Cabbage Stew with Chinese Five Spice & Rosemary
Recipe
There is that scepticism about cabbage, I know. Peasant, cheap food. But for the number of times I’ve heard that vegan food is expensive, I’m gonna take that – because, let’s face it, plant-based food is a bargain in terms of the cost of its production from an ecological perspective, not to mention the taxating effect animal-derived products have on your health.
Also, I’ve heard that there is this big new fad about Kimchi… Well, what about the humble Sauerkraut?! Both originated in China (yep, not Germany!), both are raw and fermented.
I tested this recipe on my boys in the City and guess what? To my absolute delight, they loved it! If you like bitter sweet dishes with loads of aromatic spices, this one is a must!
Prep time: 15 min
Cooking time: 50 min
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients
- 1 medium size white cabbage
- 300g Sauerkraut*
- 120g Puy lentils
- 2 medium size onions
- 1 apple
- 2 tbsp. coconut oil
- 1 tsp. Chinese Five Spice
- 1 tsp. mustard seeds
- 1 tsp. fennel seeds
- 1 tbsp. rosemary
- 1 tbsp. thyme
- 1 tbsp. marjoram
- 4 tbsp. Tamari or light soy sauce
- 4 tbsp. strawberry jam
- 3 tbsp. white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp. vegetable bouillon
- Freshly ground black pepper & salt to taste
- 400g Farfalle pasta
*I recommend buying a 900g jar by “Krakus”, available in large Sainsbury’s
Method
1. Roughly peel and chop the onions. Place them into a big cooking pot, add coconut oil and fry on a high heat, constantly stirring, for about 1-2 minutes, until golden. Remove the core from the apple, chop it and add to the frying pan. Turn down the heat. Add all the spices and cook for another 5 minutes.
2. Discard the outer leaves of the cabbage if they are damaged or hard. Shred it and add to the cooking pot. Cover with a lid and cook for about 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
3. Add sauerkraut, Tamari, jam, white wine vinegar, bouillon and cook for another 35 minutes.
4. In the meantime, cook the pasta separately. Once ready, drain and add to the cooking cabbage. Grind a generous amount of black pepper on top, add a pinch of salt and let it stew for another 5 minutes
Remember, it always tastes better the next day, if you allow for the tastes to combine!