Avial

Hope this post finds you all in good colors! Here I come again after a tiny gap, with a yummy, tasty, healthy and traditional South Indian Curry, Avial. I love Avial! (read in block letters!) Yes, to an extent that I don't need rice or Adai to go with it. I simply like to relish the bowlful.

I am sure there are various methods to prepare Avial; so I am sharing with you amma's version. I have also tasted other variations like Avial with Onion-Tomato, Avial with Tamarind, each of them tasty in their own way. Hope one day I'll post all of them!

Avial
Mixed Vegetables cooked in Coconut-based gravy
What we need:*Mixed Vegetables - 2 cups
Thick Yoghurt/Curd - 1/2 cup
Salt - according to taste

To temper:
Coconut oil - 1 tbsp.
Mustard - 1 tsp.
Curry leaves - a sprig
Asafoetida - a pinch

To grind:Coconut - 4 to 5 tbsp.
Cumin (Jeera) seeds - 1 tbsp.
Green chillies - 2 or 3 Red Chillies taste good too
Ginger - a small piece, de-skinned

*I have used Raw Banana, Carrot, German Turnip, Potato, Cluster beans, Beans. Ash-gourd, Yam, Drumstick are also best vegetables for Avial.

How to do:
1. Wash and cut the vegetables into long pieces. Boil them till they turn soft.
2. In a deep bottomed vessel, heat Coconut oil and add mustard seeds.
3. When they crackle, add Curry leaves and asafoetida.
4. Now add the boiled vegetables (along with the water used to boil them). Add salt as needed.
5. When they come to a boil, add the ground coconut mixture and give a good mix.
6. Bring to a boil and remove from flame. Now add the thick curd and mix well.

Serve with rice and appalam or Adai.

Notes:
1. Use only coconut oil for tempering as it gives that special flavor. Also before serving, add a generous amount of coconut oil, mix well and serve.
2. If you are including Drumstick, cook them separately as they can get mushy too easily.
3. A little sour curd will enhance the taste.
4. If you have Banana leaves to spare, keep the lid of the vessel tightly closed with a banana leaf. The flavor and smell is just too good!

T&T Tandoori Mushroom Capsicum Tikka Rice from Sushma's blog
Sushma, we all know is such a innovative cook. I get excited everytime she posts an Indo-Chinese dish or Tandoori dish, as she not only does it in a simple way, she also ensures it is so tasty and delicious. I always wanted to try her preparations; So I chose this Tandoori Mushroom and Capsicum Tikka Ricefor a lunch when DH was working from home. Not only did the otherwise I-wont-eat-Mushroom-Person loved it, he also asked me to make it often. Thanks Sushma for sharing it with us the wonderful recipe, we simply loved it!

Award time:
Akal's Saappadu has passed this to me.

Kanchan has tagged me again with the Kreative blogger award. She wants us tell yet another 7 interesting (or not interesting!) things about ourselves. So here you go!
1. I am or rather was a very short-tempered person. I have refined a lot over years, especially after marriage. DH has played a major role in moulding me! ;)
2. I get real terrible dreams. Often I dream that I have become blind or I am surrounded by Crocodiles, wake up screaming and bring down the whole house. So don't you dare to sleep next to me ;)
3. I have only 26 teeth. Rest of them has been taken away in the process of installing bridges and setting my teeth right. :(
4. I love reading books, ok this one is old.. I love reading the same books again and again. Like for example, I have read Sidney Sheldon's Master of the Game more than 5 times and Dan Brown's Da Vinci code for more than 4 times. Crazy, ain't I?
5. I like to have Tea as many times in a day as I can (though I have it just once!).
6. I am the only person in my family who loves Dogs.. So much.. So much.. That I like to pet and cuddle all the dogs on the road going for a walk ;)
7. As much as I used to hate Greens, I just love them now! And I really miss them now, as we get only selected varieties here.

Thansk buddies for sharing your happiness with me too!
Guess I have bored you all enough. Here I sign off promising to see you all with another interesting recipe! Till then, Happy Cooking and Happy Blogging!

PS: Does the spell-check feature in the Editor (of Blogger) work for you all? It doesn't, for me! :(

45 comments:

Preeti Kashyap said...

Lovely avial rohini. One of my fav dishes. The tandoori mushroom rice has also come out great.

TREAT AND TRICK said...

Avial and mushroom rice look superb. Congrats for the award....

Sushma Mallya said...

Both are my favorites...love avial as it has all the veggies in it and tastes also awesome...nice clicks rohini

kamalabhoopathy said...

Avial lovely and healthy side dish my all time favorite.

Sushma Mallya said...

Thanks for trying it rohini,glad u liked it too...am so happy today ...

Anu said...

Ahh...Yet another favorite dish of mine. Love to have it on Mattu Pongal after tha "kanu pudi" with mixed variety rice accomanied with Avial and Javvarisi vadam. Yummy Yummy!!

Rachana said...

Avial looks yummm and mushroom rice is wow:) lovely clicks too... Congrats on your awards, it was fun reading about you:)

Sarah Naveen said...

Welcome back deary!!!!
Avial looks so creamy and yummy!!! nice version...
congrats on ur awards and nice knowing more about you..

tasteofsaras said...

Nice and delicious combo dear..looks yummy

Perspectivemedley said...

Hi Rohini.. yummy avial!!. I love to have it with adai:).. and Nice to know things about you.. and the spell check is working in mine..

Perspectivemedley said...

Congrats on the well deserving awards :):)

Priya Suresh said...

Aviyal looks fantastic Rohini, congrats on ur award, the 7th one suits prefectly for me too..missing our greens..:).

Cool Lassi(e) said...

Avial looks great. Will do well with Adai. Nice to know more about you.

Namitha said...

Love aviyal...my all time fav. I like this version with yogurt too :-) This reminds me of the aviyal that my Tamilian friend makes and shares with me :D
I love "master of the game" and "Da vinci code" too..But never read them more than once..lol..Good to see you back in action :-)

Raje said...

Inviting dishes Rohini! Congrats on the awards!

AdukalaVishesham said...

Avial and Mushroom rice looks really good.. your version of avial is entirely different from what we make.. Even in Kerala itself there diff version of Avial from south to North...
And congrats for your award...

Kalai said...

Hi Rohini,
you have a wonderful blog with tempting recipes. Loved browsing through some of ur recipes. will come back & am happy to follow you.

SE said...

yummy avial..and the rice looks delicious too !! hey good to know more about you!

Sowmya said...

Me too rohini,i love to have the whole bowl of aviyal....yummy...yours is almost same like my version..will post it soon...n the 7 secrets is so interesting....always you rock..i started blogging after seeing yours..I don't know why i feel so close to you like a childhood buddy...keep rocking dearie...
oh..i forgot...congrats on ur award...:)

Sowmya said...

I forgot to tell 1 more thing ...i read almost all Sidney Sheldon's novels more than 4 times...:)

Anonymous said...

simple avial recipe as I call it. we have a couple of versio0ns for aviala nd this is exactly one of them

Sree vidya said...

Avial - my comfort food. Love it anytime. I generally do not add mustard to it.
Nice to know more abt you.
I just am imagining how ur hubby would feel when you wakeup screaming.:)

Unknown said...

a family favourite..love it with adai..

Nandinis food said...

Avial looks inviting!
Congrats on your awards!
Nice reading about you, especially
"THE DREAM" oh! that is acary.

Kanchan said...

I had this gravy number of times but never knew its called Avial, seems perfect !

Congrats on awards, and it was totally wonderful knowing you more :)

Even I get weird dreams that there these huge bulls running in an open ground and I'm stuck in between, so totally scared with anything that has horns :P

Hamaree Rasoi said...

Congratulation on your awards!!Loved reading about you. And no you aren't the only person who has read Sidney's novel 4 times (i'm crazy too).....I've read this book quite a few times now, and I still marvel at Sidney Sheldon's writing creativity. My fav is "If tomorrow comes".
Very interesting to know about your dreams..:-)
Deepa

Rekha shoban said...

my favourite avial...tempting..and congrats on ur awards!

Nithya said...

Nice avial.. :) Looks tempting.

Its really good to know more interesting and cute facts abt you. I do dream bad and scream too.. ha ha.. :) and I have 28 teeth only.. no wisdom and no wisdom teeth too.. :):):)

Jeyashris Kitchen said...

i too love avial a lot.Great combo for puliyodarai.and i too make it in the same way.i and nice to know about u.
and i too bookmarked so many recipes from sushma's blog.yet to try a lot.

priya said...

avial, my favorite...love to have it with sambhar rice...yummy..congrats on all ur well deserved awards, dear..keep rocking!

Madhurya Karthik said...

Hi Rohini,

Nice avial.... About your dream.....
You have a pair. I used to get same kind of dreams. Crocodile trying to eat me. or a 3 headed lion chasing me...... :D Funny. But I haven't screamed soo far. I blabber something.... :D

LifenSpice said...

Good to see you back:) Nice Avial and it was nice to read about you. The 3, 4 and 7 apply to me too:)

Shanthi Krishnakumar said...

Congrats on ur award. Avial looks delicious and ofcourse healthy dish. Tikka rice is yummy

Srikitchen said...

wow! that's looking yummy!

EFM - Mutton Series event is going on here (http://www.srishkitchen.com/2009/12/efm-mutton-series.html) and the deadline is feb.15th. join with us in the event!

Latha said...

Yummy avial....just love it...liked ur version. Nice to know more about u :).

gtyuk said...

mmm, avial looks comforting and delicious !!! my fav too!!

so, tea is the secret of you beauty, right?hehehe

congratulations for all the awards, enjooooooooooooy!!!!

Ash said...

Dreams are forever so funny.... Koi sir pair hi nahi rehta hai..... I wonder why do we dream such stuffs.... As a kid, I always dreamt of rolling down from my ceiling...that is the typical Mangalorean style homes... with Mangalore tiles.... I would roll down & a tiger is waiting for me below.....

I loved those preps too.... It was nice knowing u .... a bit more of course... I'm away from u, because of your temper..may be....!!!!

Ash....
(http://asha-oceanichope.blogspot.com/)

Unknown said...

Lovely avial and congrats on your award.

Mythreyi Dilip said...

Both avial and mushroom rice looks yummy and congrats on the awards da:)

Anupama said...

Yes Ro, it is truly a delicious curry. Even I love having it as is and it seems to go well with any kind of podi, thogayal, sambar, rasam etc etc.

Parita said...

One of my favorite dishes, love to have it rice and ghee :)

Supriya said...

Avial looks so yummy Rohini. Haven't made it in a long time. I will do it ur way soon.

Sanjana said...

The avial looks fantastic! So nice getting to know more about you!

sheenasharma said...

That was an so tasty and i loving it.
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