Tomato and gochujang braised green cabbage is served with chickpeas and hearty bread, resulting in a spicy and warm comfort dish. A savory one pan cabbage recipe made easily in a cast iron skillet. Perfect as a filling main course or spicy side dish to a rich protein entree.
Preheat your oven to 350 F. Preheat a 10-12 in cast iron skillet over medium heat.
While everything is preheating, remove all the tough outer leaves from your cabbage. Rinse well and pat dry. Remove about ¼ inch of the core on the bottom. Cut the cabbage head in half through the core. Wrap unused half in plastic wrap and store in the fridge.
Cut the remaining half into quarters so you have 4 equal sized pieces.
Once your pan is preheated, rub canola oil over the cabbage and season well with kosher salt.
Coat the bottom of the pan well with canola oil and add each piece of cabbage so they are cut side down and sizzle when added to the pan. If they do not sizzle, remove and allow your pan and oil to heat longer. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each cut side until browned. Repeat with all 3 cut sides of the cabbage so they are all browned. Keep an eye on the oil level and make sure there is always enough to cover the bottom of the pan, adding more as necessary.
While the cabbage is browning, in a bowl combine the tomato paste, garlic, coriander, cumin and gochujang. Stir well to combine and set aside.
Rinse anchovies in a small bowl of water to remove most of the oil and some of the salt, set aside.
Once the cabbage pieces are browned on the 3 cut sides, remove them from the pan and place on a plate. Be careful moving the cabbage with tongs because the leaves will have loosened up. If any leaves fall off, just add them to the plate.
If there isn’t any more oil in the pan, add enough to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Add in the tomato paste mixture and continue to stir while it sizzles. Stir continuously while the tomato paste reduces for about 2 minutes.
Add in the anchovies and swirl in the pan until they dissolve into the tomato paste. Continue to stir and reduce for 1 more minute until the anchovies have dissolved and the tomato paste has darkened in color.
Add in 2 cups of water and stir to deglaze the pan. Continue to stir and dissolve the tomato paste in the water. Allow the liquid to come to a simmer and then gently add in the 4 pieces of cabbage. The water should come about halfway up the side of the pan. If you’re using a bigger skillet, you may need to add a little more water.
Place the cast iron skillet in the oven and allow the cabbage to cook uncovered for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, flip the cabbage gently so the other half of each piece is covered in the braising liquid. Cook for another 30 minutes.
While the cabbage is cooking, rinse a can of chickpeas, drain and set aside. After 60 total minutes of cooking in the oven, add the chickpeas to the pan and stir gently to coat the chickpeas in the sauce. Place back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes until chickpeas are warmed through.
Remove from the oven and season with salt to taste. It may not need a lot of salt because of the anchovies and gochujang. Serve with hearty bread and garnish with chopped parsley.
Notes
A medium cabbage is about 2 lbs so this recipe uses about 1 lb of cabbage.
Double concentrated tomato paste is usually found in a tube in the same aisle as the can.
Gochujang can be found in the Asian section of your local grocery store or online.
Gochujang is spicy, if you’re worried, only add 2 tablespoons. If you’re into spice, add 3 tablespoons.
Sometimes the cabbage quarters will fall apart when searing, that’s fine, just continue with the braising steps.
Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days. Store bread separate from cabbage and braising liquid.