Avial

You might also like these recipes for vegetable curry, vegetable moilee and vegetable korma. An avial (pronounced uh-vee-yal) is a medley of colorful vegetables drowning in a coconut sauce and flavored, among other ingredients, with coconut oil. The oil here is not just a cooking medium - it is a key flavoring ingredient. Which is not surprising because Kerala is a coastal state and coconut grows abundantly here, finding its way into almost all of the recipes that are local to this region. Cooks in Kerala use fresh coconut in this recipe, but I use coconut milk. There are two reasons for this: one is that I like the sauciness that the coconut milk adds. The other reason is that using coconut milk just makes this recipe easier and quicker than if you had to start with fresh coconut and go through all the steps of cracking it open, cutting out the flesh, and then blending it up. Coconut milk gives you all the flavor without all the work.

Tips for making avial

Start with your favorite veggies. Root veggies like carrots, sweet potatoes and potatoes are awesome. In Kerala, raw plantains, which also grow abundantly there, would very likely go into this dish. You can also use green beans and green peas. Cut the veggies evenly, so they cook at the same time. For the best results, cut your veggies in chunky slivers about 1 ½ inches long. Use the best quality coconut milk you can find. The coconut flavor, imparted by the coconut milk and the coconut oil, are really key here. Coconut oil - unrefined - is key for this recipe. There’s really no compromise or substitution here, it’s an essential ingredient. The curry leaves add a great flavor punch, so try and find them. If you absolutely can’t, saute some cilantro leaves in the hot oil and add. It won’t be the same, but it’ll be good. The vegan yogurt is optional, but try and use it because it adds a slight tang and deepens the flavors of the avial. You can sub lime juice, but yogurt is definitely preferred. Not all avial recipes include ginger, but I love it here. Ginger and coconut milk are great flavors together, and the ginger tastes amazing in this sauce.

Serve

Rice is wonderful with avial, and that’s the grain of choice in Kerala and white rice tastes best with this curry. Choose a long-grain, fragrant rice like basmati rice. You can also serve the avial with jeera rice or with coconut rice. Serve poppadum and Indian pickle like carrot pickle or lime pickle on the side. Check to get new recipe updates by email.