This is one of the most common side dishes for rice in the southern part of India. It is made with a variety of vegetables and lots of coconut. This is a well known side dish for wedding feasts too. In the weddings, if they are serving rice, this aviyal will be one of the default side dishes, and one that is well-liked by everyone. In my school days, my daily packed lunches would usually have aviyal, and I never got tired of it – it’s so yummy. In our hometown vegetable shops, you don’t even have to ask for all the vegetables separately… if you simply ask for “aviyal vegetables”, they’ll know what you mean. In some regions, people might add tamarind juice instead of yogurt, which make the taste a little different, but today, I’m going to make aviyal with yogurt. One of my aunts made perfect aviyal… she even added tender cashew nuts fresh from the tree, as a finishing touch. She passed away a few years ago, but making this aviyal reminds me of her and the taste reminds me of fond childhood memories.

Ingredients

• Raw banana ———————— 2
• Drumstick ————————— 10 pieces
• Dosakaai —————————— 1
• Carrot ———————————– 1
• Cluster beans ———————- 10
• Snake guard ————————- 1
• Mango slices ———————— 4
• Chili powder ————————- 1/4 tsp
• Turmeric powder —————– 1/4 tsp
• Yogurt ———————————– 1/4 cup
• For grinding
  • Grated coconut ————— 1 cup
  • Cumin seeds ——————- 1/2 tsp
  • Garlic cloves ——————- 2
  • Green chilies ——————- 2
• For tempering
  • Mustard seeds —————- 1/2 tsp
  • Curry leaf————————- 4 spring
  • Coconut oil ———————- 2 tbsp

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How to make

• Wash and peel the skin on the vegetables
• Cut the vegetables in length wise
• Place a heavy bottom pan on medium heat
• Add 1 tbsp oil, once gets hot, add the mustard seeds and wait until the mustard crackles
• Then add the 2 springs of curry leaves

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• Add all the cut vegetables, chili powder, turmeric powder and salt
• Mix them well and add a cup of water

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• Close the pan with lid and cook for 20 minutes, occasionally check the vegetables and don’t allow to stick on bottom of the pan
• In the meantime, coarsely grind the coconut, cumin seeds and garlic cloves (do not grind it into a smooth paste)
• Add this ground coconut mixture and yogurt into the pan and mix them well

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• Cook for 5 more minutes
• Stir occasionally, be careful not to allow the vegetables stick at the bottom
• Then add the 1 tbsp of coconut oil and the two springs of curry leaf (no need to heat the oil)

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• Mix them all well
• Now it should be ready to serve