Version from Kerala, India
Avial — Kerala, India
Avial is Kerala's thick coconut-and-vegetable stew, usually a mix of about thirteen vegetables simmered together and finished with coconut oil and curry leaves, a staple of the Sadhya feast.
- 20 min
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 4
- Servings
- Medium
- Difficulty
Avial, also spelled aviyal, is a thick vegetable stew from Kerala, in South India, built on a wide mix, usually around thirteen kinds, of vegetables commonly grown along the Western Ghats, bound together with grated coconut.
The dish is reported as an essential part of daily meals in Kerala, called oonu in Malayalam, and is often treated as a central item of the Sadhya, the large vegetarian feast served on banana leaves at festive occasions; it is also served more widely across South India.
The vegetables, commonly a mix such as drumstick, carrot, yam, raw banana, pumpkin and beans, are cut into batons and simmered gently with turmeric and green chili until just tender, then coated with a coarse coconut and cumin paste, soured with yogurt or raw mango, and finished off the heat with a generous pour of coconut oil and a handful of curry leaves.
Central Travancore is reported to keep a version with a thinner gravy, against the thicker style more widely served; beyond that, the exact vegetables used vary with what is in season, and neither the thick nor the thin gravy is presented as the standard form of the dish.
Preparation
Cut all the vegetables into even batons or pieces.
Simmer the harder vegetables first in a little water with turmeric, chili and salt.
Add the softer vegetables and continue cooking until everything is just tender.
Grind the coconut with the cumin seeds into a coarse paste.
Stir the coconut paste into the vegetables and cook briefly until well combined.
Sour the mixture with yogurt or grated raw mango, and adjust the salt.
Remove from the heat, pour over the coconut oil and scatter curry leaves before serving.
