Zucchini mushroom thoran/ Stir fry (Serves 4)

Thoran is an inevitable part of Kerala's regular meal. Thoran is usually made from a variety of sesonal produces and backyard veggies. It is an awesome medium to feed the "chikin-nuggets-lovin" generation of kids, their daily quota of veggies and fiber. We love to test different combination of  veggies in thorans and this recipe is the out come of one of our successful experiments. Here we tested a combination of mushroom and zucchini. This recipe came out with flying colors both at the taste and ease front. The use of oil in this recipe is completely optional.

Zucchini 1 cup packed, thinly chopped
Mushroom 1 cup, finely chopped
Shallots 2 nos, roughly chopped
Garlic 2 med cloves, roughly chopped
Green chilly 2 nos, roughly chopped
Coconut, grated ½ cup
Turmeric powder ¼ tsp
Cumin seeds ½ tsp
Mustard seeds ½ tsp
Curry leaves as needed
Salt as needed
Oil ½ tsp

Preparation

Clean and cut the zucchinis into 4 slices length wise. Cut these again into 4 pieces lengthwise and finely chop. Keep aside.

If you are using pre cut mushrooms, finely chop them. If you have whole mushrooms, slice them first and then chop. Set this aside too.

In a blender, pulse together grated coconut, shallots, garlic, green chilly and cumin seeds. Don’t grind to a paste, pulse for a couple of times. Set this aside.

Heat ½ tsp oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add curry leaves followed by mushrooms. Mix well and cover with a lid and cook for 5-6 minutes. Open the lid, give a good mix and add the thinly chopped zucchinis. Cover again for 2 more minutes. Now add the salt and turmeric powder. Mix well and cover to cook for a minute. Lastly add the coconut mixture and mix well to combine. Cook uncovered for another 1 more minute or until thoran gets a little dry and switch off the flame. Serve with rice…

Tips

You can omit the use of oil in this recipe if you use a non stick pan to prepare the thoran
As both mushrooms and zucchinis cooks faster, this can be prepared under 10 minutes, good dish if you are in a hurry