Avial is a Kerala Traditional recipe which is a side dish & served as a main component in Kerala Sadhya. One of the 9 curries of Kerala sadhya usually prepared during Onam & Vishu festival. The specialty of this dish is that any vegetables of our choice can be added & traditional coconut gravy enhances its flavor. I use banana leaf on top of vegetables while cooking as it gives a special taste to the vegetables as well as health wise also well & good.
Ingredients:
- Chena/ Suran/ Yam – ½ cup (lengthwise sliced)
- Elavan/ Safed Bhopla/ Bottle gourd – ½ cup (lengthwise sliced)
- Mathan / Lal Bhopla/ Ash gourd- ½ cup (lengthwise sliced)
- Carrot/ Gajar – ½ cup (lengthwise sliced)
- Pacha Manga/ Raw mango – ½ cup (lengthwise sliced)
- Drum stick/ Muringyakola – 1no (lengthwise sliced into 4 pieces)
- Raw banana/ Kaya – ½ cup (lengthwise sliced)
- Banana Leaf – cut into the shape of the vessel to cover the vegetables (optional)
- Chili powder – ½ tsp
- Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
- Grated Coconut – 1cup
- Jeera/ Cumin seeds – 1tsp
- Green Chilies – 5nos
- Small onion/ Shallots/ Cheruulli – 5nos
- Curry leaves/ kadipatta/ Karuvepila – 10leaves
- Coconut oil – 1tbsp
- Salt as per taste.
Method:
- Take a vessel & add all the chopped vegetables & add 1cup water.
- Then add chili powder, turmeric powder, salt & 5 nos curry leaves.
- Cover the vegetables upper part with banana leaf & close the vessel with lid.
- Keep the vessel on high flame & when the vegetables start to boil, low flame.
- Cook until the vegetables are properly cooked (see to it that the vegetables are not over cooked)
- In the meanwhile, grind together grated coconut, green chilies, small onions, jeera seeds & curry leaves. (Don’t grind to fine paste, just smash all the ingredients)
- When the vegetables are cooked, remove the lid & banana leaf. If excess water is seen in the vessel,
- remove it to a glass & keep aside.
- Add the grinded coconut mixture & mix all the ingredients together. (Mix softly so that the cooked vegetables will not break)
- If the curry is too thick, add little vegetable water kept aside in a glass to make the curry loose.
- Switch off the flame & add coconut oil.
Kerala traditional Avial is ready to serve as a side dish.
Goes well with Kuthaari choru & chapathi.
Note: If raw mango is not available, you can use curd/ yogurt.
