Braised Cabbage & Lentils

This Braised Cabbage & Lentils recipe is perfection! Napa cabbage is cooked in a coconut curry sauce with lentils until super tender!

Course Main Course

Cuisine thai

Keyword braised, cabbage, coconut milk, lentils, napa cabbage, red curry, roasted veggies

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 1 25

Total Time 1 30

Servings large plates

Calories 513

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cut the napa cabbage in quarters and then the quarters in half - you'll end up with 8 shorter wedges of cabbage (see notes).
Heat the avocado oil in an oven-safe stock pot or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add as many wedges that will fit in the bottom of the pan and cook until charred on both sides (approx. 2-3 minutes per side). Remove from the stock pot and repeat with the remaining cabbage until it is all charred.
Heat the sesame oil in the empty stock pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, red curry paste & ginger powder and cook down for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the lentils, coconut milk, broth & soy sauce and mix to combine. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. Add the cabbage wedges back to the pot and gently press them into the liquid. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and place in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for another 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven, top with cilantro and serve with rice.

You could just cut the napa cabbage half in quarters (and have 4 long pieces), but I find it easier to eat the small wedges. By cutting it this way you will end up with some wedges that aren't attached to the stem and will be loose. Just do your best to flip them with tongs while frying. If they end up separated that is fine.
I used pre-cooked brown lentils - you can usually find them in the produce section at the store. I prefer to use cooked lentils so that they don't absorb all of the broth while cooking.

Calories: 513kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 36g