Indian Patta Gobhi Sabzi (Spiced Stir-Fried Cabbage)

Patta gobhi sabzi is a ten-minute stir-fry built on tempering: mustard seeds cracking in hot oil, then curry leaves, dried chilies, ginger-garlic, turmeric, and cumin, before finely shredded cabbage goes in over high heat for eight to ten minutes, just enough to keep a little crunch. It's one of the fastest, cheapest dishes on this list, and turmeric's curcumin is better absorbed alongside black pepper or a pepper-containing chili blend — which this dish does by default, not as a health hack. Simple, fast, and it tastes like more effort went into it than actually did.