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 !

Ripe Mango Curry

This dish was taught to me by  my colleague at work.She is from Kerela & so this is from that State.

I have always made this with Badam aam.One can use any mango which has a predominantly sour taste.

Ingredients : 1 badam aam,1/4 cup dahi -beaten up ,1/24 cup fresh grated coconut,3-4 red chillies ( Byadgi variety ),1 tsp jeera,1/24 tsp haldi,1/4tsp hing ( powder form ) ,salt to taste.Kadi pattas are optional.

Method : Cut the badam aam into big pieces ( more than 1 inch) & put it in a flat pan with water  enough to  just drown the mango pieces.Put on the gas. Now add haldi,hing & salt.

Take the coconut, lal mirchi & jeera & make a paste in the grinder.Within 5 minutes of cooking the mango ,it would have turned tender.Now add the ground paste to the pan. & mix the paste with the cooked mango pieces.Cook for another two minutes .Put off the gas.

After the pan has cooled to room temperature add the beaten curds to it & mix thoroughly.Delicious ripe mango curry is ready.It has three tastes-sweet,sour & teekha.

I add kadipatta whilst grinding the coconut paste as kadipattas are good for blood hemoglobin. The ghutli of the aam can be also added to the pan at the initial stage itself or it can be separately consumed as per one's wish.Byadgi is a place in Karnataka which produces the famous Byadgi mirchi.They are not hot at all but they have a unique taste.