Most of us love eating papaya and that too the yellow and ripe once since they are enjoyable to eat and is packed with health benefits. On the other hand we often avoid buying raw green papaya because the ripe ones taste better and can be consumed without cooking. What we usually ignore is the fact that the raw papaya is equally healthy as the yellow one.
Papaya contains the enzyme ‘Papain‘ that is very helpful in the digestion. This fruit is extremely beneficial for digestion, lowering cholesterol and is anti-inflammatory. Due to its antioxidant properties and high vitamin content it is also beneficial for the skin and fights aging.
Papaya (Omakka in Malayalam) Thoran is a delicious, easy and quick to make recipe popular in Kerala cuisines. It is usually made from raw papaya and grated coconut. Papaya thoran is usually made as a side dish and is served alongside rice.
Papaya thoran generally contains only grated papaya and coconut. But through this post I am sharing a tasty twist which is sometimes given to this thoran. The twist is the inclusion of whole moong dal/cherupayar (in Malayalam) in the papaya thoran while the rest of the ingredients and process remains the same. I loved this version of the papaya thoran more and so I sometimes insisted my mother to make this type of thoran. But if you are low on time and cannot afford to invest time in cooking the dal, then you can skip always this 😉 But believe me with the moong dal this thoran tastes absolutely wonderful!!
Other than papaya thoran, you can also check out some other healthy and nutritious variety of thoran like Beetroot thoran, french beans thoran and red spinach thoran.
Ingredients required for Papaya Thoran:
Raw papaya (Omakka) – 2 cups (grated)
Whole moong dal (Cherupayar) – 1/4 cup
Coconut – 2/3 cup (grated)
Onion – 1 small
Garlic – 3-4 pods
Cumin seeds – 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves – 1 tbsp
Coconut oil – 1 tsp
Salt- As per taste
How to make Papaya -Moong dal Thoran:
- Peel the papaya and grate it. Boil the moong dal/cherupayar in a pressure cooker for 5-8 minutes. Avoid over-cooking the dal since it may turn mushy and will ruin the texture of the thoran.
- In a grinder, add grated coconut, garlic pods, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and cumin seeds.
- Coarsely grind together grated coconut, garlic, cumin seeds, red chilli powder and turmeric powder without adding water.
- In a pan heat 1 tsp of oil. Crackle mustard seeds, curry leaves and green chillies and add onions and saute for 2 minutes.
- Add the grated papaya and saute on high flame for a minute.
- Make a well in the centre.
- Add the coconut mixture in the centre.
- Cover the coconut mixture with the papaya. Sprinkle salt and little water.
- Cover with a lid and cook for 6-8 minutes.
- After 6-8 minutes, mix everything nicely.
- Now add the boiled moong dal and mix evenly.
- Your Papaya and moong dal thoran is ready. Serve with hot steaming rice.
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