Ethiopian Cabbage and Potatoes (Tikil Gomen)

It was just halloween and we (my Aunt and I) cooked up an Ethiopian feast for our annual pumpkin carving party. I made this dish, along with kik alicha (Ethiopian yellow split peas) and an egg and cauliflower berbere wat. It is one of my favorite Ethiopian foods, although as far as I can recall, I have never had anything Ethiopian that I didn't like. This is a vegan dish that I ate on occasion growing up when we would get Ethiopian from restaurants, and then started making for myself as an adult when Ethiopian restaurants were few and far between. I often serve it with Ethiopian lentils and plain rice to make a nice meal. This recipe is based off of stamarex's Ethiopian Cabbage Dish on allrecipes.com, but I've changed it quite a bit by adding more spices and some heat and complexity from jalapeños.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup olive oil (I use extra virgin)
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 4 carrots, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp turmeric or 1 or 2 Tbsp minced fresh turmeric root
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 or 2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 to 3 jalapeños, halved and seeded, and sliced if you like (optional)
• 1/2 head cabbage or 1 moderately small head cabbage, chopped or shredded (not too small)
• 5 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (I like gold potatoes with this)

Directions:

1. In a large skillet or dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Cook the carrots and onions in the hot oil for about 5 minutes. 
2. Stir in the spices (salt, pepper, cumin, turmeric, garlic, ginger, cardamom) and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. 
3. Add the chopped cabbage and cook for 15 to 20 minutes more, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in the the potatoes and cover. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the potatoes are tender and soft (depending on the thickness of your potatoes, about 20-30 minutes). Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
5. Optional: Add jalapeno close to 10 minutes before the end of cooking. I sometimes lay halved, seeded jalapenos on top and let them steam,  but I have also stirred 1 sliced, seeded jalapeno into the dish and let it cook until it was tender and it's spiciness was released.