Cabbage and Peas Shaak
Last weekend, we celebrated our first year of marriage. It was quite a year with many unexpected things that happened. I learned so much about myself, relationships, and just life itself this year. One of the main things I learned is that communication is key to make a marriage successful. I am usually a passive person and I try to avoid conflict whenever possible, which I realized is also a problem. It is good to communicate your feelings to your partner instead of “letting it go” when necessary. Otherwise, resentment and anger can build up. There were many changes for me this year. Moving to a different state, moving in with in-laws, adjusting to a new job, and dealing with illness. Sometimes I am very critical of myself, but I would like to say that I *think* I adjusted to these changes gracefully.
Another thing that I learned is not to loose your individuality when you get married. This is definitely harder said than done though, for me. Sometimes I fear that I will loose the independent, fun, carefree person I was before marriage, and to some extent I feel that I already have. However, the one thing that has made me feel more like “me” was cooking. I have always enjoyed experimenting with cooking, but it is also harder to do when you move in with the in-laws. Therefore, I tried using the weekends to experiment with cooking. Anyways, I feel like I have become so much wiser this year and I am learning to give myself more credit for the person that I am! Hope you enjoyed reading about what life has taught me… and now on to the food!
This cabbage and peas shaak is not really an experiment in cooking though. It is a classic Indian/Gujarati shaak and this one is made without onion or garlic. I don’t think my husband really cares for this shaak, but it is one of my favorites and SO easy to make. I like chopping the cabbage beforehand to save time when making this shaak. I recommend chopping the cabbage whenever you have an extra 10 minutes on your hands and it will make your life easier.
Cabbage and Peas Indian Shaak
Ingredients
- 4 cups chopped cabbage
- 1 cup peas I used frozen peas, which I thawed
- 3 tbsp oil
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp asafoetida (hing)
- 1/2 tsp shredded ginger
- 1/2 tsp finely chopped green chilis
- 1 tsp cumin/coriander powder mix
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp red chili powder
- 1/4 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Warm up oil in a nonstick pan.
- When oil is warm, added in cumin seeds and mustard seeds.
- Once seeds start changing color, add in asafoetida (hing).
- Add in peas, ginger, and green chilis and stir it around.
- Let it cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add in chopped cabbage and stir it around.
- Add in all the spices. Stir and cover with a lid, give it a good stir occasionally.
- After a 2-3 minutes, add in 1/8 cup water to keep the spices from sticking.
- After around 10 minutes or so, the cabbage should be softer and cooked.
- Add in lemon juice at this point and turn off heat.
- Optional: Top with chopped cilantro.
- Say a prayer of gratitude and enjoy!