Kerala style thoran or stir fry with coconut with mixed greens…
As the splendid summer season draws to a close, I’m harvesting the final remnants of greens from my vegetable garden. Today, I picked beet leaves, swiss chard & kale, it’s an absolute joy to be able to pick fresh organic greens & veggies from my own garden.
One of the traditional vegetarian side dishes found in Kerala cuisine is thoran, a stir-fry dish with coconut. You can use a variety of vegetables to prepare this dish.
When faced with the bounty of freshly picked greens, it was a simple decision for me to create a healthy and nutritious thoran.
In Kerala, there are two common methods for preparing thoran. In one, the vegetables are stir-fried with grated coconut and a few basic spices, while the other involves adding a coconut mixture. To make the latter, grated coconut is blended with cumin seeds, garlic, turmeric powder, and green chilies into a coarse paste, which is then incorporated into the cooked greens or vegetables.
I opted to make this particular thoran using the ground coconut method, and the result is a delicious accompaniment perfect for serving with rice.
- Grated coconut- 1 cup
- Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
- Garlic- 1
- Green chili, chopped- 1 or 2
- Turmeric powder- ¼ tsp
- Water- 2 tbsp
- Coconut oil- 1 tbsp
- Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
- Dried red chilies, halved- 2
- Curry leaves- 1 sprig
- Mixed greens, roughly chopped- 4 cups (swiss chard, kale & beet leaves)
- Salt- 1 tsp
- I've taken mixed greens for making this, Swiss chard, kale & beet leaves harvested from my garden.
- Roughly chop the greens.
- For making this any kind of veggies can be used: chopped carrot, green beans, cluster beans, okra, cabbage, broccoli, beetroot, etc.
- To a blender jar, add the above-mentioned 'to grind' & grind to a coarse paste. Keep it aside.
- Place a wide pan over medium heat, add oil. Let turn hot.
- Add mustard seeds, let splutter.
- Add dried red chilies & curry leaves.
- Add shallots, season with ½ tsp salt & saute for 2 minutes.
- Add the mixed greens, combine well & cook till the greens have wilted.
- Don't overcook the greens.
- Add the ground coconut & ½ tsp salt, combine well & cook for a few minutes.
- Take the pan off the heat & serve along with rice as a side dish.
- Healthy, nutritious & tastes delish.
