RECIPE

Vegetable Thoren

• Recipe by Aniamma Philip

A thoren is a dry, sauceless curry, usually prepared with just one vegetable and made sweet and fragrant with green chiles, fresh coconut, turmeric, mustard seeds and curry leaves. But Aniamma Philip combines three vegetables for her thoren—green beans, carrots, and shredded cabbage—to create a dish that could be the centerpiece of a vegetarian meal.

• Fast
• Vegetarian

Ingredients

1. 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2. 2 teaspoons black mustard seeds
3. 8 fresh curry leaves
4. 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
5. 6 cups finely chopped green cabbage (1 1/2 pounds)
6. 3 large carrots, finely chopped
7. 1/2 pound green beans, thinly sliced on the bias
8. 1 large onion, finely chopped
9. 1 3/4 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
10. 2 long hot green chiles, thinly sliced crosswise on the bias
11. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
12. Salt

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet. Add the mustard seeds and cook over high heat until they pop, about 1 minute. Add the curry leaves and crushed red pepper and cook until the leaves sizzle, about 30 seconds. Add the cabbage, carrots, beans, onion, coconut, green chiles and turmeric and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until the vegetables start to soften, about 3 minutes. Continue cooking over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes longer. Season with salt and serve.