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Avial | Mixed Vegetable Curry Recipe
+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.
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RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
Avial Paste
30 grams grated coconut, (about ½ cup)
2 shallots, roughly chopped
2 green chillies, deseeded and chopped
1⁄2 teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
25 grams green beans, (about 1/3 cup), cut in to 2-inch x ½-inch batons
50 grams yam (jimikand), (about 1/3 cup), cut in to 2-inch x ½-inch batons
50 grams carrots, (about 1/3 cup), cut in to 2-inch x ½-inch batons
50 grams potatoes, (about 1/3 cup), cut in to 2-inch x ½-inch batons
40 grams eggplant (brinjal), (about 1/3 cup), cut in to 2-inch x ½-inch batons
1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 drumstick, (murungakkai), tough skin peeled, cut into 2- inch pieces
30 grams raw mangoes, (about ¼ cup), cut in to 2-inch x ½-inch batons
240 ml yogurt, (about 1 cup), lightly beaten
Tempering:
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
12 curry leaves
COOKING METHOD
- Make avial paste: Add grated coconut to a grinder or food processor. Toss in shallots, green chillies, turmeric powder, and roasted cumin powder. Pour in 3 tablespoons water and grind to a coarse paste. This will yield about ¾ cup avial paste. Reserve.
- Make avial: Place a saucepan or chatti on high heat. Slide in green beans, yam (jimikand), carrot, potato, brinjal (eggplant), and salt. Pour in 500 ml water (about 2 cups), stir, and allow to heat for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Stir in reserved avial paste, cover, and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add drumstick and raw mango, and continue cooking, covered, till the vegetables are cooked through and most of the water has evaporated, another 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the avial to cool for about 2 minutes.
- Once the avial has cooled down a bit, pour in yogurt and mix well. Set aside.
- Temper the avial: Place a small kadhai or chatti on medium heat and add coconut oil. Once the oil is hot, toss in black mustard seeds. When the seeds start to crackle, add curry leaves. Be careful as the curry leaves will crackle and spit oil. Stir for a few seconds, then quickly pour this tempering over the prepared avial. Mix well.
- Serve immediately warm or at room temperature with rice
Cook’s Note: The yogurt in this avial does not lend itself to reheating. You could reheat it but stand the risk of the yogurt splitting. In case you are preparing this in advance, leave the 4th and 5th steps – adding the yogurt and tempering the avail – till just before serving.
Serves: 4 as part of a larger meal
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 27 minutes
HIDE RECIPE - Make avial paste: Add grated coconut to a grinder or food processor. Toss in shallots, green chillies, turmeric powder, and roasted cumin powder. Pour in 3 tablespoons water and grind to a coarse paste. This will yield about ¾ cup avial paste. Reserve.
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Tags:avial recipe kerala style, mixed vegetable curry, side dish for chapathi
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