Avial

This recipe is from an ex-colleague who is from Kerela.I love avial & make it whenever I have, even a little amount of fresh coconut, at home.

Ingredients : 10 beans,1 big carrot,1-2 drum sticks,1-2 raw bananas,150-200gm yam( suran ),150-200gm red pumpkin,150-200gm white pumpkin,2-3 hari mirchi,1 cup dahi,1 cup fresh grated coconut,a few kaddipatta leaves ,1tbsp jeera ( cumin ),1/2 tsp haldi,salt to taste.

Method : Keep 1 cup water to boil in a pot.Now start cutting vegetables.Cut 1 inch pieces of drumsticks & put them in the pot of boiling water.Next cut the carrots - thin 1 inch pieces.Add carrots to the pot.Next cut the beans in to 1 inch pieces- this can be managed by fingers - no need to use knife.The beans also added to the pot.Add more water to the pot -the water must be just enough to drown the vegetables,not more.No standing water on the veggies.

Remove skin from bananas,yam ,red & white pumpkin.Now cut bananas similarly & put them in the pot.Next goes the yam ,followed by white & red pumpkin. All must be sliced into thin 1 inch pieces & put in the pot.Add water if level goes below that of the veggies.Add haldi & hing.Also add salt to taste.

Take grated coconut ,mirchi,kadipattas & jeera & grind them nicely in mixture.Add this ground mixture to the pot after the veggies are cooked.Let this ground mixture & veggies simmer for 4-5 minutes.Put off the gas.After it cools down to room temperature,add beaten curds to the mixture.Mix nicely.Salt can be added if needed.

Another method is to keep all the cut veggies ( except drumsticks which get overcooked in pressure cooker)   in a cooker by adding salt & haldi to washed & diced veggie pieces. Pressure cook for  cooking for 2 whistles..Cook drumsticks in water with haldi n salt. Cook in water sufficient enough to drown diced drumsticks.

After drumsticks are cooked, add pressure cooked veggies to cooked drumsticks in vessel .

.Then add the coconut mixture & simmer for 4-5 minutes.Lastly, add dahi after veggie coconut mix has cooled down.

If there is need for watery avial ,one can add water or chaas.As you get the hang of it ,you can reduce the amount of coconut also.One can use sour curds to make this dish tangy.I make avial with sometimes 3 veggies only -like banans,red & white pumpkin.Also the proportion of veggies can change depending on what suits your taste & availability.

I added lots of curry leaves while grinding & got this green avial another time when I made it ! More nutritious !