Aviyal

Aviyal

Ingredients 

A. To cook 

1. White pumpkin cut length-wise into 11/2 inches 3 cups

2. Suran/chena cut length-wise into 11/2 inches 1/2 cup

3. Raw bananas cut length-wise into 11/2 inches 1/2 cup

4. Carrots cut length-wise into 11/2 inches 1/2 cup

5. Beans cut length-wise into 11/2 inches 1/2 cup

6. Kovakkai/tindora cut length-wise into 11/2 inches 1/4 cup

7. 2" Bitter gourd cut length-wise into 11/2 inches 

8. Drumstick 1

9. Water 1/4 cup

10. Curry leaves 2 sprigs

11. Green chillies 5 slit 

12. Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp 

13. Chilli powder 1/2 tsp

B. To grind 

1. Shredded coconut 13/4 cups

2. Green chillies 5 

3. Cumin seeds/jeera 1/2 tsp

C. To Add At The Final Stage Of Cooking

1. Sour yogurt 1/2 cup

2. Coconut oil 2 tbsp

3. Curry leaves 1 sprig 

Method Of Preparation 

1. In a heavy bottomed pan, add all the vegetables, green chillies, salt, turmeric & chilli powder & cook everything together till the vegetables turn soft. Cook them by adding just 1/4 cup of water. The vegetables need to be cooked in the water released from them so do not add too much water. It will take around 15 minutes for the vegetables to get cooked fully. The vegetables need to turn soft but not mushy.  There shouldn't be too much water at the end when the vegetables are cooked.

2. In the meantime, grind the shredded coconut with green chillies & cumin seeds to a coarse mixture & keep it aside. 

3. When the vegetables are done, give the vegetables a mix, make sure you don't break them. Add the coconut mixture to them & mix it with the cooked vegetables. Cook for a minute with the pan open. 

4. Now add the yogurt & blend it with the vegetables & turn off the gas. Do not let the yogurt boil. 

5. Immediately drizzle coconut oil & add curry leaves & give it a mix & close with a lid & let it stay like that for 15 minutes.

6. Serve hot with rice. 

Notes

1. For aviyal, it is very important that you cut all the vegetables lengthwise. 

2. It is very important to add coconut oil in aviyal. Please do not replace it with any other oil. 

3. The quantity of white pumpkin needs to be approximately 2 times more the quantity of the other vegetables.

4. Do not add a lot of yogurt, just add enough to blend everything together, otherwise the aviyal will turn watery. The yogurt needs to be a little sour. 

5. If you feel your drumstick will not get fully cooked along with the other vegetables, then you can cook it for a minute in water before adding the other veggies.

6. The addition of bitter gourd is completely optional. 

7. It is very important to cut all the vegetables length-wise for aviyal. I have added Frozen suran hence its not length-wise.

8. Do not add a lot of coconut & make the aviyal too coco-nutty.