Red Cabbage and Black Rice, Greek Style

By Martha Rose Shulman

Red Cabbage and Black Rice, Greek Style
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
About 1 hour 15 minutes
Rating
4(153)
Comments
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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.”

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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

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

Tips
  • Advance preparation: You can make this a day ahead and reheat in a pan, in a medium 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
153 user ratings
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Comments

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.

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.

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

S

Easy to make and eat for a simple meal. For me, it needed more of a flavor kick so added feta like someone recommended.

Aaron Best

Agreed with commenters — needs a lot of acid Started with 2 tbsp of red wine vinegar into cabbage before adding rice (including 1 tsp salt) After resting rice, ended up adding 3 tbsp more red wine vinegar until it had enough for my liking (plus additional salt) Something undeniably comforting here, but needs work beyond the recipe. Will definitely be trying with feta & feta broth next time

Melissa K

I’m glad I read the notes before I made this dish. I made it with brown rice and purple cabbage. I listened to the tip about only stir frying for a minute or two and I’m glad I did. I added a splash of red wine vinegar and a teaspoon of cumin and definitely added the flavor it needed. Saved some of the fresh herbs to sprinkle at the end and will serve with crumbled feta on the side. The takeaway here is that you can and need to add your own preferred spices to get more flavor out of the dish.

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