Sadya - Aviyal

Today I am sharing the recipe of Aviyal or Avial.It is a dish that has a unique place in a typical Kerala Cuisine as well as in Tamil cuisine. It is a thick mixture of lots of vegetables, curd and coconut. It is seasoned with coconut oil and curry leaves. Kerala Sadya (Feast) will not be considered complete without Aviyal. Vegetables commonly used in Aviyal are elephant yam, plantain, pumpkin, carrots, beans, brinjal etc.Some people prefer to substitute raw mango or tamarind pulp for the curd. This dish can be made into a gravy and eaten with rice or be made into a semi-solid side dish. The word "aviyal / avial" is also used to denote an assortment or a mixture.

Aviyal is supposed to have been invented by Bhima (one of the Pandava brothers) during his Ajnanavasam. According to the legend, Bhima was the cook in the kitchen of Virata. But Bhima did not know how to cook. So one of the first things he did was to chop up many different vegetables, boil them together and top the dish with grated coconut.

Introduction courtesy : Wikipedia.com

Dont worry if  you don't have all the vegetables mentioned below with you. I personally feel Aviyal will be very tasty with just raw plantain, elephant yam, carrot, drumstick, beans etc. You can use vegetables depending on the availability, but  please make sure not to use tomato, beetroot, okra etc. Aviyal is my husband's favourite dish, so I prepare this almost everyday.

Serves ~ 2 adults

Ingredients

Chopped Vegetables - (Elephant yam (Chena), Brinjal (Vazhuthananga), Cucumber(Vellarikka), Raw plantain ( Vazhakka), Drumstick (Murigikkai), Carrot, Padavalanga (Snake gourd), Beans , Pumpkin (Mathanga) etc.) ~ 3 cups

Grated coconut ~ 1 cup

Shallots( Kochu ulli) ~ 5 nos

Green chillies ~ 4 nos

Cumin seeds ~ 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder ~ 1 tsp

Curd ~ 1/2 cup / Tamarind paste ~ 1 1 /2 tsp
Salt to taste
Curry leaves ~ 2 stems

Coconut oil ~ 1 tbsp.

Method

• First wash and chop vegetables to medium length pieces ( Note: Chopped pieces should resemble the shape of french fries). Then cook the vegetables except drumsticks by adding 1 cup of water for about 10 minutes in a medium flame and then add drumsticks, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and salt and cook covered for another 5-10 minutes.

• Meanwhile grind coarsely grated coconut, cumin seeds, green chillies, shallots and 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and keep it aside.

• When the vegetables are cooked lower the flame and  add curd / tamarind paste along with ground coconut paste and mix it nicely using the back side of a wooden spoon. Make sure not to mash the vegetables and then remove from the flame after 3-4 minutes.

• Then finally add curry leaves and coconut oil to the aviyal.

Enjoy with Rice.

Cheers!!