Indian cuisine · Vegetable Dishes

Avial

A Kerala mixed-vegetable dish in a coconut-cumin paste with yogurt, finished with a drizzle of raw coconut oil.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 2 carrots
• 150 g green beans
• 1 green plantain
• 300 g pumpkin
• 150 g grated coconut
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 green chilies
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 200 g yogurt
• 12 curry leaves
• 3 tbsp coconut oil
• Salt

Instructions

1. Peel the carrots, beans, plantain and pumpkin and cut into even batons of about 5 cm – this shape is typical for avial.
2. Put the vegetables in a wide pot with turmeric, salt and 200 ml water, cover and cook for 10–12 min. until tender-crisp and almost no liquid remains in the pot.
3. Blend the grated coconut, cumin seeds and green chilies with 4 tbsp water into a coarse, moist paste.
4. Fold the coconut paste into the vegetables and let everything sit over low heat for 5 min., only swirling the pot so the batons don't fall apart.
5. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the smoothly whisked yogurt – nothing should boil from this point on, or it will curdle.
6. Drizzle raw coconut oil and the curry leaves over the top, let it sit for 5 min. and serve lukewarm with rice.