Aviyal
Aviyal is an essential dish in sadhya and mostly part of Kerala and TamilNadu cuisine of India. It is a mixture of vegetables in coconut and curd. It is said to have been invented by Bheema one of the Pandava brothers.
It tastes similar to stews made in other countries only without meat. Different cultures prepare it with different vegetables. Keralites while growing up would’ve heard from our grandmothers how you can make aviyal only with particular vegetables. I still haven’t figured it out but just use vegetables like brinjal, drumstick etc,.
In TamilNadu you can find tomatoes, red chillies and more jeera being used but it all depends on your tastes.
Recipe : Aviyal
potatoes, yam, raw banana, cucumber(vellarikai, the one which looks like dosakai used for pachadis), beans, long beans(karamani), drumstick, carrots. Cut them into long cubes.
grated coconut, green chillies, jeera, curry leaves, curd, turmeric.
Grind chillies with coconut and jeera. Boil vegetables with a little turmeric when partly cooked add the ground paste and simmer for sometime. Add salt and just at the end stir in beaten curd and switch off the stove. Add a little oil, preferably coconut oil and curry leaves.
Variation: You can add red chillies instead of green, can add a little garlic while grinding coconut. The garlic gives a nice aroma when it is done but make sure the mixture boils well to ward off the raw garlic smell.
