Aviyal Totally Explained

Everything about Aviyal totally explained

Aviyal (Malayalam അവിയല്, ) is a dish that has a unique place in a typical Kerala Cuisine. It is a thick mixture of a lot vegetables, curd and coconut.It is seasoned with coconut oil and curry leaves.
Aviyal is considered an essential part of the Sadhya.
Common vegetables that are used to make aviyal are yam, plantain, drumsticks, carrots etc. Some people prefer to substitute curd with raw mango or tamarind pulp. This dish can be made into a gravy and eaten with rice or be made into a semi-solid side dish. The word "aviyal" is also used to denote an assortment or a mixture - this sense being derived from the way the dish is made.

Mythology

It is supposed to have been invented by Bheema (one of the Pandava brothers) during his agnaathavaasa. According to the legend, Ballav (Bheem's name during this time) when he assumed his duties as the cook in the kitchen of Virata, didn't know how to cook. One of the first things he did was to cut a lot different types of vegetables, boiled them together and put some grated coconut.

Recipe

Aviyal Recipe

Ingredients

Yam (Chena)  (tender is better)  150gms    
White Pumpkin or Malabar Vellarikka   150gms  
Lentils                                       100gms 
Cluster beans/French beans      100gms
Drumstick (Muringakka)             2 Nos.
Raw Plantain (Banana)                100gms
Raw Mango                                1 No.

Grinding Paste

Freshly grated coconut (Thenga)  1.5 cups
Cumin seeds (Jeerakam)           1 tsp
Ginger (inchi)                   1/2 inch
Green chillies                   3 or 4
Turmeric powder                  1/2 tsp
Curry leaves                     4 leave bunches
Salt                             to taste
Curd (Medium sour)               3/4 cup.

Seasoning

Curry leaves                      2 bunches
Coconut oil                       t tablespoon

Method

Cut all the Vegetables to finger size.
Boil all together in a cup of water till 90% done.
Grind the ingredients together with a little more water if preferred.
Add ground paste and salt as required and boil for a few minutes.
Take off the stove and add 3-4 drops of coconut oil and a bunch of curry leaves.
Season with curry leaves

Some other commonly used ingredients

Cucumber (vellarikka), Ridge gourd (Peechinga), Bootle gourd(Churakka), Radish (Mullanki), Papaya (omakka,kappalanga), Raw mango (can avoid curd if mango is sour), Ash gourd (kumbalanga), Tomato (Add only near the end of cooking)

Further Information

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