Aviyal

Aviyal (Malayalam അവിയല്, pronounced|aʋijal) is a dish that has a unique place in a typical Kerala Cuisine. It is a thick mixture of a lot vegetables, curd and coconut.It is seasoned with coconut oil and curry leaves.

Aviyal is considered an essential part of the Sadhya.

Common vegetables that are used to make aviyal are yam, plantain, drumsticks, carrots etc. Some people prefer to substitute curd with raw mango or tamarind pulp. This dish can be made into a gravy and eaten with rice or be made into a semi-solid side dish. The word "aviyal" is also used to denote an assortment or a mixture - this sense being derived from the way the dish is made.

Mythology

It is supposed to have been invented by Bheema (one of the Pandava brothers) during his agnaathavaasa. According to the legend, Ballav (Bheem's name during this time) when he assumed his duties as the cook in the kitchen of Virata, did not know how to cook. One of the first things he did was to cut a lot different types of vegetables, boiled them together and put some grated coconut.

Recipe

Aviyal recipe

Ingredients

Yam (Chena) (tender is better) 150gms White Pumpkin or Malabar Vellarikka 150gms Lentils 100gms Cluster beans/French beans 100gmsDrumstick (Muringakka) 2 NosRaw Plantain (Banana) 100gmsRaw Mango 1 No

Grinding Paste

Freshly grated coconut (Thenga) 1.5 cupsCumin seeds (Jeerakam) 1 tspGinger (inchi) 1/2 inchGreen chillies 3 or 4Turmeric powder 1/2 tspCurry leaves 4 leave bunchesCurd-Medium sour(north Kerala) 3/4 cup.Salt to taste

easoning

Curry leaves 2 bunchesCoconut oil t tablespoon

Method

*Cut all the Vegetables to finger size.
*Boil all together in a cup of water till 90% done.
*Grind the ingredients together with a little more water if preferred.
*Add ground paste and salt as required and boil for a few minutes.
*Take off the stove and add 3-4 drops of coconut oil and a bunch of curry leaves.
*Season with curry leaves

ome other commonly used ingredients

Cucumber (vellarikka),Ridge gourd (Peechinga),Bootle gourd(Churakka),Radish (Mullanki),Papaya (omakka,kappalanga), Raw mango (can avoid curd if mango is sour), Ash gourd (kumbalanga), Tomato (Add only near the end of cooking)

ee also

* Sadhya
* Cuisine of Kerala

External links

* [http://hikerala.googlepages.com/recipes_Aviyal.htm Cochin Style Aviyal]
* [http://indianfoodfacts.blogspot.com/2006/11/avial-mixed-vegetables-in-coconut-and.html Kerala Style Aviyal]