114) AVIYAL

AVIYAL

A FAVORITE KERALA TANGY, YUMMY

MIXED VEGETABLE SIDE DISH

Ingredients:

1)    Small coconut – 1

2)    Cumin seeds – ½ teaspoon

3)    Hot green chilies – 2

4)    Turmeric powder – ½ teaspoon

5)    Fresh curd – 200 ml. or raw sour mango – 50 gm.

6)    Ash gourd – 200 gm.

7)    Carrot – 100 gm.

8)    Beans – 100 gm.

9)    Drumstick – 100 gm.

10)                      Elephant foot yam – 100 gm.

11)                      Raw Nendran banana – 200 gm.

12)                      Potato – 50 gm.

13)                      Tender curry leaves – 3 sprigs

14)                      Water – 200 ml.

15)                      Coconut oil – 1 tablespoon

16)                      Salt – 1 teaspoon

To Cook:

Grate the coconut and put into the food processor together with the cumin seeds and the green chilies. Do not add any water at all. Grind to fine paste. Peel the ash gourd, the carrot, the elephant foot yam and the potato. Cut into long thin pieces (large juliennes) of approximately 5 cm x 1 cm. x 1 cm size. Lightly scrape a very thin skin off the drumstick and cut into 5 cm. long pieces.

Remove both ends and the fibrous string of the beans and cut into 5 cm. long pieces (if the beans are tender, there will be no string to pull out. Cut off both the ends of the raw banana. Cut it into 5 cm pieces and then slice into thinner strips without removing the peel (the peel gives it better texture).

Set a thick large vessel or pan on the stove. Pour in 200 ml. of water and drop in the vegetables. Sprinkle the turmeric powder. When the water starts to boil, turn down the heat and stir once every 2 minutes. Take care to stir with a lightweight ladle without bruising or breaking the vegetables.

Check to see whether the drumstick and the elephant foot yam are cooked by pressing them lightly with the ladle. The ladle will cut through the yam and the drumstick will be soft and watery when cooked. While cooking, if the water runs dry, add just enough to continue to cook without burning at the base.

When the vegetables are cooked, add the salt and the ground coconut paste. Mix well and taste. Add more salt if necessary. Pour in the curd. Just before it starts to boil again, put in the curry leaves and pour in the coconut oil. Do not cook any further. Switch off the heat and cover with a lid. Serve hot or cold.

You will fall in love with this dish!!!

Notes:

1)    Aviyal is a must for all marriage feasts in Kerala. Do not fail to cook this yummy, tangy, nutritious dish.

2)    Bitter gourd lovers can use 40 gm. in the recipe as some people do. However, I do not like or use bitter gourd in aviyal.

3)    You can include 100 gm. of thinly cut skinned jackfruit seeds if they are in season.