Cabbage & Carrot Thoran-style Indian Salad

A surprising flavour combination will knock your socks off! This salad is made with finely shredded cabbage and carrot, tossed with a spiced Indian coconut “sambal” of sorts (in India they might call it a “dry chutney”). Based on the traditional South Indian Thoran dry curries, this is ridiculously delicious!

Thoran-style Indian salad?

Thoran is a staple vegetable-based “dry curry” found in the southern India. It consist of chopped vegetables cooked with grated coconut, curry leaves and is lightly flavoured with turmeric and maybe a couple of other spices.

It can be made with many different vegetables such as cabbage, carrot, okra, onion, natives vegetables, or a mix.

For the past year, I’ve been obsessively making the green bean version – which I will publish one of these days, because it’s so damned good!

But today, I’m sharing a salad version of Thoran, made using a spiced coconut flavour base tossed through a cabbage and carrot salad.

No, it’s not strictly authentic, but the flavours are true. I am using raw vegetables here to introduce freshness to the dish. And it’s absolutely delicious – I would not share such an obscure recipe if I felt it wasn’t exceptional!!

What you need for this Thoran-style Indian Salad

Here’s what you need. Note: the ingredients pictured below are for a double batch of the recipe written below, and all the photos pictured in post are a double batch. I was feeding a crowd! 🙂

The three ingredients that give this a truly authentic Indian flavour are the coconut, black mustard seeds and curry leaves. All three are key ingredients in traditional Thoran, on which this salad recipe is based.

• Black mustard seeds – They look like poppyseeds but are fragrant and have a slight horseradish-like bite to them.  They’re not spicy, more a fresh zing.

  ~ $1.50 in small packs at Indian grocery stores – my local is Indian Emporium in Dee Why on the Northern Beaches, Sydney. Also sold in the Indian food section at some Woolworths (Australia) $1.70, and online – it’s a small, light pack so postage should be minimal! Also used in Samosas, Eggplant Curry, Dal and in this Vegetable Samosa Pie which is to-die for! 

• Curry leaves – I just love the smell of fresh curry leaves. They smell like curry powder, but in fresh curry leaf form! (Though just so you know, curry powder isn’t derived from curry leaves. ) Curry leaves are a staple herb in South Indian / Sri Lankan cooking, and impart an incredible and unique perfume into anything it’s used in.

  They’re fairly accessible nowadays for Sydney-siders. They are sold at Harris Farms, most Coles and most Woolworths. They keep for a long time in the fridge – as in several weeks – or can be frozen. 

  This too is used in Eggplant Curry, Dal and the Vegetable Samosa Pie.  Substitute: dried curry leaves (not quite the same, but it’s the best sub) or Garam Masala powder;

• Coconut – While fresh is traditional and best, it’s hard to source. I’ve used desiccated coconut here instead. I think it works especially well because it disperses thoroughly throughout the salad. However, larger grated strands would also work well. Be sure to use unsweetened;

• Cumin and turmeric – Very common spices used in Indian cooking;

• Fresh green chilli – Here I’m using a cayenne pepper. Being a large chilli, it’s not that spicy. This dish isn’t spicy in general – the chilli just gives it a nice background warmth;

• Eschalot (USA: shallot) – Those brown baby onion-type alliums which are sweeter and more delicate than regular onions. Can’t find them? Just use more onion instead;

• Cabbage and carrot – You’d never expect them to work so well with the coconut and Indian spices, but they do! All those flavours really transform the ordinary into extraordinary!

How to make it

This is a bit of an unusual salad in that it doesn’t involve a liquid dressing that is tossed through fresh greens.

Rather, we are making a cooked, spiced coconut “sambal” of sorts, which is then tossed through finely shredded cabbage and carrot. The heat from the mixture wilts the cabbage and carrot a bit, as well as of course adding all those delightful (and authentic!) Indian flavours!

What to serve Cabbage & Carrot Thoran-style Indian Salad with

I find that this salad is flavourful and interesting enough to serve as an excellent and satisfying vegetarian – indeed, vegan – meal. But actually, it was created to serve as a side salad for a menu for Indian Week!

What’s Indian Week, you ask? It’s a week where I am sharing three brand new, iconic Indian recipes to make your very own Indian feast:

1. Palak Paneer – The famous Indian Spinach Curry with homemade Paneer (cheese!)

2. Naan – This recipe, FIVE YEARS in the making, is finally here!

3. Samosas – Oh yes we did … and it’s AMAZING!!!

4. Cabbage & Carrot Thoran-style Indian Salad – This recipe.

Try serving this salad alongside protein-heavy Indian mains or curries, such as on of these:

Oven Baked Tandoori Chicken

Rogan Josh

Butter Chicken

Dal (Indian Lentil Curry)

Chicken Tikka Masala

Curries

Enjoy! – Nagi x

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Cabbage and Carrot Thoran-style Salad (Indian Salad)

Author: Nagi

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 10 mins

Side Salad

Indian

4.88 from 16 votes

Servings5

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A surprising flavour combination that's knock-your-socks-off-good: Finely shredded cabbage and carrot are tossed with a spiced coconut Indian "sambal" of sorts. Based on the traditional Indian Thoran dry curry, this Indian Salad ridiculously delicious!

Note: Pictured salad is a double batch of the recipe written below

Ingredients

CupsMetric

• ▢ 2 tbsp coconut oil , unrefined (Note 1)
• ▢ 3/4 tsp black mustard seeds (Note 2)
• ▢ 3/4 tsp cumin seeds
• ▢ 3 eschalots (USA: shallots) , finely diced (Note 3)
• ▢ 1/2 onion (large), finely diced
• ▢ 3 garlic cloves , finely minced
• ▢ 1 green chilli , deseeded and finely chopped (Note 4)
• ▢ 12 curry leaves , fresh (Note 5)
• ▢ 1/2 tsp tumeric powder
• ▢ 1/2 cup desiccated coconut , unsweetened (Note 6)
• ▢ 1/2 cup water
• ▢ 3/4 tsp salt
• ▢ 1/4 small red cabbage , very finely sliced (~6 cups)
• ▢ 2 small carrots or 1 very large carrot , peeled and finely shredded

Garnish:

• ▢ 1/4 cup fresh coriander/cilantro leaves , roughly chopped

Instructions

• Melt oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat.
• Add black mustard seeds and cook for 30 seconds – they will pop and sizzle
• Add cumin seeds and cook for 30 seconds.
• Add eschalot and onion, cook for 3 minutes until translucent but not coloured.
• Add garlic and green chilli, cook for 2 minutes until softened but not golden.
• Add turmeric and curry leaves, cook for 30 seconds.
• Add coconut, water and salt. Cook until water mostly evaporates – about 3 minutes.
• Place carrot and cabbage in a large bowl. Add hot coconut mixture. Toss well – the cabbage should wilt from the heat.
• Taste and check if it needs more salt for your taste.
• Toss through coriander. Serve warm or at room temperature. Best eaten on the day of making. See Note 7 regarding reheating/making ahead.

Recipe Notes:

1. Coconut oil – Unrefined has an intense coconut flavour which reinforces the lovely coconut taste of this dish. Refined coconut oil is for general cooking and has had the coconut oil removed. If you cannot find unrefined coconut oil, vegetable oil is fine to use (but the dish won’t have as strong a coconut flavour).

2. Black mustard seeds  – A key ingredient for authentic flavour. They look like poppyseeds, have a horseradish-like pungency with distinct aroma ~ $1.50 in small packs at Indian grocery stores (my local is Indian Emporium in Dee Why, Sydney). Also sold in the Indian food section at some Woolworths (Australia) $1.70, otherwise try online.

Substitutes (starting with best):

• Brown mustard seeds
• Yellow mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp Garam Masala (different flavour, but is intended to make up for absence, add with turmeric)

See in post for other recipes using black mustard seeds.

3. Eschalots (USA: shallots) –  The small, elongated brown onion-like alliums which are more delicate and not as sharp as regular brown or yellow onions.

4. Green chilli – Fresh whole cayenne pepper. This dish is not spicy, and this large chilli just provides a subtle background warmth.

5. Curry leaves – A key ingredient in South Indian cooking which gives this dish a real authentic flavour! Sub 10 dried curry leaves. Curry leaves are fairly accessible nowadays for Sydney-siders, being sold at Harris Farms, most Coles and Woolworths. Freezes perfectly, see in post for other recipes using curry leaves.

Substitute:

• Dried curry leaves (not quite the same, but it’s the best sub);
• 1 tsp Garam Masala powder (add it with rest of spices).

6. Desiccated coconut – The finely shredded version, unsweetened.

7. Make ahead – this salad is best served slightly warm to bring out the flavours from the coconut “sambal”. However, raw cabbage isn’t great when reheated the next day – the smell is not very nice!

So if you are expecting leftovers or intend to reheat, it is best to cook the cabbage instead of just wilting it, as per the recipe. Just add all the cabbage and carrot into the skillet and cook it until wilted. 

You could also do the same with leftovers ie just toss it in the skillet to cook the cabbage, then it will reheat fine the next day.

8. Adapted from this Bean Thoran recipe.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 141cal (7%)Carbohydrates: 10g (3%)Protein: 2g (4%)Fat: 11g (17%)Saturated Fat: 10g (63%)Sodium: 410mg (18%)Potassium: 243mg (7%)Fiber: 4g (17%)Sugar: 4g (4%)Vitamin A: 4270IU (85%)Vitamin C: 69mg (84%)Calcium: 50mg (5%)Iron: 1mg (6%)

Keywords: coconut salad, Indian Salad

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Dozer with his friends at the Golden Retriever Boarder’s place. He’s the gold one, ignoring me.