Avial is one of my favorite dishes. I love coconuts and anything that has coconuts are my favorite. This one will be present in all the special occasions in my family; but for some reason, I’ve always given it a miss. We used to gather in my granny’s house for all the special occasions and most of the veggies will be from the backyard she had, especially the gourds, such a huge one… I’ve been a picky eater in my childhood days and have been eating only fries. Ultimately, this has become one of my favorite dishes over a decade now. The version my mom and aunts make is slightly different from the one I prefer. They use sunflower/vegetable oil for tempering and curd instead of raw mango. I prefer coconut oil and use raw mango to achieve the tanginess, being influenced by the Kerala cuisine.
A gravy version of avial pairs well with paruppu adai than rice. I’ll share the adai recipe here in the days to come. If you have a picky eater in home, this is the perfect recipe to make them eat the veggies.
—Ingredients for 4 servings—
3/4 cup yam
1/2 cup snake gourd
1/4 cup beans
1/4 cup carrots
1 drumstick
1 raw banana
1/4 cup ash gourd
1/4 cup pumpkin
1/4 cup malabar cucumber
1/4 cup raw mango or curd
1 sprig curry leaves
4 tablespoons coconut oil
Salt as needed
*Cut all the vegetables into 1 1/2–2 inch strips
For grinding
1 cup grated coconut
3 green chillies
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 sprig curry leaves
4 shallots
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
—Process—
1. Coarsely grind all the ingredients for grinding and keep aside (do not add water while grinding)
2. In a pan, add 1/2 cup of water and the vegetables with yam going first(as it will take sometime to cook), cucumber and pumpkin at the end
3. Add the ground mixture, curry leaves, salt, coconut oil and mix well. Cover the pan and cook until the vegetables become soft, approximately 12-15 minutes. Make sure they doesn’t turn mushy.
4. Add a tablespoon of coconut oil and switch off the flame.
—Tips—
If you’re using curd, do no add raw mango and pour in the curd after switching off the flame.
Loavesandfishez 