Thoran
Encyclopedia
Thoran or Upperi is a Kerala
cuisine dish (South India
). This popular and common dish is usually prepared to be eaten along with steamed rice
. It is usually served as part of the Sadhya
along with other dishes.
, unripe jackfruit
, bittergourd (പാവയ്ക്ക) or whitespot giant arum
, of leaves such as green or red cheera (ചീര), Moringa oleifera
or Ipomoea aquatica
, as well as of flowers such as Moringa oleifera or Sesbania grandiflora
.
The chopped vegetable is mixed together with grated coconut
, mustard seeds, curry leaves and turmeric powder and briefly stirred on a pan over a very hot fire.
s, green bean
s, cabbage
, green tomatoes
or spinach
, vegetables that were traditionally not available in Kerala.
The traditional recipes made in the Southern parts of Kerala do not use garlic
, but presently garlic and onion
are also added.
Thoran is also the name of a game
.
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
cuisine dish (South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
). This popular and common dish is usually prepared to be eaten along with steamed rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
. It is usually served as part of the Sadhya
Sadhya
Sadya means banquet in Malayalam. It is a typical feast of the people of KeralaSadya is a big feast associated with special occasions like wedding,childbirth or birthday. Sadya is traditionally a vegetarian meal served on a banana leaf. People are seated cross-legged on the floor on a mat. All the...
along with other dishes.
Preparation
Thoran is a dry dish traditionally made of a finely chopped vegetables such as yardlong beanYardlong bean
Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis, the yardlong bean, is also known as bora, the long-podded cowpea, asparagus bean, snake bean, or Chinese long bean...
, unripe jackfruit
Jackfruit
The jackfruit is a species of tree in the Artocarpus genus of the mulberry family . It is native to parts of Southern and Southeast Asia. It is the national fruit of Bangladesh, . The jackfruit tree is believed to be indigenous to the southwestern rain forests of India...
, bittergourd (പാവയ്ക്ക) or whitespot giant arum
Amorphophallus paeoniifolius
Amorphophallus paeoniifolius, the Elephant foot yam or Whitespot giant arum or Stink lily, is a tropical tuber crop that offers excellent scope for adoption in the tropical countries as a cash crop due to its production potential and popularity as a vegetable in various delicious cuisines.Elephant...
, of leaves such as green or red cheera (ചീര), Moringa oleifera
Moringa oleifera
Moringa oleifera, the word Moringa probably came from dravidian language Tamil and commonly referred to as "Shojne" in Bengali, "Munagakaya" in Telugu,"Shenano" in Rajasthani,...
or Ipomoea aquatica
Ipomoea aquatica
Ipomoea aquatica is a semi-aquatic tropical plant grown as a leaf vegetable. It is known in English as Water Spinach, Water Morning Glory, Water Convolvulus, or by the more ambiguous names "Chinese spinach" and "swamp cabbage". It has many other names in other languages, such as "Phak bung" in Thai...
, as well as of flowers such as Moringa oleifera or Sesbania grandiflora
Sesbania grandiflora
Sesbania grandiflora or hummingbird tree/scarlet wisteria is a small tree in the genus Sesbania.-Description:...
.
The chopped vegetable is mixed together with grated coconut
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
, mustard seeds, curry leaves and turmeric powder and briefly stirred on a pan over a very hot fire.
Variants
Thoran can be also made with carrotCarrot
The carrot is a root vegetable, usually orange in colour, though purple, red, white, and yellow varieties exist. It has a crisp texture when fresh...
s, green bean
Green bean
Green beans , also known as French beans , are the unripe fruit of any kind of bean, including the yardlong bean, the hyacinth bean, the winged bean, and especially the common bean , whose pods are also usually called string beans in the northeastern and western United States, but can also be...
s, cabbage
Cabbage
Cabbage is a popular cultivar of the species Brassica oleracea Linne of the Family Brassicaceae and is a leafy green vegetable...
, green tomatoes
Tomato
The word "tomato" may refer to the plant or the edible, typically red, fruit which it bears. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler...
or spinach
Spinach
Spinach is an edible flowering plant in the family of Amaranthaceae. It is native to central and southwestern Asia. It is an annual plant , which grows to a height of up to 30 cm. Spinach may survive over winter in temperate regions...
, vegetables that were traditionally not available in Kerala.
The traditional recipes made in the Southern parts of Kerala do not use garlic
Garlic
Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. Dating back over 6,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent...
, but presently garlic and onion
Onion
The onion , also known as the bulb onion, common onion and garden onion, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The genus Allium also contains a number of other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion The onion...
are also added.
Thoran is also the name of a game
Game
A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...
.