Cabbage and potato subzi

I'm not entirely sure how to define subzi, except to say that if you stew vegetables for a while in thorka (a mixture of tomatoes and spices) you're probably making subzi. Even if you are completely ignorant of punjabi cuisine, you likely already know a very popular subzi: aloo gobi. Cabbage and potato subzi is made using the same technique.

You will need:

butter (or oil if you prefer)
1 large onion, sliced
half a head of garlic, peeled and minced
thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and minced
4 tbsp garam masala
1.5 tbsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp whole or ground cumin
0.5 tsp ground red chili
1.5 cups fresh or canned tomatoes, diced
3 cups cabbage, diced into small pieces
1.5 cups potato, parboiled and diced into large pieces
large handful of fresh cilantro, chopped



This is how big I dice the cabbage:



1. The first step is to make thorka. Heat the butter in a deep pan (I find that a dutch oven or a stock pot work well). Err on the side of more butter because (a) it tastes better, and (b) otherwise the spices will stick later. As you are cooking, feel free to add more butter or a little bit of water if things start to stick.

2. Add the onion and saute on medium heat until the onion starts to get translucent.

3. Add the red chili, cumin and 3 tbsp of the garam masala and saute for a few minutes. The measurements for the spices are just a guideline: feel free to adjust to personal taste.



4. Add the garlic and ginger and saute until the garlic turns golden.

5. Add the tomatoes and turmeric. Let that cook down for a while, until the tomatoes are the consistency of a sauce or a gravy.



6. Once the thorka is done, the next step is to add the cabbage and potatoes. You want the vegetables to have enough time to cook and take on the flavours of the thorka without overcooking them. But, you also want to time it so that the cabbage and potatoes are both finished cooking around the same time. I usually parboil the potatoes ahead of time so that I can add everything at roughly the same time.

7. Cook the potatoes and cabbage, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft. Taste the potatoes to make sure they've absorbed the flavours of the thorka. Add 1 tbsp garam masala, adjust spices if necessary and add salt to taste.

8. Remove from the heat and add cilantro. Stir well.



9. Serve with roti (flatbread), yogurt and achaar (spicy pickled fruit/vegetables in oil)