Avial or aviyal is a traditional mixed vegetable curry from south India, especially popular in Kerala, Tamil, and Udupi–Mangalore cuisine.
Our avial recipe Kerala style is a simple and delicious dish of assorted vegetables cooked in coconut-based gravy and yogurt, mildly spiced and seasoned with coconut oil and aromatic curry leaves. All the vegetable pieces are thoroughly mixed and coated in the thick gravy of grated coconut and yogurt. Coconut is an essential ingredient in authentic avial, enhancing both flavour and aroma.
Avial is eaten daily in homes throughout south India. This Kerala vegetable curry is also prepared during auspicious occasions like weddings and festivals like the harvest festival of Onam. It is also an essential part of sadya or sadhya, a traditional vegetarian feast in which the dishes are typically served on banana leaves.
Mix vegetable recipes varies from region to region, but the basic ingredients of avial remain the same. In Tamil Nadu, lots of grated coconut is used while very little or no yogurt (curd) is used. Whether it is Keralan avial, or Udupi aviyal, or Tamilian Brahmin-style avial, the dish uses no onion and no garlic.
An avial recipe is typically made of mixed vegetables, mostly tubers and gourds. The most commonly used vegetables are ash gourd (white pumpkin, winter melon, petha), broad beans, carrot, cluster beans, cucumber, drumstick (sahjan ki phalli, moringa pod), green beans (all varieties), field marrow (madras cucumber or mangalore cucumber), plantain (raw, unripe banana), potato, pumpkin (kaddu), snake gourd, elephant foot yam (suran), taro root (colocasia), ivy gourd (tendli, tindora), unripe green mango, and yam (jimikand, suvarna gadde).
Eggplant (brinjal), squash, melon, and chayote (maerakkai, chow-chow) are also used in this vegetable curry.
Beans, potatoes, and carrots are traditionally not used, and you may omit these vegetables if you want an authentic avial recipe Kerala style.
You can add any vegetables of your choice, but make sure to use firm vegetables that can hold their shape after cooking, and not soft pulpy vegetables. The shape and texture of the vegetables is very important, so make sure not to overcook them. You want well-cooked vegetables with a slight resistance when you bite into them.
Since avial uses a variety of vegetables, use only a little of each because they will all add up to quite a lot in the end.
Traditionally, the vegetables are added in a sequence, with those that take longer to cook being added first (elephant foot yam, drumstick, green beans), followed by those that take less time to cook (plantain, mangalore cucumber, ash gourd, pumpkin).
To ensure that the vegetables cook evenly, cut them all to the same size and shape, specifically into long rectangular pieces or batons, as indicated in the avial recipe.
If the vegetable mixture becomes dry during cooking, add a splash of water.
Across south India, three kinds of souring agents are used as ingredients of avial: yogurt / curd, raw mango, and tamarind. Tamarind (in the form of soaked tamarind water) is used commonly in southern Kerala, while yogurt is more widely used in central and northern Kerala. Ideally, only one or two kinds of souring agent should be used. If you use yogurt / curd, skip tamarind. If you use raw mango add it along with the vegetables, and do not add tamarind.
When adding the yogurt, turn off the flame, otherwise the yogurt will curdle. Always use fresh yogurt for better taste and make sure to whisk it properly, and then stir vigorously when adding.
Follow our fool-proof mixed vegetable curry recipe that shows you how to prepare avial in short, easy steps. Enjoy this healthy, wholesome, and yummy vegetarian dish at any time of the week.
Avial is traditionally served with plain rice, sambhar, and papad. For a delicious Sunday lunch, serve avial warm or at room temoperature with plain steamed rice, tamarind rice, curd rice, or shamige (idiyappam, rice noodles, string hoppers). This vegetable curry also makes a good side dish for chapathi / chapati.
Mixed vegetable curry (avial) is a famous Kerala dish. Learn how to make best mixed vegetable curry Kerala style for chapathi & rice at home with all ingredients and cooking method from Yummefy Recipes.
You might also like our:
Chettinad Potato Masala Poriyal
Chana Ghashi Konkan Style
Kachumber Indian Salad
Veg Dum Biryani
Prawn Roast Kerala Style
Besan Ladoo
Malpua
Jackfruit Curry | Kathal ki Sabzi
Or see all our Vegetarian Recipes right here!