An Indian classic meets Ottolenghi in this genre-defying cabbage

Meal with underrated vegetable can be ready within an hour, including prep time

Cabbage is a totally underrated vegetable. It is nutrient dense and has a slight peppery taste. With its crunchy texture, I actually love to munch on cabbage raw.

Of course, I didn’t like it growing up. But I remember enjoying it the way my grandmother made it when I visited her in London when I was 10 years old. She would slice the cabbage real thin, then throw it into a pot with tempered spices like mustard seeds, curry leaves, turmeric, green chiles and ginger. She’d saute it for a few minutes with some green peas and garnish with cilantro. I vividly remember how delicious it was, enjoyed with hot, ghee-laden rotis.

My grandmother and mother used to talk on a daily basis. Maybe my grandmother told her how I enjoyed that cabbage dish, because after I returned, my mom’s cabbage changed drastically — and I actually loved it. To accommodate me and my brother, who loved potatoes in everything, mom would also put potatoes in the cabbage. That Gujarati dish, Kobi Bateta nu Shaak (Cabbage Potato Spiced Vegetable), became one of the first few dishes I learned from her: just a few simple ingredients that came together in no time.

I wanted to Ottolenghi-fy this beloved family dish, creating a Middle Eastern-meets-Indian weeknight-friendly meal that can be ready within one hour, with prep time included.

I start with the lavash chips. Lavash is a thin Middle Eastern flatbread made with whole wheat flour; it’s easily found in most grocery stores now. I brush the flatbread simply with olive oil, then sprinkle Maldon sea salt on top. The bread is cut into strips, and then baked until light brown. They crisp up nicely. The chips can be made a couple of days in advance.

For the cabbage, I place large wedges in a pan to char the sides and then braise them until tender in ginger, green chile and spices.

The cabbage is served over a bed of waffle-cut fries, topped with a drizzle of spiced yogurt, crushed peanuts, toasted sesame seeds and thinly sliced jalapeños.

The sweet cabbage with the spices, fries, garnishes and crunchy lavash chips tastes absolutely wonderful, and I am proud of it. It is reminiscent of my childhood, yet elevated, incorporating techniques I learned after coming to this country. This is a meal that I will be coming back to again and again.

Amisha Gurbani/Special to The Chronicle Indian Spiced Braised Cabbage With Waffle Fries and Lavash Chips is an Ottolenghi-inspired riff on a classic dish.