Author Notes: I love cooking with fennel. It’s not something a lot of people associate with Indian cuisine but both the seeds, the pollen, and the vegetable itself are staples of the Indian kitchen. When I first started cooking Indian food 23 years ago I was surprised, as I thought that my Italian ancestors had more or less cornered the market on fennel. Next to fennel, I love those little one dollar pre-chopped bags of cabbage for coleslaw one finds in the vegetable section. The way I see it, anytime I can hook one of those bags up with one of my favorite vegetables is a good day. This traditional Indian recipe makes a modern delicious slaw like dish that can be paired with any Indian or Western style meal. It also rocks a barbecue, which goes to prove that everything old is new again. —Kathy Gori
Serves: 4
Ingredients
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8
ounces shredded cabbage
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1
onion halved and thinly sliced
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1
bulb of fresh fennell, washed, trimmed, and thinly sliced
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3/4
teaspoon cumin seeds
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2
tablespoons coconut oil
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1
teaspoon sesame seeds
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1
teaspoon salt
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1/4
teaspoon Kashmiri chili
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1
tablespoon lemon juice
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1/2
teaspoon garam masala
Directions
- Heat the oil in a kadhai or skillet. When the oil is hot, add in the cumin seeds and the sesame seeds.
- As soon as the seeds start to crackle, toss in the sliced fennel, and the thinly sliced onion.
- Stir it all around for about 5 minutes or so until the onion has started to brown. Then add in the cabbage.
- Stir the cabbage around for about 6 minutes or so until it’s well wilted and a bit browned.
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Add in the salt and Kashmiri chili or cayenne mixture, then
turn the heat down and continue to cook everything for another 8 minutes or so until the onions start to caramelize a bit. - Add in the lemon juice, salt, garam masala, and serve it up.
Photo by Alan Berger