Vegetable Potpourri in Coconut and Yogurt — Avial

One of my dear friends from work had requested this recipe. Hey Jovi, I hope you are reading this because this one’s especially for you sweetie!

Okay. I took my own sweet time with it, I know. It seems to be happening a lot lately. The connection to the Net is still nightmarish. If I were at work, my smart and efficient IT friends would have helped me resolve the issue in the blink of an eye; odd to think how much things can change within a year. Besides, I was feeling a bit heavy-hearted since my brother’s anniversary. You see, I lost my kid brother in a hit and run accident a few springs back and my family has been plagued by the tragedy ever since. The sense of loss is overwhelming, especially during anniversaries—a time when memory returns with such clarity that the experience of it could have been yesterday. Yipe! Enough. I have digressed from the original topic.

 

What is avail? It is a classic in Kerala cuisine—a mild vegetarian dish with a bit of various veggies, freshly grated coconut and yogurt dressed up with curry leaves and coconut oil. It wouldn’t be onasadhya (grand meal of the Onam festival) without this delicious mix of vegetables. It’s an excellent recipe to use up those leftovers vegetables in your fridge, not to mention a great way to include a variety of nutrient dense vegetables in your diet to count towards more than one portion of your 5-a-day. Again, I especially love the fact that the preparation couldn’t be any easier, but the result is special and still feeds healthily well.

Usual variations to the recipe can be seen in the use of souring agents like yogurt, tamarind, raw mango, tomatoes or a combination of preferred ingredients. I love the way my mom prepares it—she uses a bit of tomato as well as yogurt for a lovely tang. The vegetables I prefer to use for this dish are yam, raw banana, drumsticks, snake gourd, green beans, carrot and Indian cucumber. The recipe adapts to most vegetables, so feel free to use anything seasonal except the very mushy kinds. And oh, those who are hesitant to use coconut oil, go ahead and do it with olive oil.

 

Like most traditional Kerala dishes, avail has a its own share of stories too. Check here for details.

Vegetable Potpourri in Coconut and Yogurt — Avial

Ingredients

3 cups mixed veggies, cut into 2 inch by ½ inch pieces

(use veggies like carrot, drumsticks, green beans, cucumber, snake gourd, yam, raw banana)

1 ¼ cup water

½ small tomato, sliced

1 ¼ cup fresh coconut, grated

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

3-4 small green chilies

3 small shallots

2 sprig curry leaves

4 - 4½ tablespoon yogurt, or to taste

½ teaspoon turmeric

1 ½ tablespoon coconut oil, or oil of your choice

salt, to taste

 

Directions

In a large saucepan, throw in all the mixed vegetables with tomato, turmeric, water and some salt. Cook, covered, over medium-low heat until the water has almost evaporated and the vegetables are just tender and firm to the bite.

Meanwhile, coarsely grind coconut, chilies, cumin and shallots in a blender.

When the vegetables are cooked, add the coconut mixture and toss gently. Simmer everything together, covered, for 2 more minutes. Finally, stir in the yogurt, and mix well. Taste and season if needed. Add a splash of water if the curry is too dry.

Heat oil in a small pan over medium-low heat. Add curry leaves and toss for a second. Remove from heat and tip into the vegetable mixture. Finally, for a truly authentic taste, drizzle more coconut oil over the curry before serving. Serve as a side with rice, along with a spicy fish curry for a great lunch.

In the meantime, happy weekend to all of you.