Indian-spiced Cabbage

Whenever I went to an Indian restaurant or ate Indian food at home, I used to wish for more vegetables or an obvious vegetable dish to go with the main course. Now, thanks to my friend Tiffany from church, I know what to make: Indian-spiced cabbage. For the past several years a group of us has gotten together to have Indian food for our Easter dinner. One year Tiffany made this Indian cabbage, and I liked it so much that I asked her for the recipe. I have modified it a bit so that it's easier to make with the ingredients I usually have on hand, but the flavor is pretty much the same. My version is inspired also by a "hot" Indian coleslaw recipe and a cabbage and carrot stir-fry recipe.

Indian-spiced Cabbage
serves 2 adults

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
  
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp. curry powder
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. granulated white sugar
• dash of cayenne pepper
• 4 cups of shredded green cabbage (about 1/2 of a small, 2 lb. head of cabbage)
  
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice (fresh is best, but bottled will do)
  

Instructions:

Heat 1 Tbsp. of canola oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Finely chop the onion and then saute until tender. While the onion is cooking, chop the cabbage. Measure out the coriander, curry powder, salt, sugar, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl.

When the onion is soft, add the cumin seeds and stir constantly for about 30 seconds. Then add the other 1 Tbsp. of canola oil and pour in the rest of the spices from the small bowl. Stir constantly for about 1 minute. Add the shredded cabbage and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes, until the cabbage has softened to the texture that you prefer. Stir in the lemon juice and serve.