Avial

Avial is a traditional dish and for all Keralites no feast is complete without this!

Assorted Vegetables cut into 3cm  * 1 cm segments about 7 cups.

Bottle gourd - 1 cup
Drumstick - 1, cut into batons
Snake gourd - 1/2 cup
Brinjal - 1/2 cup
Yam - 1/2 cup
Colacasia - 2 no:s
Unripe Banana / raw plantain - 1/2 cup
Carrot - 1 medium
Beans - 5 no:s
String beans - 3 no:s

Salt
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tbsp

Tamarind - 1 large lemon sized ball soaked in water and about 3 cups of pulp removed.
(or)
Sour Mango - 1, cut into thin batons with skin

To be ground into a fine paste:
Coconut grated - 2 cups
Green chilli - 4
Jeera - 1 tbsp

Garnish:
Curry leaf - 10
Coconut oil - 3 tbsp

Boil the yam and colacasia in 1 cup of water.
When they are half cooked add the other vegetables, tamarind pulp, salt , turmeric powder and chilli powder.
Cover and simmer till all the vegetables are well cooked and almost all the liquid has evaporated.
Now add the ground paste and mix well.
Cook for 1 minute, while stirring continuously.
Turn of flame and add the coconut oil and curry leaf.
Mix well.
Cover and keep aside until serving time.

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In our house, we love avial not just as an accompaniment, but as a main dish. So I make avial with more gravy.

Cut vegetables.

First I boiled the colacasia and yam.

Then add the other vegetables, water, salt, turmeric powder and chilli powder.

If you are adding the mangoes instead of the tamarind, allow the vegetables to get 3/4th done.

If you are using Tamarind pulp, allow the vegetables to get 1/2 cooked. Add the tamarind and continue cooking till vegetables are mashable.

Grind together the Coconut, green chilli and jeera.

Add the ground coconut to the cooked vegetables.

Just before serving - reheat and garnish with curry leaf and coconut oil.

Enjoy with rice or dosa.