An easy-to-make, Sri Lankan-inspired mild curry of thinly sliced cabbage, toasted cashews, spices and coconut milk, topped with a deliciously spicy coconut and lime sambal. A naturally vegan and whole food recipe.
Thank you for not skipping over this post. Unless you really love cabbage, the very mention of it might have most people clicking the delete button. But you are obviously not most people. Maybe you really love cabbage. Or quite possibly the lure of the word curry is stronger than your desire to avoid cabbage.
I hope to reward your curiosity. 🙂
Because, let’s be honest. Cabbage is a bit boring and stinky. Well, I think it is. Or at least I used to think it was. Over the years I’ve learned that there a few tricks to make it not only palatable, but actually delicious. And not all involve curries.
Why bother with cabbage?
Although cabbage probably won’t be at the very top of our weekly grocery list, there are a few good reasons why it should be. At least in the colder months.
1. It’s helluva healthy. Replete with dozens of health-promoting antioxidant, anti-inflammatory polyphenols, cabbage – even white cabbage – is a bit of a superstar. It really has too many goodies in it to elucidate here, but of all of the vegetables we should be eating on a regular basis, cabbage ranks very highly. It is recommended to eat the equivalent of 3/4 of a cup of cabbage a day: 5 cups a week. Read this article on  World’s Healthiest Foods for detailed nutritional information. As it has both fat- and water-soluble nutrients, vary the way you enjoy it. Raw or lightly cooked is best for water-soluble nutrients like vitamin C. While we get the most from fat-soluble nutrients of fat-soluble nutrients like vitamin K by cooking food in a bit of fat. Cabbage is packed with both K and C.
2. Cabbage is cheap and usually available in some form or other year-round. You can use any cabbage you like in this curry recipe. Or why not try kale, or even Brussels sprouts?
3. It stores very well. And because it stores well, it is a very economical veg. Remove any plastic and store in a food-safe plastic bag with a paper towel inside. If you cut your cabbage in half, rub the cut surfaces with lemon juice. It should keep well in your fridge’s crisper drawer for two weeks. If you have a cool garage like I do, keep it in a mesh or cloth bag hanging from a hook. I do this with root vegetables, hard squashes and cabbages. Separately.

doesn’t the cabbage look like egg noodles?
4. Cabbage is hugely versatile. Cabbage has been eaten in many cultures for a few thousand years. Cuisines as varied as southeast Asian, Polish and Irish elevate the humble cabbage in some pretty gorgeous recipes. There are some interesting modern takes, too. Garlic-roasted cabbage wedges sound like a great side dish to me. I share some more DELICIOUS links below.
5. It is the main ingredient in two of the best fermented vegetable dishes, kimchi and sauerkraut. These are both super easy to make and taste even better than bought. If you do buy either, make sure they aren’t pasteurised and that they are sold and stored in the refrigerator.
15 Delicious Cabbage Recipes
Sweet Onion, Cabbage and Wild Rice Soup (above) – This humble cabbage, sweet onion and porcini mushroom soup is as simple, honest, and delicious as it gets. Served hot and slurpy with flecks of wild rice, it’s the kind of soup that comforts and fortifies body and soul. Fit this into your winter lunch or dinner repertoire for a nourishing, earthy boost.
Rainbow Slaw with Lemon-Garlic-Tahini Dressing
Beetroot Green and Cabbage Muthiya – little spicy Gujerati vegetable bites
Sichuan Pepper Cabbage Kimchi (above) – Make your own food fireworks with homemade kimchi. This spicy, pungent, fermented vegetable dish will make any savoury recipe sparkle with added umami and interest.
Cauliflower Chickpea Curry Wrap with Crunchy Cabbage Relish
Beet and Red Cabbage Sauerkraut
Charred Cabbage Caesar Salad with Drinkable Dressing! (below) – Charred cabbage gives new life to good old bistro staple, the Caesar salad. Unlike Caesar made with lettuce, this recipe can be prepped head and assembled when you want to eat. And the easy vegetarian dressing is damn near drinkable. Â Be prepared for an intensely umami experience.
Quinoa and Lentil Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Vietnamese Salad with 10-Minute Sticky Tofu (above) – Crunchy cabbage and carrot salad bathed in a tangy Vietnamese–style dressing and topped with pan-fried, 10-minute marinated tofu. Quick, easy and naturally vegan.
Asian Crab Salad for One (above) – A tangy, low-carb crab and shredded cabbage salad, with toasted nori seaweed. Easily doubled. A great light lunch for one or starter for two.
Fish Tacos with Ginger-Poppy Seed Slaw

Cabbage Cashew and Coconut Curry
Now that I’ve got you hungry for cabbage (!) do read on for my easier-than-it sounds cabbage, cashew and coconut curry. We have it with wholegrain rice but it is equally fab with buttered wholemeal flatbreads.
**Remember to follow me on Pinterest and, if you make my Creamy Sri-Lankan Cabbage and Cashew Curry, click on the pin below the recipe card and leave a photo of your make with a comment telling me what you think, or any awesome changes that you made. Similarly, any Instagram posts tagged @food_to_glow using my recipes will go on my Story if I see them. I’m always so proud when you share my recipes with the world. Yay!!!
Whether on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or of course here on the blog, I love to see what you do with my recipes, and I welcome your comments, star ratings, tweaks and suggestions.**

Creamy Sri Lankan Cabbage & Cashew Curry
An easy-to-make, Sri Lankan-inspired mild curry of thinly sliced cabbage, toasted cashews, spices and coconut milk, topped with a deliciously spicy coconut and lime sambal. A naturally vegan and whole food recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 400 g cabbage thinly sliced
- 100 g carrot shredded/grated
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 long green/red chilli split
- 1 tbsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 10 dried curry leaves or fresh, if available
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 3-inch cinnamon stick or 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp ground fenugreek optional
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 100 g cashews
- 250 ml hot water
- 400 ml coconut milk full-fat or reduced-fat
- coriander to serve
- 2 limes divided use
Coconut Sambal
- 33 g toasted coconut fresh or dried
- 3 tbsp boiling water if the coconut is dried
- 2 shallots or 1/3 small onion
- 1/2 lime
- 1/4 tsp Kashmiri chilli or cayenne, or Sri Lankan chilli powder
- 3 curry leaves finely shredded
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp sugar
Instructions
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Saute the onion in the coconut oil with a pinch of salt for five minutes, stirring. Add in the minced garlic, split chilli, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, fenugreek, turmeric, cinnamon, pepper and cashews. Saute on a low heat for fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally.
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Pour in the coconut milk and water. Bring to a fast simmer and cook for 10 minutes without a lid. Add in the cabbage and carrots, stirring well. Add a lid (or cover with foil/baking tray if no lid) and simmer for eight minutes. Squeeze in the juice of one lime and stir.
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Serve with extra lime slices, and lime sambal (recipe given), plus warmed flatbread or rice
Coconut Sambal
-
If the coconut is dried, soak in hot water for 10 minutes, then drain. Peel and rough chop the shallots/onion. Add all to a food processor bowl and blend until you get a nubbly, rough paste. Adjust the flavours to your taste. Serve with the curry, storing any extra to use as a sweet-hot condiment.
Recipe Notes
The calories are based on using organic fat-reduced coconut milk.
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This recipe is easily doubled.
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This dish is best eaten fresh but will reheat. Add fresh lime juice and a dash more coconut milk to freshen it up.Â
RIPE FOR PINNING!
This looks gorgeous. I decided not to get a cabbage today when I food shopped because I seem to have fallen out of love with coleslaw (I think due to the onion). I tried making sauerkraut for the first time before Christmas but wasn’t convinced the flavour was as it should be and not just mouldy! I’m adding cabbage back onto my list now and love the look of your curry and soup.
And get extra for some of the other recipe links while you’re at it ;). Those wontons from my friend Janey need to be made!
You had me at cashews. I love cashews in anything and I also love cabbage. Sad it has a bad rep. As you say it’s very cheap to buy and goes a long way. Thanks for sharing my muthiya recipe. Best afternoon snack ever.
I need to give it a go. It made my tummy rumble reading it!
Yummm
That looks delicious and healthy.
I’m glad you think so. Let me know if you make it, will you?
Absolutely!!
Looks delicious.
Thank you, Kimberly 😊
The combination of cabbage and cashews are incredible in this curry – brilliant!!!
Thank you, chief taste tester 😊😊
Looks very tasty and I have all the ingredients in my fridge and cupboard. Lunch tomorrow sorted!
Oh yay! I hope you enjoy it. Which will you have with it: bread or rice? Or on its own perhaps?
Haven’t decided but probably on its own or maybe with cauliflower rice.
I have a very weird love for cabbage so I’m drooling over this sri lankan curry. I will be making it this week since I have everything in the fridge already! And thanks for sharing my sauerkraut post, so happy you find it valuable, even with all your knowledge.
Well, “this week” turned into “next week”, which is now!! And I made this last night — it was so delicious. Love the smart, delicious combo of spices and how you make the humble cabbage star of the show. Brilliant Kellie.
YAY !! Thanks for commenting as of course that lets others know the recipe is a good ‘un. And huge thanks for sharing on Instagram too. Thrilled!
Delicious
Yummy
Wow, this one I’m going to have a shot at, looks fabulous.
Well, I did make this and wow! wonderful
What a great collection of scrumptious cabbage recipes and quite frankly seeing the joyous yellow Sri Lankan cabbage recipe today makes me feel warm just looking at it on this rather wintery grey day 🙂
I really love the sound of this dish Kellie. I am a real cabbage lover these days, although my younger self wouldn’t have believed it! Thanks for linking to my recipe.
This was easy and tasty – reheated well at work the next day too.
Haha, I must be considered such a weirdo COS I LOVE THE STUFF!!! Savoy is my favourite, esp those dark green outer leaves that hold little puddles of whatever sauce (or garlic butter) you douse it with. All hail the mighty cabbage 😀
We love cabbage, and all your cabbage recipes look great, but this one is simply terrific, and so quick and simple – thank you, Kellie!
Cabbage is so underrated – you just made it cool !!
Looks gorgeous meal with beautiful photos.