Avial Recipe

AVIAL 

Avial is a traditional and typical form of curry well known in Kerala, this is a  mixture of different vegetables especially prepared during some special occasions like marriages and other well known festivals like Onam and Vishu.

Sadya is a feast cooked during special occasions served on a platter especially leaves of banana shrubs garnished with Boiled Rice and different types of curries mainly Sambar, Rasam, Avial, Olan, Koottu Curry, Thoran, Elisseri, Pachadi, Pulisseri, Pappadam, Achar, Varavu, Sarkkara, Daal Pradhaman, Palada Pradhaman during special occasions. 

The origin of Avial dates back to Mahabharata when Pandavas assigned Bhima the second among the five Pandavas for cooking food for their family, as per the instructions given by others, he had to make a curry which was never been in any list of curries at that period. Bhima take it as a challenge and he prepared a curry out of 9 vegetables.  It is heard that since then this Mix Vegetable curry (Avial) is famous in Kerala traditions. The vegetables and other items for Avial  are:

1.    Drumsticks (Muringakka) -02 Nos. to cut into pieces remove outer layer

2.    Carrots – 02 Nos.

3.    Raw banana-01 No.

4.    Elephant Foot – 100 gms.

5.    Ivy Gourd (Vellari) – 150 gms

6.    Bitter Gourd(Paavakka) – 150 gms.(optional)

7.    Turmeric (Haldi) Powder – ½ tbsp

8.    Green Chilly(Mirchi) -03 Nos.

9.    Coconut (Nariel)– grated – 1 cup.

10. Curd – 01 cup

11. Cumin seed – ½ tbsp.

12. Garlic -06 petals

13. Oil as needed.

14. Water for boiling

   

Elephant foot

Carrot

Muringakka - Drumstick

SADYA

Procedure To Prepare Avial

Slice Carrots, Drumsticks, Raw Banana, Ivy Gourd and Elephant Foot(Chena) on a diamond shape.

Make small pieces of all other vegetables.

Place a Kadai, add water to boil all the vegetables from Sr.No. 1 to 6 also add one tbsp. salt add one tbsp. oil and ½ tbsp. turmeric powder.

Boil till some fragrance of boiled vegetable occurs.

Add grated coconut, green chilly (as per need), cumin seed, garlic into a Mixer to make a half smooth paste. 

Add the paste in to the boiled vegetables and boil again for about 5 to 10 minutes till it mixes well. 

Vegetables should be cooked properly and when finished boiling, the Avial is semi gravy/dry ready.  Use it with Plain Boiled Rice or as a side dish along with Sambar or Any other dishes.