kumbalanga thoran recipe with step by step photos – another quick recipe of thoran made with kumbalanga or ash gourd. it is also called as white gourd or petha or winter melon. to know more about thoran you could read my post on beetroot thoran. i like thoran made from any veggie, from cabbage thoran to beans thoran to carrot thoran to banana peel thoran. so here is a recipe of ash gourd thoran.
ash gourd is easily available in south india and maharashtra…. though i have not been able to find it in delhi. its a lovely veggie and quite different from the other gourds. i remember my mother adding ash gourd to sambar with other veggies and also making ash gourd thoran and ash gourd upkari. its also added in avial which is one of the most popular recipe from kerala.
for those who aren’t aware about ash gourd have posted a pic below. this is how ash gourd looks like. the texture is similar to bottle gourd however tastes different but good.
this is an easy recipe of ash gourd and does not take much time to prepare. you can serve kumbalanga thoran as a side dish or with dal and rice or sambar and rice. you can also have this dish with chapatis.
if you are looking for more recipes from kerala cuisine then do check:
ash gourd recipe
INGREDIENTS FOR ash gourd recipe
- 200 grams ash gourd (kumbalanga or white gourd or petha or winter melon) - peeled and chopped
- 1 medium onion - chopped finely
- 1 green chili - chopped finely
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds (rai)
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera) - OPTIONAL
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
- 2 sprigs of curry leaves (kadi patta)
- ¾ cup grated coconut
- 1 to 1.5 tablespoon coconut oil
- salt as required
HOW TO MAKE ash gourd recipe
- chop the ash gourd and keep them ready with the chopped onions and green chili.
- in a pan, heat the coconut oil. add the mustard seeds and when they pop add the cumin seeds. when the cumin seeds sizzle in the hot oil add the onions. fry the onions till transparent.
- add the curry leaves and green chilli. fry for some seconds.
- now add the ash gourd.
- add the turmeric powder and saute for a minute.
- cover the pan and let the ash gourd cook in its own juices. do not add water as ash gourd has enough water in it. cook for 7-8 minutes till the ash gourd is almost done. then add the grated coconut.
- mix the coconut well with the veggie. add salt and cook covered for a couple of minutes.
- serve ash gourd thoran as a side dish or with dal and rice or sambar and rice. you can also have this dish with chapatis.
preparation to make ash gourd recipe
1. rinse the ash gourd, remove their seeds and chop the ash gourd.
2. measure all the spices, chop the onion and green chili. also keep the grated coconut ready for the thoran.
making ash gourd recipe
3. in a pan, heat 1 to 1.5 tablespoon coconut oil. add ½ teaspoon of mustard seeds.
4. let the mustard seeds crackle.
5. add ½ teaspoon of cumin seeds.
6. when the cumin seeds sizzle in the hot oil. add 1 medium sized chopped onion.
7. fry the onions till transparent.
8. add 2 sprigs of curry leaves and 1 finely chopped green chili.
9. fry for some seconds.
10. now add 200 grams of ash gourd.
11. add ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder (haldi).
12. mix well. saute the veggie for a minute.
13. cover the pan and let the ash gourd cook in its own juices.
14. keep checking in intervals of 2 to 3 minutes. if the ash gourd appears dry then add some water. some ash gourd may require water while cooking. some ash gourd may not require water while cooking. it depends on the quality and size of ash gourd, so add water if required.
15. cook for 7-8 minutes or more time till the ash gourd is almost done. again the timing will vary as per the quality of ash gourd, pan thickness and flame.
16. once the ash gourd is almost cooked, then add ¾ cup of fresh grated coconut.
17. mix the coconut well with the veggie.
18. add salt as required.
19. cook covered for a couple of minutes.
serve ash gourd thoran as a side dish or with dal tadka and rice or sambar and rice. you can also have this dish with chapatis.
I follow many recipe of yours. other day paneer butter masala and today for lunch ash gourd thoran. It is good for simple everyday food. Thanks!
Welcome Prajakta. Glad to know this. Thanks for giving your positive review on recipes.
Hi.Is the grated coconut fresh or dry? Which is preferable??
for this recipe i have used fresh grated coconut. best is to use fresh, but desiccated or dry coconut also works well.
Dassana who says that you are a novice in photography. The receipe simply is superb with the right ingredient mentioned. Only thing salt always needs to be added after adding the vegetable and lastly the coconut scrapes have to be added for garnishing and some coriander leaves.
thanks again neela for your inputs which will help the readers. and i am still struggling with photography and learning it 🙂
Hello Dassana,
Finally I found Ash gourd at a Chinese supermarket. Yesteday I cooked Mangalorean Ash Gourd curry with coconut milk. I will deffinitely try your recipe. Thanks for posting.
Regards,
Ben
welcome ben. do try the recipe…
Hi dassana,thanks for the recipe. I love ash gourd ,it looks yummy.I will try it today
Hey Dassana,
This recipe looks yummy feel like having a grab of it!
Love,
Maria