February 28, 2016

Aviyal, a Kerala Sadya recipe


Ingredients needed for the recipe of Aviyal
1 Raw Plantains / Bananas 1 piece giant yam (Chena)
1-2 carrots
5-6 French Beans
1 piece of Malabar Cucumber( Vellarikka) about 250 grams
1 drum stick
1 piece ash gourd / white pumpkin ( Kumbalanga) 500 grams
1/2 cup Karamani ( Pacha Payaru)
1/2 cup Kovaikka
1/2 cup Kothavaraikka
3-4 Avaraikka
Salt to taste
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 and 1/2 cup curds
2 bsp coconut oil
1 cup curry leaves ( cut into two)

Ingredients needed to Grind to a paste ( but not very smooth)
2 cups grated coconuts,
1 tsp cumin seeds
4 - 5 green chillies

How to prepare Aviyal (Kerala Style)?
Cut all the vegetables into uniform sizes, thin and 1" long, even drumstick pieces. If the pieces are thin it will get cooked easily and blend with gravy well.
Grind Coconut, green chillies and cumin seeds in to paste .Mix in the beaten curds and keep aside.
Heat a thick bottommed vessel or a pressure cooker with all the cut vegetables, salt to taste, turmeric powder with just enough water for them to get tender. Always remember that the cucumber and ash gourd leave out water while cooking. If you add more water avial's consistency will be watery.
When done add the curds, coconuts mixture to the cooked vegetables. Do not add the mixture till the vegetables are cooked fully. Mix well.
When they start to boil, simmer and leave it for a minute or two. Pour the coconut oil over the cooked mixture and add curry leaves. Mix well. Cover and keep it aside for sometime till the flavour settles down nicely.

Points to note while preparing Aviyal
Serve with hot steaming rice, as a side dish or with Pongal or Adai, other south Indian dishes.
It is a very nutritious, since it has lots of vegetables and most imporatantly contains lots of fibre content.
The vegetables should be divided into three types; hard vegetables which take time to cook like Bananas, Yam and carrots should be added first into the pan, as the bottom layer, soft vegetables like Beans, Avaraikka, Kovaikka, Kothavaraikka etc should be added next as the second layer and watery vegetables like Ash gourd and Cucumber should be added in the last, as the third and the topmost layer of the vessel.
Only then it will get cooked properly or else the hard vegetables will be half cooked and the taste will not be good.

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