vellarikka thoran recipe with step by step pics. Thoran is a coconut based stir fried or sautéed dish made with various veggies and beans. Various types of vegetable thorans are made in Kerala. Cabbage thoran or Beetroot thoran etc are also part of onam sadya meal.
This tasty vellarikka thoran is made with yellow cucumber. this is a small to medium sized oval shaped dark green cucumber with yellow stripes on it. Its also known as Mangalore cucumber, madras cucumber, Malabar cucumber. In various South Indian and Konkani languages its called as dosakaya, Mangalore southekayi, thouthe, magge, mogge.
I make both thoran and poriyals with various veggies and beans. Both thoran and poriyal accompany a sambar-rice, kuzhambu-rice, dal-rice and rasam-rice very well as a side dish.
I cook the thoran in a different way than how it is traditionally done. I just saute the ingredients one by one and then add the veggie. traditionally except the coconut oil and a few spices, all the ingredients are crushed and mixed first and then later added to the vegetable.
You can serve vellarikka thoran as a side dish with rice or with a vegetarian Kerala main course like kalan curry or parippu curry or Kerala sambar.
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Vellarikka Thoran
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ cup sliced pearl onions (sambar onions) or shallots
- 1 green chili - chopped
- 1 dry red chili - broken and deseeded
- 10 to 12 curry leaves
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 500 grams vellarikka (malabar cucumber, mangalore cucumber, madras cucumber, dosakaya, mangalore southekayi, thouthe, magge, mogge)
- salt as required
- ¼ cup water to be sprinkled (optional) and if only the cucumber starts getting browned
- ⅓ to ½ cup grated fresh coconut
Instructions
- Rinse and then peel 500 grams vellarikka (malabar cucumber). Slice the cucumber and remove the seeds. Then chop in small cubes.
- In a heavy pan heat 2 tablespoons coconut oil. Add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds and let them crackle.
- Add ½ cup pearl onions (sambar onions) or shallots. Also add 1 green chili (chopped), 1 dry red chili (broken and deseeded) and 10 to 12 curry leaves. Instead of pearl onions, you can even use ½ cup chopped onions.
- Sauté onions till translucent.
- Then add 1 teaspoon cumin powder and mix.
- Add the chopped vellarikka.
- Season with salt as per taste.
- Cover pan with a lid and simmer veggies on a low flame.
- Do check after every 3 to 4 minutes. If the cucumber starts getting browned at the base, then only add about ¼ cup water. Sprinkle water all over. Mix, cover the pan and continue to cook.
- Cover and cook till the cucumber is tender. There should be no water in the pan. If there is water then let it evaporate by cooking without the lid.
- Then add ⅓ to ½ cup tightly packed grated coconut. Mix and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more on a low flame. Then switch off flame.
- Serve vellarikka thoran as a side dish with a vegetarian kerala main course.
Nutrition Info (Approximate values)
Malabar cucumber thoran recipe with step by step pics:
1. Rinse and then peel 500 grams vellarikka (Malabar cucumber, Mangalore cucumber, madras cucumber). Slice the cucumber and remove the seeds. Then chop in small cubes.
2. In a heavy pan heat 2 tablespoons coconut oil. Add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds and let them crackle.
3. Add ½ cup sliced pearl onions (sambar onions) or shallots. Also add 1 green chili (chopped), 1 dry red chili (broken and seeds removed) and 10 to 12 curry leaves. Instead of pearl onions, you can even use ½ cup chopped onions.
4. Sauté onions till translucent.
5. Then add 1 teaspoon cumin powder and mix.
6. Add the chopped vellarikka.
7. Season with salt as per taste.
8. Cover pan with a lid and simmer veggies on a low flame.
9. Do check after every 3 to 4 minutes. If the cucumber starts getting browned at the base, then only add about ¼ cup water. Sprinkle water all over. Mix, cover the pan and continue to cook. But do check at intervals.
10. Cover and cook till the cucumber is tender. This takes about 12 to 15 minutes on a low to medium-low flame. There should be no water in the pan. If there is water then let it evaporate by cooking without the lid.
11. Then add ⅓ to ½ cup grated coconut. Mix and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more on a low flame. Then switch off flame.
12. Serve vellarikka thoran as a side dish with rice or with a vegetarian Kerala main course gravy based dish like vellapayar masala curry or olan curry or varutharacha sambar or ulli theeyal.
