cabbage thoran

so i am still in cochin, still taking cooking classes every day and being utterly spoiled from all the delicious home-cooked food. i've got almost 50 recipes, and my teacher leena has been so kind and sweet to me, inviting me to dinner, worrying over me when i don't feel well, sending me home with packages of food... i've been so lucky to have met her and her family.
so here's one of my favorite simple recipes, it's for cabbage thoran, a very traditional south indian keralan dish. it's usually served as an accompaniment to either rice or chapati, and some kind of pulse or meat/fish curry.

cabbage thoran for 4-6

thinly slice about 1/3-1/2 a head of green cabbage--you should cut it like you're making coleslaw
finely julienne 1 carrot--coleslaw style
halve 2-4 green chilis
thinly slice 1 large red onion
sliver 6-8 cloves of garlic

put all the ingredients in a bowl
add to the veg mix
10-12 curry leaves roughly torn in half
1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 large handful of unsweetened dessicated coconut, preferably fresh, but realistically you can find unsweetened coconut at the healthfood store, if this is the case prior to adding it to the veg mix you should soak it in 1/4 cup or so of water for about 10 minutes to make it more tender, then strain

mix the spices into the vegetables with your hands, (they will be stained yellow from the turmeric) and allow to dry marinate for about 10-15 minutes

heat 2 tablespoons of coconut oil
when it is hot add 1/2 tablespoon of black mustard seeds
allow the seeds to pop, then add the cabbage mixture
cook for 10 minutes or so until everything is tender
season to taste with salt