)
This vegan Indian dinner recipe makes even better leftovers
This delectable dish beats take-aways and is overflowing with flavour.
Photo: Martin Poole
A thoran is a simple Southern stir-fry with mustard seeds, curry leaves, shallots, cumin and fresh coconut. It's a typical vegetable side dish served in Kerala, especially on feast days as part of a banana leaf-laden offering. This is a fairly typical recipe, as beetroot is a vegetable that you can source locally in this area. This recipe can be updated with a host of other vegetables and greens and, in fact, they also make thorans from leftover red meat and chicken, so you can add some of that in if you'd like to turn it into a meaty dish.
Serves 4–6
Ingredients:
2 tbsp coconut oil
3⁄4 tsp brown mustard seeds
2 tsp urad dal (split and skinned black lentils), if you have them
2–4 dried chillies (chiles)
20 fresh curry leaves
500g (1lb 2oz) raw beetroots (beets), peeled and chopped into
1cm (1⁄2in) cubes
Salt
2 small shallots, or 1⁄2 red onion, quartered
80g (3⁄4 cup) grated fresh coconut, plus more to serve
1 tsp cumin seeds
18g (1 rounded tbsp) finely chopped root ginger (peeled weight)
1 large garlic clove
14 large stems of ruby or rainbow chard, leaves shredded, tender stems sliced
Method:
Heat the oil in a non-stick saucepan over a medium heat. Add the mustard seeds, lentils and dried chillies and reduce the heat. Once the popping of the mustard seeds starts to subside and the lentils have turned a light golden, add the curry leaves. Follow 5 seconds later with the chopped beetroot and some salt. Stir well for a few minutes, then reduce the heat.
Cover and cook for 18–20 minutes, or until beginning to soften (it depends on how large the beetroot was chopped). Meanwhile, blend together the shallots or onion, coconut, cumin, ginger and garlic without any water. It will form a coarse paste.
Add the paste to the beetroot and cook gently for 5–6 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the chard. Cook for another 3–4 minutes or until the whole thing is done. Taste and adjust the seasoning, sprinkle with the extra coconut and serve.
