"Avial"

Avial

An all time favourite in the family. "Avial" is a wonderful ambrosial mix of very mildly spiced vegetables in a smooth coconut sauce.

Serves 6 to 8
Preparation and cooking time : 45 minutes

Ingredients

1. Elephant foot yam or "chena" - 150 gms
2. Ash gourd - 150 gms
3. Onions - 100 gms
4. Potatoes - 100 gms
5. Pumpkin - 100 gms
6. Drumstick - 1 or 2
7. French beans - 6 or 7 Or Long beans - 3 or 4
8. Carrot - 1
9. Green unripe cooking banana or plantain - 1
10. Brinjal (tiny) - 3
11. Snake gourd - 100 gms
12. Tart green mangoes - 200 to 250 gms
13. Thick yoghurt - 1 cup
14. Coconut grated - 3/4 cup
15. Cumin seeds - 3/4 teaspoon
16. Green chillies - 3 or 4
17. Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
18. Coconut oil - 2 tablespoons
19. Salt to taste
20. Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon
21. Bright red fresh chillies slit - 3 or 4

Method

1. All vegetables are peeled or scraped and washed and then cut in similar shapes and sizes. Shape and size are kept uniform for a pleasing visual. I like the shape being long sticks (around 1 1/2 inches long and 1/4 inch thick). You may cut it in any shape you prefer but all the vegetables should have the same dimensions. Keep each set of vegetable pieces separate.
2. Yam needs to be handled with some care. Some oil may be smeared on your hands before first peeling and washing. Cut in preferred shape.
3. Ash gourd may be peeled and the portion containing the seeds may be cut away. Wash and cut into pieces.
4. Onions are sliced long after peeling and washing.
5. Potatoes too are sliced long like the onions after peeling and washing.
6. Pumpkin may be treated like the ash gourd.
7. Drumstick/s may be peeled and cut in shape after washing. If the pieces are thick, each piece may be split lengthwise.
8. French beans or long beans may be topped and tailed and the string on the sides may be pulled away. Then, after washing, cut into shape.
9. Carrot needs to be peeled or scraped and washed. Then cut.
10. Green raw cooking banana or plantain needs to be peeled and cut. Keep the pieces in water.
11. Brinjals need to be topped and sliced long and put in water.
12. Snake gourd may be topped, tailed, scraped well and split in 2 lengthwise. The white fluff has to be scooped up and discarded and after washing, the 2 pieces may be cut.
13. Green mangoes may be peeled and stoned. Cut the mangoes into strips.
14. The yoghurt has to be whisked lump-free and kept aside.
15. Items 14, 15 and 16 have to be ground with water to get a smooth paste. (Add water little by little only.) The paste should be thick. Set aside.*
16. In a large thick-bottomed cooking pot, add items 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 12. Add enough water to just reach the top of the veggies. Add salt, some curry leaves and the turmeric powder. Stir**, taking care that the vegetables are not broken or smashed while doing so. Cover and cook on medium flame for a few minutes.
17. When the yam and the pumpkin pieces are a little soft, add items 6 to 11 and mix either by flipping them or with the stick end of the wooden spoon. Add water if needed to reach the top of the vegetables. Cover and cook on medium flame.
18. When the vegetables are all cooked well, add the coconut paste and mix well. Boil the "avial" till the sauce becomes thick. Adjust the salt.
19. Add the beaten yoghurt, the remaining curry leaves and the slit red chillies. Turn off the flame and mix well. Drizzle the coconut oil on the surface and mix just a little again. Cover the vessel and let the aromas mingle for about 10 minutes.
20. Serve hot with rice or "roti".

Tips

A potato peeler is invaluable when peeling most of the vegetables used here. However, the yams may be pared using a knife, the drumstick peel may be stripped off in parts and the snake gourd may be scraped on the outside.

* Some prefer the coconut mix to be coarse, but I find a smooth coconut paste to be better and makes the "avial" more flavourful.

**If you are good at flipping things in a cooking vessel, flip all these things around so that the turmeric and salt reach everywhere and the vegetables are mixed well. Use this method of moving the ingredients around the vessel throughout cooking this. Or else, use the long stick end of a wooden spoon to stir the ingredients around the vessel. The aim is to keep the vegetables from breaking.