salt needed and mix again. Now cover the pan and let the cabbage cook on low-medium heat.

Don’t overcook the cabbage. Let the cabbage have a mild crunch to it but make sure they are cooked. Evenly chopping the cabbage helps in uniform cooking without making it mushy.

Once the cabbage is cooked and there is not much moisture left in the vegetable, add the grated coconut and sugar if using.

Mix well and cook it for just a couple more minutes and then turn off the heat.

Serve the purple cabbage curry with rice and sambar or rasam.

Variations of Purple Cabbage Poriyal

Cabbage poriyal with coconut is a common Tamil recipe. Purple cabbage poriyal can also be made with a combination of onion and coconut or we could just use onion in the recipe instead of coconut. This cabbage poriyal can be made either with purple/red cabbage or with green cabbage. The recipe remains the same though the cooking time might vary a little. We can make the same poriyal recipe with a mix of cabbage and carrot. We could also use other vegetables like beans, and green beans in the mix.

How to serve cabbage poriyal?

As I already mentioned, this South Indian cabbage curry is the best side with sambar and rasam rice. It tastes amazing with vatha kuzhambu and kara kuzhambu as the sweetness of cabbage compensates well with the spicy kuzhambu. I love it as side with lemon rice or tomato rice. This makes it a perfect side dish for lunch boxes. Not making rice? This purple cabbage curry works really good with roti and dal as well.

Expert Tips

Chop/shred the cabbage in similar size as it helps cooking the vegetable evenly. Cabbage is a great vegetable for meal prepping. When chopping cabbage for the purple cabbage poriyal, I chop the whole head of cabbage. I store the leftover in the refrigerator to make Sweet and sour vegetables, spicy Schezwan fried rice and mixed vegetable subzi. Use coconut oil to season the poriyal for the best flavor. Also, use fresh or frozen grated coconut instead of using desiccated coconut.