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Sha phaley with cabbage and cheese
ཤ་བག་ལེབ · crisp fried Bhutia bread pockets, vegetarian filling
Sha phaley comes from Sikkim's Bhutia and Tibetan communities: rounds of dough are filled, sealed into half-moons and fried until golden and blistered, like a fat, crisp pie. In Gangtok's MG Marg cafés and home kitchens the classic filling is minced meat, but a vegetarian version with cabbage, spring onion, ginger and cheese (paneer or soft churpi) is common and very good. Eat them hot with dalle chutney and a bowl of thukpa or tea. Chef's tip: squeeze the salted cabbage hard before filling; any loose water steams inside and makes the dough soggy.
- Total time
- 65 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the dough
- 10 ½ oz plain flour
- ½ tsp instant yeast (optional)
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup warm water
For the filling
- 10 ½ oz white cabbagefinely shredded
- ½ tsp salt
- 5 ½ oz paneer or soft churpigrated
- 4 spring onionschopped
- 1 small onionfinely chopped
- ¾ in gingergrated
- 2 garlic clovesgrated
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp butter or oilmelted
For frying
- 2 cups vegetable oilfor deep-frying
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix 10 ½ oz plain flour, ½ tsp instant yeast (if using; it gives a lighter crust), ½ tsp salt and ¾ cup warm water and knead for 6–8 minutes into a firm, smooth dough. Cover and rest 30 minutes.
30 minStep 2: Toss 10 ½ oz white cabbage with ½ tsp salt and leave for 10 minutes, then squeeze out as much water as you can by the handful.
10 minStep 3: Mix the cabbage with 5 ½ oz paneer or soft churpi, 4 spring onions, 1 small onion, ¾ in ginger, 2 garlic cloves, ½ tsp ground black pepper, 1 tsp soy sauce and 1 tbsp butter or oil.
Step 4: Divide the dough into 8. Roll each to a 14 cm circle, put 3 tbsp filling on one half, fold over into a half-moon and seal by pressing, then crimping or twisting the edge. Common mistake: leaving air pockets or thin edges; they burst in the oil.
Step 5: Heat 2 cups vegetable oil in a kadai over a medium heat until a scrap of dough rises steadily, about 350°F. Fry 2–3 at a time for 3–4 minutes a side until deep golden, blistered and crisp.
15 minStep 6: Drain on a rack and serve hot with dalle chutney.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 17 g
- Carbs
- 62 g
- Fat
- 23 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sha phaley with cabbage and cheese take?
- About 65 minutes in total: 45 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of white cabbage?
- Savoy or spring greens, same weight.
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