Cabbage and Carrot Thoran-style Salad (Indian Salad)
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
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)
1/4 cup fresh coriander/cilantro leaves (, roughly chopped)
Categories
Side Salad
Cuisine
Indian
Steps
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.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 141 kcal
Carbohydrates: 10 g
Protein: 2 g
Fat: 11 g
Saturated Fat: 10 g
Sodium: 410 mg
Sugar: 4 g
Reviews
Ben on 2026-08-13 (4 stars): I found this on the bland side however I did make it with green cabbage, and red onion instead of the shallots so maybe that's on me
Nancy Williams on 2025-08-11 (5 stars): Made this for lunch today and still smiling. Beautiful marriage of flavours. Lovely as it is...but my personal taste is spicier...upping the heat just a bit. I will make some adjustments next time....but this is a KEEPER!
Yuliya on 2025-06-24 (5 stars): We visit a local Indian restaurant once in a while, and they serve this cabbage Porial, which I love. This salad comes very close to it. I'd spice it up a bit more, but other than that, it's perfect! Will definitely put it in regular cooking rotation. Thank you!
bob adams on 2025-06-15 (5 stars): Great Flavor. I love Indian food but do not often cook it, but will definitely make this again.
Kyo on 2023-04-11 (5 stars): Left 1/4 red cabbage after making your dazzling purple rice thus I gave this a try. Absolutely fresh and unpretentious. I could even taste a touch of Sri Lanka and Maldives too. Thanks for this recipe.
Averil on 2022-11-05 (5 stars): This is beyond delicious!
I'd been meaning to try it for ages, it sounded pretty good. It's not good. It's way waaay better than just good. Totally unexpected flavours from a cabbage salad, yum. Perfect with dal and roti.
Thanks Nagi! (PS just got your cookbook here in NZ, it's fabulous!)
Kristen Morgan on 2022-06-15 (5 stars): Fantastic!! I had to tweak the veggies based on what I had, and it was still delicious! Definitely making this again!
Melanie Sim on 2022-04-19 (5 stars): This is seriously such an underrated recipe! I've only made it once, and now find myself craving it all the time. Absolutely delicious, and unlike anything I've had before.
Ruth on 2022-04-13 (5 stars): I made this a few weeks ago as a side dish for Rogan Josh. It was a huge hit! I will definitely make it again.
I didn't have red cabbage at the time so I used Chinese cabbage since that is what I had on hand. It was still incredible! Next time, I want to try it with red cabbage.
Yas on 2022-01-24 (5 stars): This was excellent! It’s very similar to a Sri Lankan dish called mallung, which makes sense as Sri Lankan and South Indian food are similar.
I made the coconut mixture as directed and used julienned carrot, shredded red cabbage and shredded kale in the salad. The mix was colourful and totally delicious. Thank you!
Jasmine on 2021-11-21 (5 stars): Seriously good compliment to an Indian-style meal. We'd run out of onions and didn't have shallots but it was still a hit! Quick, easy and tasty. Really nice to try something different (that we wouldn't think of ourselves).