Cabbage Thoran

New Year Greetings to all of you!

The new year arrived and so did some entries for RCI - Cuisine of Kerala. Whether I was busy or lazy, uninspired or upbeat, hosting this event did make me sit up and take pictures and write about a cuisine that I've come to appreciate only since I've been away from home. There are times when there's a plate of spicy pavbhaji before me and I'm craving for idlis! Such is the bond created by simple home food that the most attractive, aromatic and appetising dish cannot take away! And that is the magic of coconut, cumin, curry leaves and chillies, essential in almost every Malayalee dish.

Thoran refers to finely chopped vegetable cooked with crushed coconut. It is served as a dry side dish with rice and curry. Southern Keralites add onion/shallots and garlic to thoran, which is a strict no-no for the Northern Keralites. Either ways, thoran tastes great and is quick to make. Cabbage thoran is one of my favourites, perfect to go with steamed rice and sambhar. Read more about the benefits of cabbage here.

You'll need:
Half a large cabbage
1 cup grated coconut
1 tsp mustard seeds
¼ tsp urad dal
¼ tsp of channa dal
2 dry red chillies broken
a sprig of curry leaves
1 tsp cumin seeds/jeera
2-3 green chillies

Chop the cabbage finely or cut up the cabbage into large chunks and run it in the chopper for a few seconds. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When it crackles, add urad dal, channa dal, red chillies and curry leaves. When the dals turn red, add the chopped cabbage, salt and turmeric and turn down the flame. Cover and let it cook for about 2 – 3 minutes. There is no need to add water to the cabbage as it will cook in its own moisture. Put the coconut, green chillies, cumin seeds and a few curry leaves in the chopper and run till they are just crushed. Add this now to the cabbage, stir through and let it cook till done. This is my entry to RCI – Cuisine of Kerala, event conceived by LakshmiK of Veggie Cuisine.

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