Aviyal - Mixed vegetables in spicy coconut

Aviyal/Avial is a very popular dish from South India. It is loaded with different varieties of veggies and coated in a spicy coconut paste.

Cook Time:

20 Minutes

Yield:

4 Servings

Ease of Cooking:

Moderate

What all you'll need?

• Raw Plantain -1 (cut into long 1" pieces)
• Long Beans-6 or 7 (cut into long 1" pieces)
• Carrots- 2 medium sized (cut into long 1" pieces)
• Drum Sticks/Muringa -1 (cut into long 1" pieces)
• Snake Gourd -1 medium sized (cut into long 1" pieces)
• Winter Melon - Half cup after cut into long 1" pieces
• Raw Mango- 1 medium sized (cut into long 1" pieces)
• Grated Coconut - 2 cups
• Green Chili/Dried Red Chili - 6-7 (depending on how spicy your taste buds can handle)
• Turmeric Powder - 1 teaspoon
  
• Cumin Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Yogurt/Curd - 1/2 cup
• Coconut Oil - 3 tablespoon
• Curry leaves - A bunch
• Salt - 1 teaspoon or to taste
• Water - 1 cup
  

One of the advantage of aviyal (avial) is that you can use mostly any veggies for its preparation. So, any veggies in the ingredient list are replaceable as per the local availability- without compromising the taste. For people like me who lives in the US, it's hard to find fresh Indian vegetables like snake gourd or winter melon. I substitute them with the locally available zucchini or squash. Raw mango will provide a light sour taste to the aviyal. If you don't have raw mango available in the market, you can always add about 2 tablespoon of tamarind paste, while the veggies are half cooked in the pan. If you prefer your aviyal to be little more colorful, add a chopped tomato instead of tamarind or mango.

Let's cook it!!

1. In a mixer/grinder, grind grated coconut, cumin seeds and red (or green) chili to thick paste and set it aside.
2. Add all veggies to a heavy bottomed pan and add water to it in such a way that all the veggies are barely immersed. Now, add turmeric powder, 1 tablespoon of coconut oil and salt to the pan and cook the veggies in high flame so that water will eventually evaporate. Saute in between so that veggies won't stick to the bottom of the pan while water gets dried up. It might take approximately 10 minutes for the veggies to cook.
3. Once the veggies are completely cooked, simmer the flame. Now it's the time to add the spicy coconut paste (from Step 1) to veggies. Once the paste is added, allow it to get warmed for another 2 minutes.
4. After 2 minutes, add curry leaves and rest of the coconut oil. Mix them well without crushing the vegetables and turn off the stove.
   
5. Aviyal is ready to be served with hot rice.