Cabbage and noodles is a traditional Hungarian dish picked up by Ashkenazi Jews living there. For many, this is the ultimate comfort food. It’s simple, but don’t skimp on the cooking time. The key to this dish is the slow cooking of the cabbage—you want it to really break down and caramelize.

For Chanukah, I thought it would be fun to turn this into latkes. I’ve switched out the traditional wide egg noodles for the extra fine ones, added eggs, and fried into crispy patties. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a generous sprinkling of flakey salt… it’s surprisingly good!

Ingredients

  • 1 large Spanish onion (or 2 smaller brown onions)
  • 1 small head green cabbage (use ½ if your cabbage is larger)
  • 4 tbsp. oil (or butter)
  • 10-12 oz. (280-340 grams) extra fine egg noodles
  • Salt
  • Black pepper
  • 5 eggs
  • Oil for frying

Directions

  1. Slice the onion into very thin half rounds.
  2. Core the cabbage and slice very thinly.
  3. Heat a deep frying pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add in the onions and oil. Saute for 5-10 minutes, then add the cabbage. Keep at medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to low, cover pan, and cook for 45 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes to make sure it doesn’t stick.
  4. Cook the egg noodles. Drain but don’t rinse. Immediately mix the cabbage through the noodles. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Season generously.
  5. Mix five eggs into the noodles.
  6. Use a large frying pan and a medium flame. Heat a quarter inch of oil in the pan and add spoonfuls of the batter. I used a ¼ cup measuring cup to keep mine uniform. Flatten with the back of the spoon and cook for 3-4 minutes on the first side, then flip and cook another 1-2 minutes on the second side. Repeat until all the batter has been fried.
  7. Serve with sour cream.

Yields: 18 latkes