Avialis a popular dish from god’s own country Kerala. Its a dish that completes any auspicious occasion without which a meal is practically incomplete. Its a very healthy dishes made with lot of fresh vegetables and cooked in coconut paste. It is very easy and can be made any time in jiffy. There is no specific vegetables you need to have to make this dish. Any vegetable in hand can be used.
But traditionally vegetables that are called “naatu kaai” are used in it like yam, plantain, pumpkin, carrots, beans, drum sticks, snake gourd and broad beans etc…Since it has all kind of vegetables and very little oil it is very nutritious and healthy.
Drumsticks one of the main ingredient of the dish is very high in nutrients particularly Vitamin C.
According to Wiki – Avial is a dish which is originated from Tamil Nadu with the references in Sangam poems and coconut was added in the 7th century and is common in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It is a thick mixture of 13 vegetables as recommended by the Sitha Rishis of western ghats and coconut, seasoned with coconut oil and curry leaves.
Pairs well with Vthalkuzhambu, any kind of mixed rice or a side to the famous Adai-aviyal. Check out some of the other recipes to pair with the Aviyal – Onion vathakuzhambu, Ingi Kuzhanbu, Tomatillo bath, spinach rice etc…
Avial
Ingredients
- Drumstick – 1/2 cup or 2 sticks
- Carrot – 1/4 cup
- Beans – 1/4 cup
- Potato – 1/4 cup
- Yellow squash – 1/4 cup
- Capsicum – 1/4 cup
- peas – 1/4 cup
- any other vegetable of your choice like brinjal cauliflower, white squash, chayote squash etc..
For gravy
- Coconut – 1/2 cup
- grated or sliced
- Jeera – 1 Tbs
- Ginger – 1/2 inch
- Green chillies as per taste
- Thick curd – 1 to 1.5 cup
- salt
For Tempering:
- Coconut Oil – 2 tbs
- Mustard – 12 tsp
- Curry Leaves – one strand
Instructions
- 1) Wash all the vegetables thoroughly and cut them into long finger size pieces or cubes. Just make sure there are not too small.
- 2) Cook the cut vegetables with salt and water( add little water so that the vegetables don’t lose their shape).
- 3) The vegetables should be soft enough to break when you press it with your thumb. Do not over cook.
- 4) If there is excess water left in the bottom strain it and leave the vegetables in the strainer for a while.( the strained water is like a vegetable stock so this can be used to make soup)
- 5) Now grind the coconut, whole jeera, green chili and the ginger into a course paste adding the strained water as required. don’t make it too watery.
- 6) It should be somewhere between semisolid and watery so that it coats the vegetables.
- 7) In a wok add the strained vegetables and the ground paste and cook them for few minutes
- 8) Now add the curd and give it a quick stair. Do reduce the flame before adding curd or else it will break.
- 9) Let it cook for 2-3 min in low flame.
- 10) Season it with mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add little coconut on top before serving.
- It smells and tastes awesome.Goes good with Adai ( dal dosand hot rice. mumm yummoo.
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