Simple, practical, and full of everyday flavour, Cabbage Thoran Recipe is a vegan, vegetarian Kerala, South Indian side dish made with simple everyday ingredients in about 30 minutes. The recipe lays out the ingredients and each cooking step clearly, so you can adjust seasoning, texture, and serving size for your own kitchen.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 15 minutes
  • Total time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Cuisine: Kerala, South Indian

Ingredients

  • 1 cabbage (– medium-sized)
  • ⅓ cup onions (– finely chopped or ⅓ cup sliced pearl onions or chopped shallots)
  • 10 to 12 curry leaves
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 pinch asafoetida ((hing), optional)
  • 1 green chili (– chopped)
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder ((ground turmeric))
  • ½ cup grated coconut (– fresh or frozen)
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • salt (– as required)
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons coriander leaves (– chopped, for garnish, optional)

Method

Preparation

  1. Rinse the cabbage a few times in fresh water. Remove the outer leaves. Half or quarter the cabbage. Shred or grate the cabbage in a food processor. You can also slice the cabbage thinly.
  2. Also, chop the pearl onions or shallots or onion.

Making Cabbage Thoran

  1. Heat coconut oil in a heavy pan or kadai.
  2. First, add the mustard seeds and sauté on low heat till they crackle.
  3. Now, add the cumin seeds and sauté them till they change color.
  4. Add the chopped pearl onions or shallots or onion. Sauté stirring often until translucent.
  5. Add the green chilies and curry leaves and sauté for a minute.
  6. Now, add the turmeric powder and asafoetida (hing). Mix very well.
  7. Lastly, add the cabbage and salt. Stir and sauté for a minute.
  8. Cover the pan and let the cabbage cook on low heat. Continue to stir at times.
  9. Steam cook till the cabbage is tender.
  10. If there is any moisture in the pan, cook further till all the moisture dries up.
  11. When the cabbage is cooked, add the coconut. Stir and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more.
  12. You can garnish it with coriander leaves if you prefer.
  13. Serve cabbage thoran hot or warm with some steamed rice, chapati, paratha or bread.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.