cabbage

What is cabbage, patta gobi, kobi? glossary | benefits | uses | recipes | Viewed 110519 times
Other Name
Patta Gobi, Gobhi

What is cabbage, patta gobi, kobi ?


Cabbage or gobhi, is one of the most popular vegetables in India. It is very leafy, made with each leave making a covering for the other. Light green and white in color, cabbage is a really simple vegetable to cook. There are a lot of varieties of cabbages available in the market which are different in shapes and sometimes even color. Cabbage is used for subzis, parathas, starters and a lot of other recipes, some of which are mentioned below.


How to select cabbage, patta gobi, kobi


Choose cabbage heads that are firm and dense with shiny, crisp, colorful leaves free of cracks, bruises and blemishes. Severe damage to the outer leaves is suggestive of worm damage or decay that may reside in the inner core as well. There should be only a few outer loose leaves attached to the stem. If not, it may be an indication of undesirable texture and taste.


Culinary Uses of cabbage, patta gobi, kobi in Indian Cooking

Cabbage is spectacular in terms that it can be stir-fried, fried or even steamed which makes it great for snacks. The slight pungent aroma and taste of cabbage is improved with urad dal and deep fried to perfection in Mini Cabbage Vadas. For something that is not deep fried and a little on the healthier side, Cabbage Jowar Muthias are perfect. It is a Gujarati snack that that is made healthier by using jowar flour and grated vegetables.


Cabbage Foogath is a simple stir-fry subzi made with cabbage, topped with a lot of fresh coconut and mostly had in the southern states of India. This is also quite similar to the south Indian Cabbage Poriyal. Cabbage, mixed with a binding agent like nachni, makes delicious and healthy koftas. These, combined with a rich, silky gravy made with pumpkins and tomatoes gives us Cabbage Nachni Koftas in Makhani Gravy.

Cabbage is very popularly used in Salad dressings, because of its taste and satiety value. Cabbage can be eaten raw or cooked. It can be boiled, steamed, braised, sautéed, stir-fried, and microwaved. It should be cooked until just tender. Overcooking will result in limp, pasty cabbage and produce a very unpleasant smell.
· Use shredded raw cabbage as a garnish for sandwiches and grated cabbage in salads, soups and sandwich fillings.
· Lightly sauted cabbage along with grated apples mixed into curds makes an interesting raita.
· Make nutritious muthias by mixing grated cabbage mixed with jowar flour, spices and steaming these rolls.
· Fortify Parathas by stuffing them with a mix of sauted carrots and cabbage.
· Add grated cabbage to dosa / adai batter to make it more filling and nutritious.
· Steam the outer large leaves of a cabbage and use them to roll up vegetables or rice. This makes a healthy version of spring rolls.
· Cabbage tastes best when steamed, coated with melted butter, toasted nuts, minced onion & celery. Grated Cabbage in combination with Mint leaves pounded added to Parathas gives a refreshing taste.
· Cabbage leaves are a great way to inspire leftovers. Spoon some leftovers such as rice salad or a vegetable mixture onto the center of a cabbage leaf and roll into a neat little package. Bake in medium heat oven until hot. Enjoy your easy and healthy version of stuffed cabbage.

How to store cabbage, patta gobi, kobi


Keeping cabbage cold will keep it fresh and help it retain its vitamin C content. Put the whole head in a plastic bag in the crisper of your refrigerator. Green cabbage will keep this way for about 2 weeks. If you need to store a partial head of cabbage, cover it tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Since the vitamin C content of cabbage starts to quickly degrade once it has been cut, you should use the remainder within a couple of days. But remember, the older it gets, the stronger the flavor and odour will be.

Health benefits of cabbage, patta gobi, kobi


1. Low calorie : A serving of cabbage contains only 27 calories and can help you in managing your weight. It provides bulk to your diet and thus promotes satiety helping you to eat lesser in between meals. Therefore, it promotes weight loss. A study found that eating cruciferous vegetables was associated with weight loss in a span of two years (1).

2. Relieves constipation : Salads made with vegetables like cabbage, spinach, lettuce will relieve constipation as they provide bulk and helps in easy expulsion of the faeces. A study stated that consuming 20 g/day of concentrated dietary fibre from carrot, cabbage, apple, bran, and guar gum can decrease the mean transit-time through the gut (2).

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Nutritional Information for 1 cup Chopped Cabbage, Gobhi
One cup of Chopped Cabbage is 88 grams.
RDA stands for Recommended Daily Allowance.
24 Calories
1.58 grams of Protein
4.04 grams of Carbs
0.08 grams of Fat

109.12 mg Vitamin C = 272.8% of RDA (about 40 mg)
99.44 mcg of Vitamin K = 82.6 % of RDA (about 120 mcg)
20.24 mcg of Folic Acid = 10.12% of RDA (about 200 mcg)
2.46 grams of Fibre = 9.8% of RDA (about 25 to 30 grams)
27.28 mg of Magnesium (Mg) = 7.7% of RDA (about 350 mg)
38.72 mg of Phosphorus = 6.4% of RDA (about 600 mg for adult)
0.07 mg of Riboflavin, Vitamin B2 = 6.3 % of RDA (about 1.1 mg)
34.32 mg of Calcium (Ca) = 5.7% of RDA (about 1000 mg)
0.052 mg of Vitamin B1, Thiamine = 5.2% of RDA (about 1.2 to 1.5 mg)
0.70 mg of Iron (Fe) = 3.3% of RDA (about 20 mg for women)
149.6 mg of Potassium (K) = 3.1% of RDA (about 4,700 mg)
0.35 mg of Vitamin B3, Niacin = 2.9% of RDA (about 12 mg)
0.26 mg of Zinc = 2.6% of RDA (about 10 to 12 mg)
105.6 mcg of Vitamin A = 2.1 % of RDA (about 4800 mcg)
Cabbage cubes
Cube Cabbage by cutting them into uniform strips. Line up the strips with your non-working hand and cut them into square pieces. As per the recipie, chop them into particular size of the cubes, (for example, "cut into ½-inch cubes").
Chopped cabbage
Chop Cabbage by cutting them in small pieces approximately ¼ inch in diameter, although the chopped food doesn't need to be exactly the same size. If the recipe calls for the ingredients to be "coarsely chopped," make the pieces slightly larger. In the same way you can cut red cabbage and white cabbage. You can take individual leaves and can chop or shred them as per recipe requirements.
Grated cabbage
Cut the cabbage into half and rub it against a grater. Shreds will range in size according to size of the holes in the grater. Use grater as required - thin or thick shreds.
Green cabbage
A cabbage with a firm, dense head with smooth leaves. Its outer leaves vary from pale green to dark green and the inner leaves are white to pale green. It has a mild flavor and crisp texture. This is one of the most commonly found cabbages.
Parboiled cabbage
To parboil, boil a large pot of water, cut off the bottom of the cabbage so you can have individual leaves or it is easy to pull individual leaves off the cabbage itself. Plunge in boiling water (watch your hands) and then let the leaves sit for a minute and pull out or continue to roll the cabbage and pull off the topmost leaves as they have sat in the boiling water for a minute. Continually roll the cabbage until you have enough cabbage leaves.
Shredded cabbage
Place the cabbage on a chopping board and with a large sharp knife cut in half through the root. Place each cabbage/lettuce half cut-side down and slice in half through the root. You can shred the cabbage thickly or thinly, as the recipe calls for.

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