Braised Cabbage
Cabbage is 92% water, so braised it tends either to swim or to taste flat. A hot pan fixes both: brown some of the shredded cabbage until the edges go dark, and those caramelised strands give the dish a depth no amount of spice will.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 50 min
- Total
- 1 h 10 min
- Servings
- 6
- Level
- Easy
- Per serving
- 150 kcal
Ingredients
Makes: 6 servings
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Method
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Step 1: Shred the cabbage
Cut it into 5 mm ribbons of even thickness. Thick pieces will still be crunchy by the time the thin ones have collapsed.
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Step 2: Soften onion and carrot
In a wide heavy pan, fry the onion in half-rings and the carrot in matchsticks in the oil for 7 minutes, until soft with golden edges.
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Step 3: Brown a third of it
Add a third of the cabbage over high heat and leave it alone for 2 minutes until brown edges appear underneath. This is where most of the flavour comes from.
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Step 4: Add the rest
Add the remaining cabbage in batches as each one wilts. Salt it now: salt pulls out water and the cabbage collapses faster.
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Step 5: Braise covered
Pour in 150 ml of hot water, add the bay leaves, cover and cook over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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Step 6: Stir in the tomato
Add the tomato paste and sugar and cook for another 10 minutes uncovered. The excess liquid reduces and the paste loses its raw edge.
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Step 7: Vinegar last
Off the heat, stir in the vinegar and pepper. Acid added earlier strengthens the pectin and the cabbage will never properly soften.
Tips & variations
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Tip
Young summer cabbage cooks in half the time and needs less water — 80 ml rather than 150. Dense winter cabbage may want the full 40 minutes.
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Tip
Use a wide pan. In a narrow one the cabbage sits in a deep layer, floods itself with its own juice and boils instead of braising.
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Variation
Two grated tart apples added with the tomato give the familiar sweet-sour balance without any sugar.
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Storage
Up to 4 days in the fridge, and the flavour evens out by day two. It also freezes well in portions for a month.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 6 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 150 kcal | 900 kcal |
| Protein | 3 g | 18 g |
| Fat | 9 g | 54 g |
| Carbohydrates | 16 g | 96 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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