Cabbage Thoran

Thoran is a versatile dish in Malayali cuisine which is basically a mixture of a vegetable with grated coconut and spices. It starts with a vegetable mixed with grated coconut, turmeric powder and salt and toasted in coconut oil. The tempering consists of onion, cumin seeds, garlic and red chillies. 

The common vegetables used to make thoran are spinach, cabbage, carrot, beans, beetroot, papaya etc. My favourite ones among this is the carrot and cabbage thoran and also the beetroot thoran. 

Thoran is served during Onam as one of the dishes in Sadya. I feel a sadya would be incomplete without the addition of this particular colourful dish ‘Thoran’. We do make some kind of a thoran every week in our home and it is sometimes even eaten as a rice substitute I must admit by us.

Thoran is well paired up with boiled rice 

Here goes the recipe

RECIPE

Ingredients

Cabbage – 1 (chopped finely or using food processor)

Shallots – 6 (or onion – ½  chopped finely)

Grated coconut – ½ cup

Green chillies – 3 to 4

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

Oil – 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Dry Red Chilli – 3-4 in no

Curry leaves – a few

STEPS

1. Clean the cabbage well and chop or shred it in a food processor finely. Also chop the onion/shallots and green chillies
2. Mix in the grated coconut, shallots and green chillies with the chopped cabbage
3. Heat a round bottomed pan or kadai and splutter mustard seeds when hot.
4. Now add in curry leaves and dry red chillies and saute well.
5. Lower the heat and then add in the cabbage – coconut – shallot- green chillies mixture and mix well.
6. Cover and cook well for 5 minutes.
7. Remove the lid and keep it open and cook for another 5 minutes till the thoran is ready.
8. Serve hot. This is best served with rice and can also be used with chapathi