Friday, August 24, 2012

Avial Recipe | Kerala Style Aviyal - ONAM Sadya Recipes

Every cuisine offers its unique taste even if it has several common ingredients in between them.Coconut is one such common ingredient which is used abundantly on a daily basis in both Kerala and Karnataka cuisines though the flavors and taste of the dishes differ with the additional masalas added in each dish.While I do not prepare many kerala recipes regularly, I like to indulge in few of them once in a while. A few dishes like avial,Appam-vegetable stew,puttu-kadala curry,neyyappam, few kheer varieties do feature once in a while in my cooking.
Avial is basically mixed vegetables mixed in ground coconut and yogurt gravy, which reflects the rich coconut flavor in each and every bite.Ideally, avial is served with adai and is a well known combo. I am not fond of the adai and avial combo or I can say I am too lazy to prepare avial for adai when a simple chutney would go nice with adai.I know its just an excuse,but I usually pair avial with plain white rice.We like Avial in a slightly gravy form than a very thick curry(which is the usual Kerala Avial),so it is your wish to adjust the consistency according to your requirements.
Aviyal Recipe | Mixed Vegetables in Coconut-Yogurt Gravy:
(Serves 3-4)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup fresh Curd,beaten well
2 tbsp Coconut Oil
a sprig of Curry leaves(12-15 leaves)

Vegetables-peeled and chopped lengthwise:
1 Potato,cut into 1 1/2" pieces
1 Raw banana,cut into 1 1/2" pieces
1 Carrot,cut into 1 1/2" pieces
1 Drumstick,cut into 2" pieces
6-8 French Beans,cut into 1 1/2" pieces
1/4 cup sliced Red Pumpkin
1/4 cup sliced Yam

to grind:
1 cup grated fresh Coconut
1 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
5-6 Green chillies
1 tbsp Rice,soaked for 1 hr
a pinch of Turmeric powder(optional)
Salt to taste
Method:
  • In a big pot add water and add chopped vegetables like potatoes,carrots,drumsticks,french beans and let them boil for 5-6 mins until half done.Now add the remaining vegetables ,raw banana,yam,red pumpkin and boil for another 6-8 mins until completely done.Do not make the vegetables mushy,they should be firm to touch and slightly crunch to bite.If you have more water in it remove some.

  • Meanwhile grind grated fresh coconut,cumin seeds,soaked rice,green chillies,turmeric powder and salt to a fine paste using little water.
  • Add the ground paste to the boiling vegetables and reduce the flame and cook until it comes to a boil for 5-6 mins.Adjust the consistency of the gravy according to your wish.I like it slightly thicker one instead of either dry or thin consistency.
  • Heat coconut oil in a small tadka pan until it is luke warm.
  • Add curry leaves and heated luke warm coconut oil to the boiling gravy and switch off the flame.Cover it with lid,this will help in retaining the flavor.
  • When it is warm add beaten curds and mix well and serve it.You can add the beaten curds and simmer for another 2-3 mins,but do stir continuously in order to avoid the curdling.
Serve it with hot rice/dosa/adai.
Notes:
  1. You can also add vegetables like snake gourd,chow-chow,white pumpkin and peas to avial.
  2. Always retain the crunch of vegetables which is a key to good aviyal.
  3. Do not skip coconut oil in the recipe which adds a typical Kerala touch to the recipe.
  4. If you want a white colored Avial avoid turmeric powder in the recipe.Also add slit green chillies to the boiling vegetables instead of grinding to a paste with coconut.
  5. Cut the vegetables uniformly for even cooking.

31 comments:

  1. My favourite side dish for Adai
    Nice clicks
    great-secret-of-life.blogspot.com

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  2. some comfort food I must say...just need some plain rice to finish it off

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  3. Kerala style aviyal always rocks...
    http://recipe-excavator.blogspot.com

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  4. A fav at home..Just had this for lunch yesterday!! Looks delish Prathy..
    Prathima Rao
    Prats Corner

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  5. I love avial... Ur clicks makes me feel hungry...

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  6. Deliicious curry, Always wanted to try this have heard alot about this.

    http://shwetainthekitchen.blogspot.com

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  7. after Bengali i love Kerala food the most. so many similarities. this dish is so much like our shukto. I love eating Avial but never made it. looks wonderful.

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  8. my favourite..but long time I made it..looks so yumm and am tempted to make it soon

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  9. very tempting and yummy aviyal. cute clicks

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  10. delicious dear...Rush your delights for Fast Food Event - Noodles

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  11. I too made avial for dinner yesterday, what a co-incidence! I might post the recipe on monday :)

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  12. I really want to try out recipe:)looks delicious...

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  13. Delicious and yummy looks so inviting.

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  14. Hey Prathy, your Avail makes me want to go to my mom. It looks super delicious & so inviting.

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  15. My favorite too,healthy and yummy dish

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  16. Authentic dish, aviyal looks prefect for Onam celebration.

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  17. Your version of aviyal looks delicious. however we wont add any pumpkin to aviyal as it make sweet.

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  18. Traditional presentation. you have used the authentic vegetables used for avial! lovely..
    Krithi's Kitchen - Serve It Griddled

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  19. Very nice looking avial Prathibha, perfect texture.

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  20. It seems to be a veritiable feast in the Kerala blog-holds! :-)
    We never add potato in our avial.
    loved the pictures.

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  21. My fav dish and lovely clicks... happy to follow you... first time here and you have a good sense of photography... do visit me http://cooklikepriya.blogspot.co.uk/

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  22. No offense, but this is not 'Kerala style' avial. Avial is not of a gravy curry.

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  23. @surya..I know avial is not a kind of gravy,as I have mentioned in my post I like it slightly in a gravy form,it is however upto a person's choice to adjust the consistency.

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  24. Beautiful Clicks and love your presentation. Its a healthy and delicious dish.

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  25. Looks delicious. Love your photographs.

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  26. Yum yum .....I wish I can have it ....nice pictures

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  27. Just tried the dish. Awesome taste .Thank you for sharing.

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  28. pic looks very nice but kerala avial is not made with curd people add curd now maybe due to health reasons or that its easily available.... its made with tamarind pulp and its semi liquid form or almost dry form...

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  29. the recipes are easy,,,,,,,,,,,,,will try some of them and surely leave a feedback
    http://www.pinterest.com/kumar65/onam-2014/

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Hugs,
Prathy