Avial - Mixed vegetable curry

 Avial is the Queen of all vegetable dishes. It is a staple in most Kerala households - and we had it almost every day because it was my Appa's favourite dish.  Today being Father's day, it is a nice way to remember my Appa - and how my Amma used to make this dish without fail for him every single day.  I often wonder how he didn't tire of it.  It is easy to get your five serves of vegetables if you can make this dish.

I recently found out that in some parts of Kerala the seasoning for Avial is heated coconut oil and curry leaves - my mother always used to add mustard seeds, but apparently it is optional.  Also, the souring agent for this dish can either be tamarind water or yogurt.  If you use the Avial the same day, it is good to use yogurt.  But if you are keeping it for a few days, the yogurt is not a good idea because t keeps fermenting and you will end up with a very sour wasted Avial on the third day.

The main thing about this dish is that all your vegetables need to be cut to size uniformly or they wont cook evenly. You can use any vegetable mix you like, I have used a traditional mix today since I happened to find them in the local vegetable shop.

Ingredients:

·               1 cup carrot

½ cup yam (I used frozen ones from the Indian Grocer)

½ cup cluster beans (I used frozen ones from the Indian Grocer)

½ cup unripe mango

½ cup unripe banana , skin peeled and cut into thick, long pieces

1 cup drumsticks

1 cup egg plant

1-2 cup water

2 green chilli

1/2 cup water with a tablespoon of tamarind in it OR ½ cup whisked yogurt

salt as required

1/2 teaspoon powdered turmeric

To grind to a coarse paste:

    ½ cup coconut

½ teaspoon cumin seeds

 2 green chillies
For Seasoning:

    ½ teaspoon mustard seeds (optional)

    1 tablespoon oil

    1 sprig curry leaves 

Method:

All the vegetables need to be cut to size uniformly to size so that they cook evenly.  Also, we will cook the vegetables that take longer to cook first and then around ¾ of the way, we cook the rest of the vegetables.

In a wide mouthed pot, add 1 cup water and the carrots.  When carrots are about half cooked add the cluster beans, drumstick, and eggplant pieces. When the egg plant is about half cooked, add the yam and banana pieces. Make sure there is enough water for your vegetables to cook.  If there isn’t , add half a cup of water at a time. Lastly add the mango pieces, turmeric powder, the ground ingredients and the tamarind water and salt to taste. Cook till the mangoes are done. If using yogurt, then add the yogurt and mix it in after the mangoes are done.

Lastly, heat oil and add mustard seeds if using and the curry leaves. Pour it over the Avial. 

Serve hot with rice and a gravy of your choice.