Chopped Cabbage with a Yellow Split Pea Sauce

Name: Chopped Cabbage with a Yellow Split Pea Sauce (Muttaikose Usli)
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: 6 dried red Thai or cayenne chiles, stems removed (see Tips); 2 tablespoons canola oil; 1 teaspoon black or yellow mustard seeds; 1 tablespoon skinned split black lentils (cream-colored in this form, urad dal), picked over for stones; 2 teaspoons coarse kosher or sea salt; 4 cups finely chopped cabbage; ½ teaspoon cayenne (ground red pepper); 12 to 15 medium-size to large fresh curry leaves; ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric; 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems; 1 cup yellow split peas (chana dal), picked over for stones; ½ teaspoon ground asafetida; Vegetable cooking spray

Muttaikose Usli

Preparation info

Serves
6

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

660 Curries

By Raghavan Iyer

Published 2008

About

One of many dishes spooned atop banana leaves, uslis are often served at weddings in southern India. Cut-up yard-long green beans are a favorite, but I love the texture of cooked cabbage in this version. The steamed split pea paste not only appeals to the protein-conscious eater but also thickens the sauce.

Ingredients

1 cup yellow split peas (chana dal), picked over for stones
6 dried red Thai or cayenne chiles, stems removed (see Tips)

Method

Place the split peas in a medium-size bowl. Fill the bowl halfway with water and rinse the peas by rubbing them between your fingertips. The water will become cloudy. Drain this water. Repeat three or four times until the water remains relatively clear; drain. Now fill the bowl halfway with warm water and add the chiles. Set the bowl aside at room temperature, covered, unti