Thoren

This is a coconut and veg based dish. We saw it cooked with shredded papaya but this can be substituted with cabbage and carrot, spinach or beetroot. Like most of the other dishes we saw, it was cooked in a deep, wok-like pan. The only difference being that the flat part at the very base was narrower than a wok, meaning that even a little oil pooled quite deeply.

Ingredients

• Coconut oil
• Mustard seeds (1 tsp)
• Chopped shallot
• Curry leaves
• Green chillis
• Papaya, shredded
• Chopped onions (about 1/3 the amount of papaya)
• Ground coconut (you might have to moisten dessicated coconut or use more oil)
• Turmuric (1/2 tsp)
• Salt to taste (as with most other Indian dishes there was quite a lot of salt, about 1 heaped teaspoon)

Method

1. Heat the coconut oil and add the mustard seeds. They will start to pop.
2. When the popping has stopped, add the shallot and curry leaves. The oil is quite deep and the ingredients are almost deep fried. Stir gently but constantly.
3. The shallots should brown quite quickly. The curry leaves smell great at this point.
4. Add the green chillies and onion and stir well. 
5. Cook for one minute.
6. Add the papaya. Stir and make sure everything is well mixed. 
7. Cover and cook on a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until everything is soft (about 10min).
8. Add the turmuric, the coconut and salt.
9. Stir well,making sure the coconut is completely coated.
10. Cook for 2-3 more minutes.

This dish gets better if you leave it to stand for 10 minutes or so.