No ratings yet

Avial is a traditional South Indian dish which has a mild taste and uses coconut and curd along with several other vegetables, including raw banana, yam, ash gourd, drumsticks, beans, carrots, mango and more. The cooking process begins with light simmering of ingredients which include turmeric and salt after which it is combined with a coarse paste made from coconut, green chili, cumin seeds and shallot. The dish gains a mild tang from adding whisked curd while the final touch comes from a fragrant tempering. Read my simple recipe to learn the step-by-step process of making avial at home.

Table of Contents

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Avial is very popular in Kerala and Tamil Nadu and is a must-have dish during festivals or any special occasions.
It is usually had with appam, idiyappam, parotta, adai dosa, regular dosa or any roti.

Avial offers a mildly spicy, creamy, and earthy taste.
Other similar recipes are mixed vegetable curry, vegetable coconut curry, Navratan curry, and labra.

The Ingredients:

To make avial:

1 tbsp coconut oil
1 bowl yam (cut into long, thin, and even sized pieces)
1 bowl snake gourd (peeled, cut into long, thin, and even sized pieces)

1 bowl raw banana (peeled, cut into long, thin, and even sized pieces)
1 bowl ash gourd (peeled, cut into long, thin, and even sized pieces)
1 cup beans (cut into long, thin, and even sized pieces)

1 cup carrot (cut into long, thin, and even sized pieces)
1 cup pumpkin (cut into long, thin, and even sized pieces)
1 cup country cucumber (cut into long, thin, and even sized pieces)

1 cup drumstick (cut into long, thin, and even sized pieces)
1 cup mango (cut into long, thin, and even sized pieces)
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp salt
¼ cup water
1 cup whisked curd

To make ground coconut masala:

¾ cup coconut (fresh, grated)
5 pieces green chilies (broken in half)
10 pieces shallots (whole)
½ tsp cumin seeds
Curry leaves (a few)

For tempering:

3 tsp coconut oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
¼ tsp asafetida (hing)
6 pieces shallots (optional)
Curry leaves (a few)

I was first introduced to this avial recipe at a friend’s place during a visit a couple of years back. She had made a delightful meal, and avial was the first thing that attracted me by its color and scent. When asked, she willingly explained the process and the reason for grinding the coconut without water, cutting vegetables evenly, and adding curd on a low flame. I immediately wrote down everything in my tiny recipe notebook along with the tips so that I would not miss any of the points.

I prepared the dish for my husband and two sons that same weekend. I felt some anxiety about cooking the dish, yet it achieved a creamy texture with delicious taste and perfect cooking. My husband liked the authentic flavor while my sons surprised me by requesting extra food which they combined with rice. Their joyful expressions brought me total satisfaction.

How to Make Avial? (Step by Step Guide with Images)

Step 1: Take ¾ cup of coconut (fresh, grated), 5 pieces of green chilies (broken in half), 10 pieces of shallots (whole), ½ tsp of cumin seeds, and a few curry leaves in a mixer jar and grind into a coarse paste without adding any water. Transfer to a bowl and keep aside.

Step 2: Take a wide kadai, add 1 tbsp of coconut oil and let it heat. Add long, thin and even sized pieces of a bowl each of yam, snake gourd, raw banana, ash gourd, beans, carrot, pumpkin, cucumber, drumstick, and mango, and mix everything gently. Then add ½ tsp of turmeric powder and 1 tsp of salt and mix well.

Step 3: Add ¼ cup of water, mix nicely, cover and cook the veggies for 10 minutes on a medium low flame.

Step 4: 5. After 10 minutes, add the ground coconut paste and mix everything well. Next add a cup of smoothly whisked curd and mix well. Cover and cook for 5 minutes more.

Step 5: For the tempering, heat 3 tbsp of coconut oil in a tempering pan and add 1 tsp of mustard seeds, 1 tsp of cumin seeds, and ¼ tsp of asafetida (hing) first. Once the mustard seeds start splattering, add 6 pieces of shallots (optional) and a few curry leaves. Sauté for a minute over a medium flame. Transfer the prepared tempering to the curry and mix well.