Cabbage Masala

There is no way to make this dish look pretty - shredded white cabbage slowly cooked with onion and spices has a face only its Mum could love, but it tastes delicious - sweet, savoury and mellow, and a lovely counterpoint to a spankingly hot chicken Thai curry.  I based this on a recipe of my friend, Anu.  (She won't let me say Anu's recipe - oops!  Sorry!).  Finely chop an onion, and gently saute in a tablespoon of sunflower oil.  Whilst it is cooking, shred half a white cabbage and rinse well.  Add a teaspoon of black mustard seeds to the onion and turn up the heat, letting them pop a little.  Now stir in a teaspoon of garam masala, quite a bit of black pepper and also some salt - more than you might think is needed.  Add the cabbage and toss it all together.  Now add a little water - Anu uses the upturned lid of the pot as a measure.  Clamp the lid on and allow it to cook over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is soft and translucent and has shrunk down a little - probably around 15 minutes.  Taste and check seasoning, and cook for the last minute or so with the lid off to drive off any remaining liquid.  Anu does this with halved sprouts, which is a really nice way to eat them.  Leftovers, by the way, make the BEST bubble and squeak!