Avial

Avial is a favorite dish at our place. It is a dish with a mixture of various veggies in a curd/yoghurt gravy with ground coconut and green chillies.

The list of veggies that can be used is quite long – white pumpkin, yellow pumpkin, potatoes, French beans, long beans (payaru), elephant foot yam (chenai/suran), raw bananas, peas, carrot, and drumstick. You can make it with any of these veggies available and make it as spicy or mild as you want.

It is basically a good way to make use of leftover veggies and make a yummy dish that goes well with rice, rotis, and pooris. There are many variations to making this dish; this is my version I learnt from mom.

 

 

It is my entry to A Fruit a Month event: AFAM – June ‘08 – Coconut.

 

 

Also, this is an entry for Siri’s Frozen Yoghurt – July ‘08 event.

 

 

Ingredients:

Combi of veggies white pumpkin, yellow pumpkin, raw banana, peas, long beans light green: about 3 cups

[I used these that I had at home; You can use any of these veggies: white pumpkin, yellow pumpkin, potatoes, French beans, long beans (payaru), elephant foot yam (chenai/suran), raw bananas, peas, carrot, and drumstick]

Grated coconut: 3 tablespoons

Green chillies: 5 (You can vary the amount as per the spice level you want.)

Thick sour curd/yoghurt: ½ cup

Turmeric powder: ½ teaspoon

Curry leaves: 4-5

Coconut oil: 1 teaspoon

Salt to taste

 

Method:

1. Chop the vegetables into 1-inch long and ½ cm wide. The beans can be chopped to 1-inch pieces.
2. Cook the vegetables with about a cup of water in a vessel in the pressure cooker for about 3 whistles (or till rice cooks well – In fact, I cook the rice in another vessel with the vegetables at one go!)
3. Wait for the steam to be released from the cooker. Then, transfer the veggies to a heavy bottomed vessel and add turmeric powder. Mix well to blend the yellow color.
4. Grind the coconut and green chillies to a coarse paste without adding much water – may be one or two teaspoons, if required.
5. Beat the curd/yoghurt to a smooth paste.
6. Place the veggies on low heat on the gas stove and cook till any remaining water evaporates and the mixture is quite dry.
7. Add the coconut chilly paste and salt to taste into the vegetables and mix well.
8. If you like a thicker avial, avoid adding water. On the other hand, if you want a more flowy liquid gravy for the avial, you can skip the step to reduce the water content and add water to adjust the consistency.
9. Stir in the curd/yoghurt and curry leaves and mix.
10. When the mixture is well heated, turn off the heat – avoid letting the avial boil after adding the curd/yoghurt.



11. Drizzle the coconut oil over the avial and serve hot with rice, rotis, or pooris.