How about Adai– Aviyal this weekend? I hear you – there’s no better combination than this in South Indian Breakfast cuisine! So.. don’t wait for another religious festival or a Friday or a Sunday to want to please your stomach! 😀 Today, you get to select between 5 different recipes for aviyal, pick the vegetables that work best for your avial recipe and impress yourself (and your guests!). This delicious and flavorful South Indian gravy recipe will satisfy your taste buds on any day, for any mood, and is a comfort food for many Tambrahms!
This gravy is popular for its sour and spicy flavor dominated largely by sour yogurt, green chilies and coconut oil. Some recipes even replace yogurt with raw Mango! This mixed veg gravy especially holds its position Kerala and Tamil Nadu cuisine and is considered an essential side dish in a “Sadya”, particularly in Onam Sadya. It’s popular to find a mix of all the tubers in this curry, like – White Pumpkin, Yellow Pumpkin, Sweet Potato, Chow Chow, Potato, Colocasia, Drumstick, Yam, Raw Plantain and Ash Gourd.
My Recipe Corner – Recipe for Aviyal
Vegetables used for Avial – White Pumpkin, Yellow Pumpkin, Sweet Potato, Chow Chow, Potato, Colocasia, Drumstick, Yam, Raw Plantain and Ash Gourd
Optional Veggies– Carrots, beans, cluster beans, green peas, brinjal
- Grind 4-5 green chilies, 1 cup fresh shredded coconut and 1 tsp jeera in a mixer grinder. Grind to a coarse paste
- Chop the above listed vegetables in big chunks
- Cook all the veggies in a pressure cooker with salt for one whistle, you can take them out even before the first whistle goes – the main purpose is to not make them squishy. They should just be sufficiently cooked
- Poke the fork in to check the consistency
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Now, add a few curry leaves, a pinch of turmeric (optional) and mix well.
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cover and cook the veggies for 3 minutes then add the ground paste and allow to cook for 5 mins.
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On a side, prepare tempering by heating 2 tbsp of coconut oil. Add 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp urad dal, 4 dried red chilis, handful of curry leaves and pinch of asafoetida. allow to splutter then pour the tempering onto the aviyal and mix well
- Let the aviyal cool down. Add 1 tumbler of curd and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and mix thoroughly. It’s best to add curd just before you start eating, so that the aviyal will not turn sour
PS: Tastes the best with Adai. Also makes a great accompaniment with white rice
My Top Recipe Recommendations
My Improv & Notes
- Load up on fresh coconuts! Fresh Shredded coconut is key for this recipe. It creates a rich texture that dried or desiccated coconut will not produce.
- As a substitute to Curd/Yogurt, raw mango or even soaked tamarind water can also be added to provide the sourness to the curry
- Some like Aviyal thick – if you prefer to have it that way, add 1-2 tsp of soaked channa dal / soaked rice together with coconut and grind them.
- As for the vegetables that can be used for avial – traditionally, Aviyal was meant to be had as a mixture of juicy vegetables, popularly all the tubers are used to prepare this very filling curry – like – White Pumpkin, Yellow Pumpkin, Sweet Potato, Chow Chow, Potato, Colocasia, Drumstick, Yam, Raw Plantain.. But some recipes also include beans, cluster beans and carrots. Some even include brinjal.. you can skip them if you need a authentic recipe of aviyal!
- Do you want the “hotel touch” in your Aviyal?.. then temper with Coconut Oil
Restaurants Serving good Aviyal in Bay Area
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good to know the variations !!