I love butternut squash roasted in the oven and it’s the best in soup! But if you’ve never made thoran using this pretty orange squash, then you’ve been missing out. If you’re not familiar with Indian food – Keralite food to be exact – then you probably don’t know what thoran is. It’s basically just a method of preparing vegetables that calls for curry leaves and shredded coconut. The unique citrusy flavor of curry leaves infuses into the butternut squash, which is coated with coconut oil and unsweetened coconut. I think the reason I love using the thoran method of preparing vegetables is because it highlights the vegetable (or technically a fruit in this case) without overpowering it. You can find unsweetened shredded coconut at your local Indian grocery store for a great price (it’s actually what I use when I make homemade coconut milk). You can also find curry leaves there – or you can order fresh curry leaves on amazon. I always buy extra and store them in my freezer. You can make thoran with any type of vegetable – in fact, I have several other thoran recipes on the blog and this doesn’t even begin to cover the possibilities:
Cabbage Thoran Beet Thoran Zucchini Thoran Plantain Thoran
If you can find peeled organic butternut squash (thank you, Costco) then making this dish will be an absolute breeze. What do you want to see me make thoran out of next? 🙂 Like this recipe? Pin it to your favorite Pinterest board now so you will remember to make it later!
