Is this the perfect side dish?

Charred Hispi Cabbage With Curry Leaf Butter and Curried Lime Yoghurt

I’ve never really got the appeal of hispi cabbage before. In my experience, they always seem to be the veggie fallback option on restaurant menus and as a recovered vegetarian myself, I can’t in good faith accept cabbage as an appropriate vegetarian main alternative. It’s a guaranteed way to leave a meal hungry. Even more so when they arrive to the table sad, cold and bitter, in turn making me sad, cold, and bitter.

As a side however? Now we’re talking!

There are a few ways to make this quite bland vegetable actually taste nice; charring is one of them and you can do it a few ways. One, is on the hob (extra points if you have a griddle pan, bonus points if you do it on the barbecue) and the second, is in a very hot oven. I’d say that on the hob, you’ll get a better and more even colour therefore better caramelised flavour, but run the risk of the cabbage core still being raw whilst the leaves are charred to a crisp. The oven will ensure a more even cook throughout and less cleaning up (anyone else hate cleaning the hob?!). Charring them transforms the humble cabbage into a smokey and caramelised, sweet, yet tender delight to eat and makes them the ideal vessel for a punchy butter or oil to seep into the layers of leaves.

Whichever route you choose, we’re going to be drowning the cabbage in a deliciously fragrant spiced butter by the end so just do whatever is easiest for you. Both processes begin the same way by removing any limp outer leaves, trimming the end of the root off and slicing lengthways into wedges. I also like to make a few small scores in the core with a knife to help the heat get in there and cook it faster.

I think this has everything you would want from a side dish: vegetable-focused, satisfaction of texture from the crispy outer leaves, a smokey, sweet char which can take on the rich fragrant butter and is gratefully balanced by the zing of lime and cooling earthy yoghurt.

I served this alongside a pilaf made with basmati rice, chickpeas, sultanas and tonnes of fresh herbs. It would also be delicious with a spiced roast chicken and flatbread to mop up all the juices, to crown a creamy dahl, alongside grilled halloumi or paneer, or next to some tandoori roasted new potatoes. If you must eat at as a main, for love of god cook some lentils with it and know that I will be rolling my eyes as you do.

---

Charred Hispi Cabbage With Curry Leaf Butter and Curried Lime Yoghurt

Serves 4-6 as a side

Ingredients:

1 large hispi cabbage

125g butter

2 red chillies, thinly sliced

5g curry leaves (this is the weight of a packet in Sainsbury’s)

200g natural yoghurt

½ tsp ground turmeric

1 tbsp curry powder

1 lime, juice and zest

salt and pepper

olive oil

Method:

1. Heat your oven to 220C. Remove the outer couple of leaves from the cabbage and trim off the end of the root. Slice it in half lengthways then cut each half in half again or into thirds to create wedges, depending on how big your cabbage is. Then, score a couple of incisions down the length of the cabbage core with the tip of your knife to ensure an even roast.

2. Line a baking tray with parchment and lay the cabbage wedges evenly on the tray. Sprinkle with 1 tsp of salt and 2 tbsp olive oil, smothering this all over the cabbage wedges with your hands. Roast in the hot oven for 15-20 minutes, flipping over half way until the core is tender when pricked with a knife and the leaves are to charred.

3. Meanwhile, make your curry leaf and chilli butter by melting the butter in a frying pan until beginning to foam. Add ½ tsp salt, the curry leaves stripped from their stalk and the sliced red chilli. Fry these until the curry leaves begin to turn translucent then remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

4. For the curried yoghurt, simply mix the yoghurt with the turmeric, curry powder, zest and juice of the lime, 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

5. Once the cabbage is cooked, remove from the oven and arrange on a platter. Pour over the warm fragrant butter, then dollop the curried yogurt on top and grate over some fresh lime zest.

BTS mess