Steamed Cabbage Rice

It has been a few days since I posted. Not because I haven't tried anything new but mostly because I've been battling the worst seasonal allergies these past 2 or 3 weeks and have been quite worn out in the evenings. Feeling somewhat human today, so decided to post some of the recipes I've worked on. It also so happens that I added to my list of new vegetables during this brief hiatus. 

Steamed Cabbage Rice, with Steamed Broccoli

New Veggie #67 - Purple Cabbage. I'd just never gotten around to trying purple cabbage although I've eaten plenty of regular green cabbage in my life. Oddly enough, I came to the conclusion several years ago that I am slightly allergic to raw cabbage. I say slightly because I don't have a huge reaction and don't need to get epi injections but my tongue feels swollen and my mouth itchy whenever I eat raw cabbage - no coleslaw for me. Interestingly, whatever it is that I am allergic to, either cooks down, or breaks down when the same cabbage is sauteed for a few minutes in a pan. Hence, I tried a Steamed Cabbage Rice recipe. 

Prep Time: 15 min

Ingredients (4 Servings):

1. 1 head of Purple Cabbage, sliced thinly, with a knife or mandolin slicer (about 4 cups raw)
2. 1 cup White Basmati Rice
3. 1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
4. 1 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
5. 2 tbsp Low-Sodium Soy Sauce
6. Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Boil white rice in ample amounts of water, drain and set aside. While the rice is boiling, remove outer leaves from the cabbage, rinse the whole head and then slice the cabbage as thinly as you can. Some people prefer to wash the cabbage after its been sliced, but I tend to think of a closed head of cabbage as a closed onion bulb, you remove the outer layers, rinse and then use. In a deep sauteing pan on medium-high heat, add an eighth of a cup of water and add ginger-garlic paste, rice wine vinegar and soy sauce and a splash of salt. Saute for a couple of minutes and then add sliced cabbage. Saute for another couple of minutes until the cabbage just begins to wilt. And the add the steamed white rice and toss it all together. Enjoy with your favorite oriental flavors. I had it with steamed broccoli drizzled with Spicy Thai Peanut Sauce.

My Assessment: This is a great way to add more colors to your meal and also to add more fiber and fresh vegetables. While cabbage doesn't have the fiber content of the power-food kale, it is still considered a green leafy vegetable and has a lot of nutritional benefits. Since I only sauteed it until it began to wilt, the cabbage also added a nice crunch to the rice. I liked it and I think I will definitely be using this to add a little extra oomph to my steamed rice. On this particular day, I used white rice, but I this would work equally well with steamed brown rice as well. 

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving): Calories 218 (Fat Calories 25)
Total Fat 2.8 g; Carbohydrates 43.6 g; Dietary Fiber 1.8 g; Sugars 2.7 g; Protein 5.6 g