Cabbage rice is an easy, quick and flavorful lunchbox recipe that can be made in just 20 mins, if rice is soaked. Combination of Basmati Rice and Italian herbs, elevates the taste and gives restaurant style Fried Rice taste, but without any sauces.. This mildly spiced rice with addictive flavors attracts kids.. One of my instagram follower mom messaged me that her kid hates cabbage but he gobbled up this cabbage rice happily 🙂 That’s the specialty of this simple yet delicious cabbage rice.. Do try and thank me later 😉
Preparation – How to make Cabbage Rice?
- Basmati rice - 1 cup
- Water - 2 cups
- Salt - ½ tsp
- Olive oil - 2 to 3 tsp
- Garlic cloves - 4 to 5
- Green chilli - 3 or as required
- Onion - 1
- Cabbage - ½ of a big cabbage
- Brown sugar - ½ tsp to 1 tsp
- Salt - ½ tsp
- Pepper powder - ¼ tsp to ½ tsp as per spice level
- Oregano - 1 heaped tsp
- Basil - ½ tsp
- Olive oil - 1 tsp
- Bell peppers - 1 cup chopped(Assorted colors)
- Eggs - 2 to 4
- Salt - ⅛ tsp
- Pepper - ⅛ tsp
- Take 1 cup basmati rice, wash twice and soak for 20 to 30 mins.
- In a pan, add 2 cups water, ½ tsp salt and cook covered in high flame.
- Once it starts to rolling boil, add soaked basmati rice(drain water completely and then add) and cook closed for 3 mins.
- After 3 mins, simmer and continue to cook closed for 10 mins.
- After 10 mins, rice should have been cooked well without any water in it. Switch off the stove.
- I usually cook rice in one burner and start sauteing cabbage in another burner, so that when cabbage is cooked, rice will be ready, and I will just use the hot rice as such. No need to cool down the rice, if cooked in a pan as mentioned. Cooker-cooked rice has to be cooled down in a separate plate, before adding. I prefer cooking rice in a pan for lump-free, non-sticky & long grain rice.
- In ½ tsp Olive oil, fry chopped capsicum in medium flame until crunchy. It should just take 2 to 3 mins. Once fried, transfer it to a bowl. If you are not using capsicum, skip this step.
- In the same pan, add 2 more tsp Olive oil and add 2 to 4 finely chopped garlic cloves.
- Once garlic starts to change color, add 1 chopped big onion and 3 cut green chillies.
- Just after a minute, before onion starts to change color, add chopped cabbage(half of a big one). Give a quick mix and add 1 tsp(Use ½ tsp if you don't like sweetish taste) brown sugar and ½ tsp salt.
- Cook open in medium high flame until cabbage is cooked crunchy.. Keep sauteing often to avoid burned bottom.
- Add ½ tsp pepper powder , 1 heaped tsp oregano and ½ tsp basil. Mix well and cook for a minute.
- Add fried capsicum and cooked basmati rice, mix gently and switch off in a minute ..
- If you wish to top it with scrambled egg, in a separate pan, add ½ tsp olive oil, 2 to 4 eggs, big pinches of salt & pepper powder. Scramble and cook open in medium flame until cooked. Add this scrambled egg to cabbage rice and give a quick & gentle mix..
2.Olive oil can be replaced with coconut oil.
3.Oregano and Basil can be replaced with Mixed Italian Herbs.
4.Too much herbs will be overpowering and so use only as mentioned.
5.Sugar balances the flavors and so don't skip it.
6.Green chillies and pepper powder can be increased or decreased as per your spice level.
7.You shall use green cabbage or Purple cabbage.
8.If you want to cook rice ahead, do not leave it in the hot pan as it might form clusters. Transfer to another container and keep closed, until required.
9.If you want to cook rice in Pressure cooker, use only 1.5 cups of water and keep the rice and water inside a vessel closed with lid and pressure cook(pour some water in the cooker too to avoid burnt bottom) for 1 whistle in high flame and 5 mins in sim. Or you can just go for 2 to 3 whistles in low-medium flame. However you cook, let the pressure release naturally and immediately transfer the rice to a plate and let it cool down completely before mixing with cabbage.
10..You can still save time by using 3 burners of the stove, parallelly. One burner to cook rice, one to saute cabbage and in the third, you shall saute capsicum followed by eggs in the same pan after removing the fried capsicum.

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