Make Kerala Style Aviyal

New Delhi: Avial is a healthy, flavorful dish of mixed vegetables in a coconut and yogurt sauce with a finishing of coconut oil and curry leaves. It is a popular traditional recipe from Kerala cuisine.

Ingredients

Veggies

• 1 cup chopped ash gourd (white pumpkin, winter melon, petha)
• 1 cup chopped pumpkin
• 1 cup chopped drumsticks or 1 to 2 drumsticks (moringa pods, sahjan ki phalli)
• 1 cup chopped elephant foot yam (suran)
• 1 cup chopped Mangalore cucumber (field marrow, madras cucumber)
• 1 cup chopped plantain (raw unripe banana)
• ½ cup chopped french beans (green beans)

For Coconut Paste

• 1 cup fresh grated coconut
• 2 to 3 green chillies
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ⅓ to ½ cup water, for grinding

Other Ingredients

• 1 cup water, for cooking veggies
• 1 cup Curd (yogurt), beaten
• 12 to 15 curry leaves
• 1 to 2 tablespoons coconut oil

Instructions

Preparation

1. Firstly rinse all the veggies with fresh water. Then drain all the water.
2. Then peel and chop them in medium to long thick sticks or batons. Keep aside.
3. For chopped unripe bananas, keep them immersed in water so that they do not darken.
4. Beat 1 cup of fresh curd with a wired whisk and keep aside.
5. Making Coconut Paste
6. In a grinder take 1 cup grated coconut, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds and 2 to 3 green chilies (chopped).
7. Add ⅓ to ½ cup water and grind to a coarse paste. Keep this coconut paste aside.

Cooking Vegetables

1. Take the vegetables which take a longer time to cook in a pan or pot. I have added carrots, drumsticks and green beans (french beans) first.
2. If the drumsticks are very tender then add them later with veggies that take less time to cook. I added at this step as I had drumsticks which take a longer time to cook.
3. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and salt as per taste.
4. Add 1 cup of water and stir well.
5. Cover the pan and keep it on a stovetop on medium-low to medium flame.
6. Simmer till the vegetables are half cooked.
7. Then add the remaining vegetables which take less time to cook. At this step, I have added plantain, Mangalore cucumber (field marrow), ash gourd and pumpkin.
8. Mix it with the remaining half-cooked vegetables.
9. Cover and continue to cook on medium-low to medium flame.
10. In between do check and if the water dries, you can always add more water.
11. Simmer till the vegetables are almost cooked.

Making Avial

1. Add the ground coconut paste.
2. Mix gently but well.
3. Let the mixture simmer for some 5 to 7 minutes or till the veggies are completely cooked. They should hold shape. So do not cook them too much. If the mixture becomes dry, then add some water.
4. When all the veggies are cooked and softened, then reduce the flame to a low. Add the whisked curd.
5. Mix gently. And simmer for a minute and switch off the flame.
6. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of coconut oil.
7. Also, add 12 to 15 curry leaves. Mix well. Then cover and let the flavours infuse for 5 minutes.
8. Serve aviyal with steamed rice, Kerala sambar, pickle and some papadums. It makes for a healthy, filling and satisfying lunch or dinner.