'Aviyal' is a dish that originated in the kerala cuisine. As the name indicates, aviyal is a 'mixture' of vegetables cooked with coconut and curd is added at the end. Aviyal has its own variations in different parts of kerala and tamil nadu. The recipe given below is the authentic recipe that is made in kerala and southern tip of Tamil Nadu, Kanyakumari. It is usually had with rice and is one of the main sidedishes for any traditional special occasions.
Ingredients
Brinjal - 1/4 cup (cut into 2" pieces)
Raw banana/ Yam - 1/4 cup (cut into 2" pieces)
Green beans - 4 (cut into 2" pieces)
Carrot - 1 (cut into 2" pieces)
Drumstick -1 (cut into 3" pieces)
Tomato - 1 (chopped)
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Small Onion - 1 ( finely chopped)
Curry leaves - 5
Coconut oil - 1 tblsp
Salt - to taste
To grind
Coconut - 1/4 cup (grated)
Green chilly - 3
Tamarind - blueberry size/ Sour Curd - 1/4 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Method
1. Cover and cook all the vegetables for 5 minutes with turmeric, salt and 1/2 cup water in a
kadai.
2. In the meantime grind coconut, green chilly, cumin seeds and tamarind/curd.
3. When the veggies are half cooked add the ground mixture to it and mix everything well.
4. Continue to cook on low flame till the veggies become tender. Sprinkle few drops of water and mix everything occasionally to avoid the veggies from sticking to the bottom of the kadai.
5. In the mean time, heat coconut oil in a small pan. Splutter mustard seeds, onion and curry
leaves and add it to the veggies.
6. Switch off and mix everything together. This can be served with rice or adai.
Tips
- Instead of tamarind/ curd, the juice of a lemon can be added at the end. This give another kind of flavour and bright colour to the dish.
- Adding raw mango to give the tang instead of tamarind/curd is another variation of aviyal.
