Cabbage Thoran
Stir-fried cabbage with coconut, mustard seeds, and curry leaves.
Ingredients
- ½ head Green cabbage
- 60 ml Coconut milk
- 1 tsp Brown mustard seeds
- 10 Curry leaves
- 2 Green chili
- ½ tsp Ground turmeric
- 1 tsp Urad dal (split black gram, skinned)
- 2 tbsp Coconut oil
- ¾ tsp Salt
Method
- Finely shred the cabbage and slit the green chilies.
- Heat the coconut oil in a pan and crackle the mustard seeds, urad dal, and curry leaves until the dal turns golden.
- Add the cabbage, chili, turmeric, and salt and stir-fry until the cabbage is just tender but still has bite.
- Fold in the coconut milk and warm through.
- Serve with rice.
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About Cabbage Thoran
Cabbage thoran is a dry stir-fried vegetable dish from Kerala in South India, part of the thoran family that turns humble greens into a fragrant everyday side. What defines a thoran is the pairing of a finely cut vegetable with fresh or, here, coconut and a tempering of mustard seeds and curry leaves bloomed in hot oil. It is a staple of the Kerala sadya feast served on a banana leaf, but it is just as at home as a quick weeknight side alongside rice.
The dish tastes bright and lightly nutty, with the pop of mustard seeds, the toasty crunch of urad dal, and the unmistakable aroma of curry leaves running through sweet, barely tender cabbage. Cooking the coconut oil tempering until the dal turns golden is the step that builds all that flavor, and stir-frying the cabbage only until it keeps some bite preserves its texture rather than steaming it soft. Naturally vegan and quick to make, it is the sort of coconut-scented vegetable that makes a plate of plain rice feel complete.
Cabbage Thoran: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Cabbage Thoran?
A serving has about 152 calories — 2.9g protein, 11.8g carbs, 11.2g fat, 1.8g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is Cabbage Thoran gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Cabbage Thoran has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
How many servings does Cabbage Thoran make?
This recipe makes 4 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.