Cabbage Thoran – A cabbage side dish cooked with a touch of grated coconut.

This post is part of SADYA VIBHAVANGAL – Learn to make the traditional Kerala Feast- An Artist’s Edible Palette !

A regular Kerala meal is not complete without either a “thoran” or “Mezhukkupuratti”. It is nothing but a vegetable side dish, cooked either with a touch of grated coconut, which is called “thoran” or stir-fried in lots of oil, called, “Mezhukkupuratti”. For Sadya, ‘thoran” is prepared using wide varieties of vegetables, mainly depending on the availability of traditional vegetables in season. Idichakka thoran is one of the tastiest of the traditional thorans and it is cooked with tender young green jackfruit. When ‘convenience’ knocks on the doors of logic, some of us resort to the not so traditional vegetables and my usual pick is cabbage.

Ingredients: - (Approx.)

• 2 cups cabbage, thinly sliced or finely chopped (depends on personal choice)
• ¼ cup grated coconut
• 1 small onion/shallots, finely chopped
• 1 small clove of garlic, finely chopped
• 3-4 green chilies, finely chopped
• A pinch of cumin seeds
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• ¼ tsp mustard seeds
• ¼ tsp Uzhunnu parippu/urad Dal/black grams
• 1-2 dry red chilies
• 4-5 curry leaves
• Salt to taste
• 2tsp oil

Directions: -

• Crush and blend the grated coconut well with finely chopped small onion, garlic, green chilies, cumin seeds, turmeric powder and salt using your hands OR put all the ingredients from 2 to 6, without chopping, in a small food processor and pulse 1-2 times.
• Heat oil in a pan and when it is steaming hot, splutter mustard seeds, followed by urad dal and dry red chilies. Add the thinly sliced or finely chopped cabbage to the pan and cook them covered for a minute in medium heat. Remove the lid, add the grated coconut mixture and cover it cooked for another 40-50 seconds in low flame. Then remove the lid and do the rest of the cooking; do a ‘taste test’ here and add salt if required and when it gains perfect balance between softness and crunchiness (should not be soggy), tear off some curry leaves and add it to the dish, stir gently and turn off the heat. (Note: There is no need to add water to cabbage while cooking. Cabbage leaves are moist on its own and adding water will only make it soggy.)

Luv
Shn

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