Cabbage Thoran Recipe

Cabbage Thoran is a traditional dry preparation made with finely chopped cabbage and fresh coconut from the Kerala cuisine. It is cooked in coconut oil with onions, green chillies, curry leaves and a few spices which give it its characteristic flavor. Cabbage thoran is commonly served as a side dish with rice in a Kerala-style meal.

About Cabbage Thoran Recipe

Cabbage thoran is a quick vegetable preparation that fits well into everyday meals. It is cooked in coconut oil with onions, green chillies, curry leaves, spices, and grated coconut.

The dish is plant based and comes together in a short time, making it practical for regular home cooking. It uses simple ingredients and does not require any elaborate preparation.

Cabbage thoran has a mildly sweet taste, balanced flavor and a soft texture. Since it is not heavily spiced, it works well as a side dish and pairs easily with other Kerala-style dishes served in a meal.

This preparation is especially useful when you want a simple vegetable dish that cooks quickly and pairs easily with rice-based meals. It also works well for lunch boxes.

Cabbage thoran is often served with steamed rice and Kerala dishes such as Varutharacha Sambar, Moru Curry, Parippu Curry and Erissery. It is also a regular part of a traditional Kerala Sadya, especially during Onam.

In this recipe, I sauté the spices first and then add the cabbage. This allows the flavors to infuse into the oil before coating the vegetable. Traditionally, the cabbage and ground spices are mixed and rested before cooking, but both methods work well.

Cabbage and coconut pair naturally in this dish, which is why this preparation remains a staple in Kerala home cooking.

About Thoran

Thoran is a traditional dry vegetable preparation from Kerala cuisine. It is usually made with finely chopped or grated vegetables cooked with coconut oil, onions, chillies, curry leaves, mild spices, and fresh grated coconut.

A wide variety of vegetables can be used to make thoran, such as green beans, cabbage, beetroot, ash gourd, carrot, yam, plantain, drumsticks, and leafy greens like amaranth. Cabbage thoran is one of the commonly prepared versions.

In some regions, thoran is also referred to as upperi. The ingredients remain largely the same, though small variations exist, such as using onions instead of shallots or adding ginger or garlic.

Thoran is an important part of the traditional all-vegetarian Kerala feast known as Sadya, especially during Onam.

It is served as a mild, dry side dish that balances richer gravies and curries. I have also shared other thoran recipes like Beetroot Thoran, Cabbage Thoran and Ash Gourd Thoran.

How to make Cabbage Thoran

Prep & Sauté

1. Rinse 1 medium size cabbage. Remove the outer leaves. Half or quarter the cabbage. Shred or grate in a food processor. You can also slice the cabbage thinly.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons coconut oil in a pan or kadai.

3. First, add 1 teaspoon mustard seeds and sauté on a low heat till they crackle.

4. Now, add 1 teaspoon cumin seeds and sauté them till they change color.

5. Add ⅓ cup sliced pearl onions or ⅓ cup chopped shallots or ⅓ cup finely chopped onions.

6. Sauté the onions till translucent. Stir at regular intervals.

7. Add 1 green chili (chopped) and 10 to 12 curry leaves. Sauté for a minute.

8. Now, add ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and 1 pinch of asafoetida (hing). Mix very well.

Note that you can skip the turmeric powder and asafoetida. Adding about ½ teaspoon of cumin powder also works in this recipe. But if adding cumin powder, skip adding cumin seeds.

Cook Cabbage

9. Add the shredded cabbage and salt as required.

10. Mix very well and sauté for a minute.

11. Cover the pan with a tight lid and cook the cabbage on low heat or sim.

12. Keep checking after every 4 to 5 minutes and give a stir.

TIP 1: If the cabbage starts sticking to the bottom of the pan, sprinkle some water all over. Cover with a tight lid and cook again. Make sure that the cabbage does not get browned or burnt.

TIP 2: If your pan is light and not heavy, it can brown the cabbage fast. So add about ¼ to ⅓ cup water. Mix well and cover the pan to cook the cabbage.

13. On low heat, cook till the cabbage is tender. If there is any moisture in the pan, then cook further till all the moisture or water dries up.

Make Cabbage Thoran

14. Once the cabbage is tender and cooked perfectly, add ½ cup fresh grated coconut. You could also use frozen coconut. But thaw the coconut before adding.

15. Stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more on a low heat.

16. You can garnish cabbage thoran with chopped coriander leaves if you like.

17. Serve the cabbage thoran hot with some steamed rice, roti or paratha. You can also have it with bread or pack it in lunch box.

Dassana’s Recipe Tips

• Use fresh cabbage for best taste. You can use the regular green cabbage and also purple or red cabbage to make this thoran recipe. In case you don’t want to shred or grate the cabbage, you can thinly slice it too.
• While cooking the cabbage, if it starts sticking to the bottom of the pan, sprinkle some water on it. It is best to use a heavy and thick bottomed pan so as to avoid the cabbage getting browned or burnt.
• The cabbage has to be cooked on low heat till tender. Once cooked well and if there are any liquids in the pan, simmer until all the liquids dry up from the pan.
• To make this dish gluten free, skip the asafoetida.
• If you want to increase the nutrition quotient, try adding some shredded carrots together with the cabbage. This will also make the dish colorful.
• This cabbage thoran recipe can be doubled or tripled easily.

Your Questions Answered

Explore More Tasty Cabbage Recipes

• Cabbage Bhaji
• Cabbage Poriyal
• Cabbage ki Sabzi
• Cabbage Chutney

Cabbage Thoran recipe from the blog archives was first published on June 2013.