Avial is a dish that has a distinctive place in typical Kerala & Tamil cuisine as well as Udupi cuisine. It is a thick mixture of vegetables, curd and coconut, seasoned with coconut oil and curry leaves. Avial is considered an essential part of the ‘Sadya’, a Keralites’ vegetarian feast. You can add a choice of vegetables for your preferred avail mix.

     Avial - from 'avi' or ‘the act of boiling’. Avial is therefore “the act of boiling a bunch of vegetables together”.

Kerala Avial


Preparation Time:10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Cuisine: Kerala
Serves- 5-6

INGREDIENTS:
Yam/Chena, chopped lengthwise - ¼ kg (approximately 1 cup)
Cucumber, chopped lengthwise -1
Carrot, chopped lengthwise -1
Banana, chopped lengthwise -1
Drumstick, chopped lengthwise -1
String beans, chopped lengthwise -5-6
Turmeric powder- ½ teaspoon
Chilli powder-1/2 teaspoon
Curd, beaten-3 tablespoon
Salt-to taste
Coconut oil-1teaspoon
Curry leaves- 2 strand

To grind:
Coconut- ¾ cup
Green chillies-2-3
Pearl onion-2(optional)
Jeera- ¼ teaspoon (optional)


PROCEDURE:
  • Chop the veggies of your choice and keep the Soak the veggies like brinjal, yam in water which tend browning.
  • Grind coconut, green chillies, onion and jeera together as paste but make sure that it is not ground too fine.
  • Half cook all vegetables by adding enough water, Turmeric and salt. Try to cook in little water, since the excess water has to be drained (remember the water does contain nutrients from the vegetables).
  • Once the vegetables almost cooked add chilli powder and ground above paste and allow to cook for 2 minutes and switch off the heat. Add the curd and mix well. (The curd you use has got to be a little sour, if not add little tamarind water when the vegetables are half cooked)
  • Add curry leaves and coconut oil on top of the avial.
Aviyal

Malabar Aviyal

Onam Sadya Recipes