By Martha Rose Shulman
- Total Time
- About 1 hour 15 minutes
- Rating
- 4(137)
- Notes
- Read community notes
If I were making an authentic Greek version of this dish it would be named “cabbage rice” and would call for twice as much olive oil, regular long-grain rice but probably not basmati, and green cabbage. What I had on hand in my kitchen was purple cabbage, and I thought I would go all the way with those purple flavonoids and cook the purple cabbage with black rice, using the same formula the Greeks use for their comforting Lenten meals. With all of my recipes this week I will be focusing my attention on simple Greek Lenten vegetable and rice or bulgur dishes (Eastern Orthodox Lent begins Feb. 23), inspired by recipes in Diane Kochilas’s book “Ikaria: Lessons on Food, Life, and Longevity From the Greek Island Where People Forget to Die.”
Featured in: Making Old Vegetables New Again
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Ingredients
Yield:Serves 4
- ¼cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1medium onion, chopped
- 2garlic cloves, minced
- 1pound purple cabbage (1 medium), shredded (about 5 cups)
- Salt to taste
- 1cup black rice
- 2½cups water
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ¼cup chopped fresh parsley
- ¼cup chopped fresh dill
- Freshly ground pepper
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
346 calories; 15 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 49 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 827 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a deep, lidded skillet or a wide, lidded saucepan. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in cabbage, add a generous pinch of salt, and cook, stirring, until cabbage has wilted and softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in rice and stir to coat with olive oil.
Step
2
Add water, salt, pepper, parsley and dill and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 35 to 40 minutes, until rice is cooked through and the liquid just about absorbed. Remove from heat, uncover and place a towel across the top of the pan. Return the lid and let sit for 10 minutes. Serve hot, with remaining olive oil drizzled over the top.
- Advance preparation: You can make this a day ahead and reheat in a pan, in amedium oven or in the microwave. It will keep for 3 or 4 days in the refrigerator.
- Variation: For a non-vegan version, top with crumbled feta.
Ratings
4
out of 5
137
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Cooking Notes
Amy Christine
I want to start off by saying that I did this all wrong, but it came out so right. I only had green cabbage and basmati rice so I used those instead of black rice and purple cabbage. I didn't have fresh dill, so I used dried. Regardless, this was very very tasty! Clearly, a versatile recipe that can take many modifications.
susie
i think next time i'll soak the rice first to cut down on the cook time... the cabbage was a bit of a mush by the time the rice cooked through... great flavors though
Wendy
Not great - but made better by adding cumin and red wine vinager as it needed acid. Also, feta was imperative - added salt and sourness that dish was screaming for.
Es
The prepared dish looks good, is moist. and is interestingly textured. However, it lacked flavor. The cabbage is lost and I wanted it to assert is presence.
Jessie
Made substitutions after reading notes:3/4 c feta brine and rest waterZest 3 small lemons and juice of oneAdded some celery leaves to use up the center of a stalkFeta cubes when servingI enjoyed it as did my parents—hubby felt work to reward ratio was too high to get behind a 3
Alice
I under-salted and under-peppered, being left to to own devices to use “to taste.” Next time I will add at least 1 solid teaspoon of each. Cabbage adds moisture when cooked, so moisture was excessive. Will start w/ 2 c. *broth* next time (down from 2.5 c. water) to add flavor.
Jen
I added diced celery and celery leaves, fresh thyme, and lemon zest at the end… better!
Rebecca Goodsell
Followed the recipe (with the exception of a small amount of leftover tasty ground pork) I wish I would have scattered abit of feta cheese per one reviewer’s comments. But next time.
Wendy
Not great - but made better by adding cumin and red wine vinager as it needed acid. Also, feta was imperative - added salt and sourness that dish was screaming for.
Leslie
Prepared this dish after doing a search for recipes based on the sad contents of my pantry while on pandemic lockdown in Monrovia, Liberia. Indeed, it’s a bit bland but with some chopped pickled chilies and a sprinkle of zatar it was a pretty nice lunch and it felt healthy.
NY Judy
I had problems with the quantity of water in this recipe. The cabbage must have exuded a LOT of liquid because it took forever to be absorbed. Before the towel step I had to cook the dish for a few minutes with the lid off to eliminate some liquid. This even though I swapped in wild rice, which has a higher water:rice ratio than black rice.It was tasty but not worth the long cooking time that turned out to be necessary.
Mateo
This is one of the few nyt recipes that I’ve made that was just kind of meh and lacked flavor.
susie
i think next time i'll soak the rice first to cut down on the cook time... the cabbage was a bit of a mush by the time the rice cooked through... great flavors though
looking for recipe inspiration
because the recipe is wrong - cabbage only needs 2 minutes frying before you add the rice. I use white rice and find the cabbage nicely softened - not firm or mushy
Amy Christine
I want to start off by saying that I did this all wrong, but it came out so right. I only had green cabbage and basmati rice so I used those instead of black rice and purple cabbage. I didn't have fresh dill, so I used dried. Regardless, this was very very tasty! Clearly, a versatile recipe that can take many modifications.
Es
The prepared dish looks good, is moist. and is interestingly textured. However, it lacked flavor. The cabbage is lost and I wanted it to assert is presence.
RickW
I made it with celery leaf instead of parsely so a slightly different taste. Bland. Perhaps something to spice it up a bit, red pepper flakes?
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