Creamy Braised Savoy Cabbage Viennese-Style
Braised Savoy Cabbage with Roux Viennese-Style, also known as “Köch”, is a hearty, creamy, comforting, and filling dish – perfect for cold days! This vegan version of braised savoy cabbage with roux is a classic from Austrian recipes, in particular Viennese cuise, offering rich flavors and satisfying warmth. It combines savoy cabbage and potatoes in a simple yet delicious preparation. Not only is it healthy, but it’s also a real soul warmer – perfect for those chilly days.
More than just a side dish
Yes, admittedly, “braised cabbage” doesn’t sound particularly appetizing. But trust me – this Viennese-style savoy cabbage tastes absolutely fantastic. If you’re looking for vegan or vegetarian savoy cabbage recipes, keep reading and give this one a try.
This creamy savoy cabbage with potatoes is often served as a side dish, for example with boiled beef, sausages, or bacon. However, I don’t think that does it justice. For me, at least, it’s always the star of the meal, landing on my plate as the main course. And since we don’t want to eat our animal friends, we opt for smoked tofu – the perfect addition.
I can’t say exactly what makes this recipe so Viennese, or how it differs from German variations. What I do know, though, is that in Vienna, this dish is called “Köch.”
Kale? Cabbage? Savoy Cabbage!
A few facts about the vegetable used here: In Austria, it is called “Kohl” (and “Wirsing” in Germany) which literally translates to “kale” in English. However, this is not the kale I’m familiar with from the USA, which is not commonly available in Austria.
The vegetable I’ve used for this recipe has a round head and doesn’t consist of individual leaves like “US kale.” The outer leaves are medium to dark green, gradually becoming lighter toward the center. The characteristic “wrinkled” or wavy texture of the leaves is typical of what’s known as “savoy cabbage.”
Ingredients
Viennese-style braised savoy cabbage is a typical “poor man’s food” that I really appreciate. Simple, down-to-earth and inexpensive dishes – such as “Krautfleckerl” (Austrian pasta with cabbage), Fasolakia (Greek green bean stew) or Jani me Fasule (Albanian white bean soup).
You only need a few simple ingredients to make this delicious cabbage dish:
- Savoy cabbage
- potatoes
- Smoked tofu
- eventually some soy sauce to deglaze the tofu
- Onion
- Oil or vegan butter and flour for the roux
- (Homemade) vegetable stock powder
- Garlic
- Caraway seeds, salt and pepper
Ingredients
The ingredients are simple and the preparation is also quick. All you have to do is:
- Cut the savoy cabbage into pieces and boil in salted water together with the peeled and diced potatoes.
- Meanwhile, fry the tofu.
- Chop the onion and fry it too.
- Add the flour for the roux. Use the reserved cabbage cooking water as the liquid.
- Season the dish with caraway seeds, soup powd stock powder, garlic, salt and pepper.
You can find the exact details for the vegan braised savoy cabbage in the recipe card below. I wish you great success in cooking it and would love to hear how you liked it. Do you also think it tastes 100 times better than it sounds?
Creamy Braised Savoy Cabbage Viennese-Style (vegan)
Creamy braised savoy cabbage with roux Viennese-style is hearty, comforting, and filling – perfect for cold days! This vegan savoy cabbage dish is a classic from Austrian recipes.
Ingredients
- 1 savoy cabbage (approx. 1 kg or 2.2 lbs)
- 400 g (14.1 oz or approx. 3 medium pieces) potatoes
- 1 package (approx. 250 g or 8.8 oz) smoked tofu
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 5 tablespoons oil or vegan butter (+ oil to fry the tofu)
- 1 onion
- 5 tablespoons flour
- ½ teaspoon caraway seeds
- 2 cups (500 ml) cabbage cooking water
- 1 teaspoon (homemade) vegetable stock powder
- 2 garlic cloves
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Remove the stalk and any thick stems from the cabbage. Cut the leaves into fine strips, wash and place in a pot of boiling salted water.
- While the cabbage is cooking, peel the potatoes and cut into bite-sized pieces. Then add the potatoes to the pot with the cabbage. Cook the vegetables for about 15 minutes until the potatoes are soft.
- While the vegetables are cooking, cut the tofu into small cubes, fry in oil in a pan and, if you like, deglaze briefly with soy sauce.
- While the tofu is frying, peel and chop the onion.
- Remove the tofu from the pan and set aside. Wipe out the pan with a piece of kitchen paper.
- Heat the oil or vegan butter in the pan, add the onion and fry until translucent.
- Add the flour and caraway seeds, stir and fry for a further minute.
- Drain the cabbage and potatoes, reserving about 500 ml (2 cups) of the cooking water. Return the vegetables to the pot.
- While stirring, add the cooking water to the onion roux mixture and the caraway seeds. Stir in the vegetable soup powder, bring to boil and stir well.
- Pour everything into the pot with the cabbage and potatoes and press in the garlic.
- Finally, add the smoked tofu cubes.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.