Romanian Vegan Stewed Cabbage

Step 1

Heat up a little olive oil in a deep, non-stick pan. Add the onion and fry it until translucent. Add the bell pepper and garlic and fry for another minute or so. Now add the chopped tomato, mix with a wooden spoon and leave it to fry for another 2-3 minutes. Now add the tomato paste, salt, pepper, paprika and liquid smoke if using. Mix well and fry for 2-3 minutes. If you feel there is too little oil, add half a cup of water to the mixture.

Step 2

Chop the cabbage (not very fine) and add it to the deep pan. If there is too much cabbage for the pan, add a few handfuls of cabbage at the time and let it reduce in size for a few minutes, then add the rest of the cabbage to the pan. Repeat until the whole sliced cabbage fits in the pan.

Step 3

This is the most important step to a successful stewed cabbage: once all the cabbage is in the pan, mix all ingredients, cover and simmer at low fire for 30-45 minutes. Make sure to mix it with a wooden spoon every 10 minutes or so. Put the cover back as soon as you finish mixing as this is what makes the cabbage stew nicely.Do not add more water!

Step 4

Serve hot with bread and red onion if you like it the traditional way, or serve it as a side dish. The cabbage lasts for up to 5 days in the fridge. Keep it covered in an airtight container as the cabbage tends to smell up your fridge.