A terrific, light and refreshing vegetable curry with grated coconut and yogurt. If you otherwise so far only know creamy North Indian curries, you should definitely give this recipe for Avial from Kerala a try!
First: You can make avial with the vegetables of your choice. However, I recommend that you use the curry leaves. And if you buy those, you’ll probably be at the Indian grocery store anyway and may get some of the traditional vegetables from Kerala. You can usually get frozen grated coconut there, too. For curry leaves: please either buy fresh or frozen if necessary. Dried curry leaves have zero flavor, so you might as well leave them out.
For more on curry and curry leaves, check out my info page on Indian cuisine.
Traditional vegetables for avial from Kerala include: Ash Gourd (wax gourd or winter melon), Malabar Cucumber, Drum Sticks (fruit of the horseradish tree), long beans (asparagus bean), plantains, Elephant Yam (yam), carrot, pumpkin, snake gourd and bottle gourd.
The vegetables I used (see picture above):
- elephant yam
- pumpkin
- Malabar cucumber
- curry leaves
- long beans
- Indian red carrot
- drumstick
- green chilis
Please don’t let this put you off, just ask at the Indian store. Otherwise just make it with carrot, pumpkin or plantains. These are all not that hard to get. And replace the asparagus bean with other green beans. Potatoes can certainly be added in, then it is no longer authentic of Kerala, but for sure still very tasty!
Avial is often eaten with rice and sambar, a thin, spicy lentil dish with various vegetables. Personally, I also like it very much with fried fish or shrimp.
Avial – A refreshing vegetable curry with yoghurt and coconut from Kerala
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1 kg mixed vegetables see text
- ½ cup water
- 2 cups sour yoghurt
- 4 sprigs curry leaves (each has about 10-15 leaves)
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil optional
- salt to taste
For the coconut paste
- 2 cups grated coconut
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 6 green chilis
Instructions
- You can make avial with the vegetables of your choice. However, I recommend using the curry leaves. Some of the traditional vegetables from Kerala would be: Ash Gourd (wax gourd or winter melon), Malabar Cucumber, Drum Sticks, long beans (asparagus bean), plantains, elephant yam, carrot, pumpkin, snake gourd and bottle gourd.
- Wash the vegetables and cut them into longish pieces about 3-4 cm long, not cubes.If you use pumpkin or Malabar cucumber, please remove the seeds and the peel beforehand.
- Put the vegetables in a pot and add about ½ cup of water. The vegetables should cook with the lid closed over medium heat through the steam and water. Add a little water rather than accidentally using too much water. Stir occasionally and add a little salt.
- While the vegetables are cooking, put the shredded coconut, green chilies and cumin in a blender. When everything is coarsely blended, add the paste to the boiled vegetables and let it simmer for another 2 minutes.
- Finally, add the curry leaves and remove the pot from the heat.
- Stir the yogurt until smooth and add it to the vegetables.
- Add two tablespoons of the coconut oil. While this again enhances the coconut flavor, I would still (if you don't have coconut oil) add some neutral oil. Simply because oil has an impact on the mouthfeel of the dish.
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Notes
Source of recipe for avial from Kerala: https://samagni.com/2009/12/13/avial/
Cooked up with lots of love ♥ on From zero to curry.
