Simple Stir Fried Shredded Cabbage with Cured Indian Chilies ( Stir Fried Cabbage with Mor Milagai)

This has to be the simplest and tastiest side dish that you can ever whip up a storm in no time. It's quick, hassle-free and simply budget friendly. What makes it so Indian is that we are using Indian pickled or cured dry chilies or we call 'Mor Milagai' in Tamil. You can buy it with all other tempering ingredients from the Indian grocery stores in your place. Pickled dry chilies are nothing but fresh green chilies like Jalapeno type to be mixed with curd/yoghurt and lots of salt, and later sun-dried for a couple of days. That's why it has to be fried in the oil until it changes to dark brown colour to release that exquisite pungent heat from the chilies. They can be pretty daunting spicy and salty, so you need to season with salt only if needed. As you cook, taste your food for salt and if you are mild spice eater go slow with the chilies. If you don't have that pickled dry chilies, you can substitute with normal dry red chilies. The taste would be slightly different, but that doesn't matter. My recipes are just providing an idea for you to come up with your innovative dishes. You can always improvise the recipes as per your taste. You just have to follow your instinct and stick to your gun when you are cooking in the kitchen. Good luck.

Stir Fried Cabbage with Mor Milagai

INGREDIENTS: 

Finely shredded cabbage - 10 cups

Finely sliced big red onion - 1

Chopped garlic - 1 clove

Grated coconut - 6 tablespoons (optional)

Salt to taste

TO TEMPER:

Oil - 1 tablespoon

Mustard - 1 teaspoon

Urad dal - 1 1/2 teaspoons

Curry leaves - a few

Pickled dry chili (Indian Mor Milagai) - 3 broken into pieces

METHOD:

1. Heat a pan with vegetable oil, add mustard and allow it to sputter, then add urad dal and broken pieces of pickled dry chilies (Indian Mor Milagai). Wait for the urad dal and pickled dry chilies to change to brown colour. 

pickled dry chilies (Indian Mor Milagai)

2. Next, chuck in sliced onion, chopped garlic and curry leaves. Sauté lightly and add shredded cabbage. 

Sliced onion and curry leaves

Shredded Cabbage

3. Give a stir with some salt added. Once, the cabbage has cooked well. Switch off the flame and sprinkle some freshly grated coconut. Mix together and serve as a side dish with any of your favorite meal.

Thank you

Abby