Grilled hispi cabbage with green herb mole and salsa macha
- Prepare
- 30 mins to 1 hour
- Cook
- 10 to 30 mins
- Serve
- Serves 4
Time to spice up the your dinner plans. Grilled hispi cabbage is topped with herby mole sauce and salsa macha.
From Saturday Kitchen
Ingredients
For the salsa macha
- 30g/1oz sesame seeds
- 50g/1¾oz pumpkin seeds (optional)
- 450ml/16fl oz olive or good-quality vegetable oil
- 30g/1oz garlic cloves, peeled left whole
- 90g/3¼oz unsalted peeled peanuts, left whole
- 20g/¾oz dried chipotle chillies, stems and seeds removed
- 6–7 arbol chillies, stems and most of seeds removed
- 1 heaped tsp salt, plus extra if needed
For the cashew mole
For the quinoa
For the cabbage
- 2 hispi cabbages, cut into quarters
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil, for brushing
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- radish, sliced to serve
- micro herbs, to serve
- ½ block of feta, to serve
Method
To make the salsa macha, toast the sesame seeds in a dry frying pan for 6–7 minutes or until lightly golden.
Transfer half of the sesame seeds to a blender and blend until mostly ground. Transfer the rest to a large bowl.
Toast the pumpkin seeds, if using, in the same pan until toasted and ‘popping’. Transfer to the bowl with the sesame seeds.
Heat half of the vegetable oil in a deep saucepan over a medium heat. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.) The oil should be gently bubbling, but not too hot that it burns the nuts and chillies.
Deep-fry the garlic for 4–5 minutes until lightly golden. Transfer the garlic to the blender using a slotted spoon.
Add the peanuts to the oil and fry until they are a pale caramel colour and smelling deliciously nutty. Transfer to the bowl with the pumpkin seeds using a slotted spoon.
Fry the chillies for 30–60 seconds or until just darkened in colour. Chillies burn even faster than garlic and will taste bitter when burnt. Transfer the chillies to the blender containing the garlic mixture.
Add the salt and remaining oil to the blender and blend a few times to get a rough paste.
Allow the cooking oil to cool before carefully adding the cooking oil and the peanut mixture to the blender. Blend until there is a mixture of chunky nuts and some ground nuts.
Season with salt if preferred – the chilli oil should taste richly nutty and delicious. Pour into a sterilised jar and set aside.
To make the mole, soak the cashew nuts in 180ml/6¼fl oz water for 30 minutes.
Place the soaked cashews in a blender with their soaking liquid. Add the lime juice, chilli (if using), vinegar, herbs and salt. Blend to a bright and smooth purée.
Add more salt and vinegar if preferred.
Transfer to a saucepan and warm gently – if you overheat, it will lose its arresting emerald green colour. Set aside.
To make the quinoa put the salt, quinoa and 350ml/12fl oz water into a saucepan. Cook over medium/high heat until the quinoa is unfurled, this will take about 15 minutes.
To make the cabbage, preheat a griddle pan over a high heat.
Brush the hispi wedges with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Chargrill the cabbage on the griddle pan.
Serve the grilled cabbage wedges on top of the quinoa, topped with the two sauces, crumbled chunks of feta, sliced radishes and micro herbs.
Recipe tips
Any leftover salsa can be stored.
