Hot weather be damned, this is one recipe that I will cook and eat happily all year, regardless of the temperature outside (or in the kitchen).

This is one of those magical simple recipes that somehow makes more than the sum of its parts. Amazingly, the best part is really the roasted cabbage with tamarind. It’s just two simple ingredients (plus water), and somehow it completely steals the show! (And that’s hard to do when lentils are the other half of the show!) I think cabbage prepared any other way has now been ruined for me.

Now that I’ve totally talked it up, there’s probably no way it will live up to your expectations. But still, go make this right now, and I don’t think you’ll be sad with the result.

Red Lentil Rasam with Tamarind Roasted Red Cabbage

Adapted from Meera Sodha’s recipe in The Guardian

Makes about 6 cups of rasam + 1 roasted cabbage; serves 4

Bits:

• 1 small head red cabbage (about 1 1/2 lbs / 700g)
• 1 Tbsp yellow mustard seeds
• 10 – 15 fresh curry leaves
• 5 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
• 1 ¼ tsp ground cumin
• 1 ¼ tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• 3/4 tsp rasam powder (if needed, substitute 1/2 tsp curry powder + 1 tsp lemon juice)
• 400g canned/boxed chopped tomatoes
• 1 ¼ cups (250g) split red lentils, washed in several changes of water until the water runs clear
• 2 cups vegetarian stock
• 2 ½ cups water
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp tamarind paste, divided (I like Aunt Patty’s Organic Tamarind Paste)

Algorithm

• Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Slice the cabbage into quarters from top to bottom (or into sixths or eighths if you’re using a much bigger cabbage. Sprinkle lightly with water (or a couple drops of olive oil if you can handle it in your diet). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and put the cabbage wedges on the sheet, and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes, until they’re looking roasty and the stem is soft and cooked.
• While the cabbage is roasting, make the rasam. In a large stock pot over medium heat, add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. When the mustard seeds begin to pop, add the garlic to the pot and stir for about a minute or two until the garlic starts to turn golden. Add the spices (cumin through rasam powder) and stir for 30 seconds until the spices become fragrant.
• Pour the canned tomatoes, lentils, stock and water into the stock pot, and stir to combine. Bring rasam to a simmer, partially cover, and let simmer about 20-30 minutes until the lentils have fallen apart completely. Stir occasionally, particularly toward the end of cooking time to ensure the lentils don’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
• When the cabbage has cooked for 30 minutes, mix 2 Tbsp tamarind paste with 2 Tbsp of water. Drizzle the tamarind-water mixture over the cabbage wedges generously, and bake for a further 10 minutes.
• When the rasam is cooked, add salt and remaining 1 Tbsp tamarind paste to the pot. Stir to combine, taste, and add any extra seasoning as desired. Simmer for another minute or two for the flavors to meld. The texture of the final product should be between a soup and a dal.
• To serve, ladle rasam into separate bowls. Cut each wedge of cabbage into 4 or so slices, and place slices on top of rasam. Serve with cauliflower rice, or chickpea flour flatbread if desired.

Leftovers can be stored in the fridge in air tight containers for at least a week!