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Γ—

Aviyal / Avial / Kerala style Aviyal / Sadhya special Aviyal

Last Updated on March 6, 2022

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Aviyal is a mix of vegetables with coconut paste and made into almost dry dish.The explanation does not end there because it is the most famous dish from the state of Kerala. One of the most important dish served on the plantain leaf for a traditional feast.

Aviyal has so many true and mythical stories behind its origin.
I am not going to take you there:)
If I say I am fond of aviyal then that is an understatement because anytime I fell ill as a kid mom made me aviyal to cheer me up, I mean have u ever heard of that !! Seriously I am known for my aviyal 'ishtam' in my circle that I am always served a heap as second helping  by default . As if that is not enough my in laws too have taken up that task seriously.

I must admit MIL (Amma) makes the best aviyal .I can never say  no when she lovingly serves it .N number of people would be served aviyal anytime she makes but amma ensures she has saved some for me.I may not be the best or ideal daughter- in- law yet she takes great pride in those honest complements.I can tell those young girls out there reading this,sincere approval of cooking skills  is the number one entry ticket to MIL's heart !

 I am more fond of the leftovers the next day to be heated up and simmered on slow flame in the urali adding more coconut oil. Ahhaa..it tastes divine.. all those who have tried would nod their heads in approval  and  others I deeply regret to say u have been missing the door to foodie bliss ,an indulgence only sadhya lovers will understand..

  For sadhya we do not use garlic or shallots as it gives a non vegetarian flavor.Towards the Southern side this aviyal is made but as you go to the Northern side of Kerala avial is made with curd/yogurt instead of tamarind and or mango.Here is one such AVIAL (Palakkadan style).

One last word before u go to the recipe  avial is a very simple dish to make. The perfection lies in  cutting and cooking the veggies to right consistency  with out mashing it. Just remember not to use any slimy vegetable like okra,taro root etc.If it is hard to find these veggies given below go for the ones u know will hold the shape till the end thats all.

Ingredients:
Kumbalanga /  Ashgourd- 1 cup or less
Padavalanga / Snake gourd- 1/3 of 1 whole
Chena /Elephant yam-3/4 cup ( u can use frozen suran)
Muringakkai / drumstick-2 (u can use frozen)
Neelan payar / String beans-5 or 6
Kaya / Raw banana-1/2 of  1 whole( do not discard the green peel)
Carrot- 1
Kovaka / Tindora- 5 or 6 (u can use frozen tindora)

Vazhuthanga / Brinjal- 2 if small


Raw mango - 1/3 of 1 whole (depending on tartness)(peeled)

To grind:
Coconut grated -1 1/2 cup
Jeerakam/ cumin- 1/4 tsp
Green chili -2  ( more if u can stand the heat)

Chili powder - 1/2 - 1 tsp 
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
Tamarind paste- 1/4 - 1/3 tsp (reduce if mango is  tart) 
Salt to taste
To season:
Coconut oil- 1 tbsp
Curry leaves - few

Method:
1. Cut all the veggies into 1/4 inch thickness and 1 1/2 inch long pieces.
Very coarsely grind the coconut and the rest of the ingredients (given in to grind).

2. Heat a wide mouth heavy bottom pan pouring a glass of water add Suran/Chena first and after few        minutes  add all the rest of the vegetables cover and cook .Check in between to ensure the water has not dried up completely if so then add little water.When 1/2 cooked add the mango , brinjal mix well then spread the coarsely ground coconut and a green chili on top put the lid back and cook for 3-4 minutes.
(Aim is to cook all veggies evenly so always add veggies which need longer cooking time first)

.3. Mix the aviyal gently without crumbling the pieces cook for a few minutes until all the water has dried up and the coconut coats all the veggies well  .Level the top of aviyal with spatula and spread some curry leaves lightly crushed with fingertips finally drizzle coconut oil .Level the oil on top don't mix immediately.Let it rest keep it covered (This is known as patrapaakam) and before serving  mix again gently .
Serve along with other feast dishes and rice.

Note:

  • I use store bought grated coconut that is almost finely grated so I take it in a bowl  with crushed jeera add the rest of the ingredients and give a couple of squeezes with my hand to mix everything well and it works fine instead of grinding coarsely as I hate really fine paste. 
  • Vegetables that can hold shape well are only used .We generally do not use any root veg except yam and carrot.
  • Use only small quantities of each vegetable as everything together adds up and makes a lot.
  • When using green vegetables like snake gourd and string beans it tend to give a greenish color to  aviyal so u may reduce the quantity of it if u like.
  • Note that turmeric powder,salt chili etc are added when the veggies are almost cooked.
Hope to hear from you lovely people out there.
Meena
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Shree

    September 14, 2013 at 1:05 am

    drooling here. I have also started with the prep, kaalan already done. Now gearing up for erissery. Nice clicks Meena !

    Reply
  2. Maha Gadde

    September 14, 2013 at 1:31 am

    love d idea of mixing these veggies.def this is a super awesum post.thanx

    Reply
  3. Navaneetham Krishnan

    September 14, 2013 at 3:10 am

    You just reminded me about how much I am missing the flavors of this authentic Kerala dish. Let me gather the ingredients, make and have a wonderful meal over it.

    Reply
  4. Meena Kumar

    September 14, 2013 at 5:14 am

    Thank you Shee. Wow good going !!

    Reply
  5. Meena Kumar

    September 14, 2013 at 5:15 am

    Thank you Usha.

    Reply
  6. Meena Kumar

    September 14, 2013 at 5:16 am

    Thank you Nava,do try this u will like it.

    Reply
  7. Meena Kumar

    September 14, 2013 at 5:17 am

    Thank you Sabee welcome to aviyal circle.:)

    Reply
  8. Meena Kumar

    September 14, 2013 at 5:35 am

    Ha haa welcome to the avial circle.I was adamantly waiting for the fresh raw mangoes and all the right veggies he hee.. U wont believe how many times I have photographed avial and kept in my draft.:)
    Thank u Rekha.

    Reply
  9. sangeetha pn

    September 14, 2013 at 7:59 am

    Wow.. so beautiful meena.. πŸ™‚ I loved the top landing page logo.. You reminded me of my school days! πŸ™‚ Avial looks delicious .

    Reply
  10. Sebeena Loyd

    September 14, 2013 at 4:20 am

    Meena, i can't take my eyes off your aviyal. I'm sharing your love for Aviyal here. Beautifully done.

    Reply
  11. Rekha Vengalil

    September 14, 2013 at 4:42 am

    Meena loved the pics πŸ™‚ Avial is my all time favorite too πŸ™‚ wonder y we took so long to post it πŸ™‚

    Reply
  12. Priya Kheroun Tessy

    September 14, 2013 at 10:33 am

    Meena, avial looks stunning!!! Photos ellam excellent especially the labelled veggies:)

    Reply
  13. nandoos Kitchen

    September 14, 2013 at 12:19 pm

    Avial looks great. As a Keralite I have grown up with it. You have done it perfectly.

    Reply
  14. Rafeeda AR

    September 14, 2013 at 12:39 pm

    U wudnt blv Meena... I was watching umma make avial 2day n just like u said, she mixed coconut n yogurt with chilli n cumin 2 make it curry like. But I personally favor the dry 1, which is like a side dish... thanks 4 sharing dear... learning quite a lot frm all of u... πŸ™‚

    Reply
  15. Linsy Patel

    September 14, 2013 at 1:38 pm

    this is one dish I still have to try, its our our undhiyu, you can have all the vegetables and cook in coconut gravy. you got perfect recipe for this so very near future its going to be in my dish too. will let u know.

    Reply
  16. easyfoodsmith

    September 14, 2013 at 1:43 pm

    I absolutely love avial coz it has the goodness of so many veggies and it is light. I will try it soon. Thanks for sharing the recipe πŸ™‚

    Reply
  17. Reni

    September 14, 2013 at 1:47 pm

    This is my favorite ! looks simply amazing Meena !

    Reply
  18. Abbe Townsend

    September 14, 2013 at 4:05 pm

    You're making my mouth water, Meena!

    Reply
  19. Bhawna Bagri

    September 14, 2013 at 9:54 pm

    Wow Meena, it's lovely idea to eat all vegetables .....looks fantastic.

    Reply
  20. Meena Kumar

    September 15, 2013 at 5:50 am

    Thank you Sangeetha.:)

    Reply
  21. Meena Kumar

    September 15, 2013 at 5:51 am

    Thank you Priya.

    Reply
  22. Meena Kumar

    September 15, 2013 at 5:51 am

    Thank you Nandoos.

    Reply
  23. Meena Kumar

    September 15, 2013 at 5:53 am

    Thank you Rafee I am so glad u like this aviyal.:)

    Reply
  24. Meena Kumar

    September 15, 2013 at 5:57 am

    Please try it Linsy and let me know do publish undhiyu recipe too.Just Google to find out,it is a traditional Gujarati dish I would like to try that.

    Reply
  25. Meena Kumar

    September 15, 2013 at 5:58 am

    Thank you Taruna please try it and let me know if u liked it.

    Reply
  26. Meena Kumar

    September 15, 2013 at 5:58 am

    Thank you Reni welcome to the circle.:)

    Reply
  27. Meena Kumar

    September 15, 2013 at 5:59 am

    Thank you Abbe. I am so glad u liked it.

    Reply
  28. Meena Kumar

    September 15, 2013 at 5:59 am

    Thank you Bhawna.

    Reply
  29. Sona S

    September 16, 2013 at 12:49 am

    Perfectly made avial. Looks very delicious and tempting.

    Reply
  30. Priya

    September 16, 2013 at 6:47 am

    Meena, you are absolutely tempting me with your Aviyal. It looks perfect and made just the way I like it. Raw Mangoes is my first choice for sourness too πŸ™‚ The Techie is no fan of Aviyal (Weird is all I will say ;)). So I rarely make it. And yeah, shower some praises on the Mil's cooking skills and she is all yours πŸ˜‰

    Reply
  31. Ambreen (Simply Sweet n Savory)

    September 16, 2013 at 11:25 am

    Looks so tempting, delicious aviyal with all these vegetables!

    Reply
  32. Kalyan Panja

    September 17, 2013 at 6:18 am

    Just mouthwatering...looks delicious!

    Reply
  33. Priya Suresh

    September 18, 2013 at 1:59 pm

    This dry version of aviyal looks wonderful, i can have these delicious aviyal with some rice.

    Reply
  34. Nilu A

    September 18, 2013 at 10:13 am

    Looks good and perfect with rice or for me even chapati Meena.. Thanks for sharing dear πŸ™‚

    Reply
  35. Chitz

    September 18, 2013 at 4:39 pm

    Ohh, my good gracious heavenly lord.. Vaayikumbol thanne enikku naavil vellam oorunnu.. Yes, the perfection lies in cutting the veggies & cooking them without getting mashed.. Loved the look of it.. And yes, sheriya, next day avial tastes even more divine.. I guess I miss this the most in Norway πŸ˜€

    Reply
  36. Swathi Iyer

    September 19, 2013 at 11:13 pm

    Aviyal adipoli Meena, ente favorite annu, My mother makes super aviyal. I miss her and her aviyal.

    Reply
  37. Meena Kumar

    September 21, 2013 at 1:02 am

    Thank you Sona.

    Reply
  38. Meena Kumar

    September 21, 2013 at 1:10 am

    Oh Techie doesn't like aviyal!!It is such a waste to cook something just for one person then.
    Seriously Mils deserve their share !!

    Reply
  39. Meena Kumar

    September 21, 2013 at 1:11 am

    Thank you Ambreen.

    Reply
  40. Meena Kumar

    September 21, 2013 at 1:11 am

    Thank you Kalyan.

    Reply
  41. Meena Kumar

    September 21, 2013 at 1:13 am

    Thank you Nilu aviyal goes well with rice or dosa.

    Reply
  42. Meena Kumar

    September 21, 2013 at 1:13 am

    Thank you Priya.

    Reply
  43. Meena Kumar

    September 21, 2013 at 1:15 am

    Chitz thank you so much.

    Reply
  44. Meena Kumar

    September 21, 2013 at 1:15 am

    Thank you Swathi.

    Reply

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