Avial

Avial is a popular traditional dish from Kerala. It is a mixed vegetable curry cooked with coconut and yogurt. The main ingredients in avial are typically a variety of vegetables like carrots, beans, drumsticks, raw banana, yam, and pumpkin.

To prepare avial, the vegetables are cut into long pieces and cooked with turmeric, green chilies, and curry leaves. A coconut paste is added and the dish is seasoned with coconut oil to enhance the flavor.

It is one of the main dishes in a Kerala sadya. A sadya is a traditional feast served on a banana leaf during special occasions, festivals and weddings. With Onam festival around the corner, try this easy to make and healthy mixed vegetable avial. 

Ingredients:

• Raw banana
• Yam
• Carrots
• Beans
• Drumsticks
• Winter melon
• Pumpkin 
• Coconut grated - 1 cup
• Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Green chilies - 3-4 
• Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
• Yogurt - 1 cup
• Coconut oil - 1 tablespoon
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. Cut the vegetables in 3 inches by 1 inch long slices. Take equal quantities of each of these vegetables mentioned in the ingredients list and make sure they come up to 3 cups in total. 
2. Add the cut vegetables in a large pot and add 1/2 cup of water, sliced green chilies, turmeric powder, curry leaves and salt. 
3. Cover and cook the vegetables until well done. Stir occasionally and sprinkle water if required. 
4. Grind the grated coconut along with a teaspoon of cumin seeds into a coarse paste.
5. Add this paste to the cooked vegetables and stir well. Cover and cook on low flame for another 5 minutes.
6. Turn off the stove and add a cup of yogurt. Finally add a tablespoon of coconut oil and few more curry leaves. Delicious avial is ready to serve. 

"Shhhhh Cooking Secretly" is a monthly challenge in the Facebook group. At the beginning of the month, a theme is chosen by one of the participants and all the participants are grouped in pairs. The participants will exchange 2 secret ingredients with their partners who are supposed to prepare a dish that matches the theme of that month.

This month's theme is "Sadya" and it was chosen by Priya Vijaykrishnan. She made a kichadi with okra. Check out the recipe for the same in her blog 'Sweet Spicy Tasty'. My partner for this month is Mayuri. She gave me cumin seeds and coconut oil as my secret ingredients. I gave her mustard seeds and curry leaves as her ingredients. She made a very refreshing cucumber raita - Vellirikka Kichadi.