Here is a
classic Kerala recipe - Aviyal - a healthy stew of all kinds
of vegetables in grated coconut. This dish is very popular and
almost every household in kerala has a slightly different way
of making it. The best part about this dish is that you can
make it with as few or as many vegetables as you like. Some make this
dry, some make it with a little gravy like the recipe given
below - it's really a personal choice. It
goes perfect with rice.
The key to making good aviyal
is crisp veggies. Here is a list of vegetables that are most
commonly used in aviyal.
Potatoes
Raw green plantains
Carrots (do not use too much
or you'll end up with sweet aviyal)
Beans
Yams like chena, chembu
Snake Gourd
Ash Gourd
Drum Sticks
Green Chillies
Green tomatoes or Tomatillas
Raw mango
Its best NOT to add
veggies that contain lot of water or those that become mushy
when cooked or the kind that add color to food. Here is a list
of Vegetables that are not used in aviyal.
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Onions
Red tomatoes
Eggplant
Beetroot
Okra
Sweet Potato
Since you are
using a variety of veggies, use only a little of each as it will
all add up to quite a bit when you cut them all up.
It's best to include one of
the sour veggies like tomatillas or green tomatoes or raw mango
as the tartness makes the aviyal taste better. If you do not
have any of thse at hand, you can add a few tablespoons of sour
plain yogurt/curd after the aviyal has cooked.
Do NOT overcook the veggies.
Since many different kinds of veggies are used, take care in
adding the veggies to the pot in the order of their cooking
time.
Preparation :
Peel and cut Vegetables into
long pieces - about 2 inch long - like that of french fries.
Cook the
vegetables along with green chillies slit in halves in a pan or
clay/stone pot of water to which 1/2 tsp of
turmeric and salt has been added. cook till the veggies are half cooked.
NOTE:- Do NOT overcook the
veggies. Since many different kinds of veggies are used, take
care in adding the veggies to the pot in the order of their
cooking time.
Coarsely grind
the following with little water in a blender - grated coconut,
jeera, 1/4 tsp turmeric, garlic paste and onion piece. Do not
add water while grinding if you prefer to make your aviyal with
no gravy.
Make a small well in the
middle of the half cooked veggies and pour the ground coconut
paste into it. Cover the pot and cook for 5 mins.
Remove the lid and add the
curry leaves and mix well. Cook on low heat for few more minutes
till the veggies are well cooked.
Pour coconut
oil over the top and cover the pot. If the veggies do not
include tomatilla or green tomatoes, then instead of coconut
oil, add 3 or 4 tbsp of sour yougurt and mix well and keep
covered.
