9. Avial

8.       Avial

Ingredients

Ash guard - 200gm
Snake guard - 100gm
yam - 100gm
potato - 1(big)
Drumstick - 1
Brinjal - 50gm
Arvi/colacasia -5
Raw banana -1
Carrot - 2 
Brinjal - 2
Beans - 50gm
Kothavarangai/cluster beans -50gm
Avaraikai - 50gm
Salt - 2tbs
Optional
Fresh Green peas - 50gm
Sweet potato -1
 For grinding
 Coconut - 1/2 shell(big size)
Jeera - 1tsp
Green chilli -10
Red chilli -1

For tempering
Coconut oil - 2tbs
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Curry leaves
For spreading
Grated Coconut - 2tsp
Coconut oil - 2tbs
Curd - 2tbs

Method:

1.       Peel the skin of yam, raw banana and yam. Wash all the vegetables and cut length wise (1 ½ inch approx).

2.       Pressure cook arvi separately and peel off the skin and keep aside.

3.       Cook all the vegetables in a non stick container adding salt.

4.       Meanwhile grind all the ingredients given under grinding coarsely.

5.       Once the vegetables are cooked, peel the skin of arvi and add.

6.       Add the ground coconut to the vegetables and mix thoroughly.

7.       Allow it  to boil for 2 seconds.

8.       Heat coconut oil and add mustard seeds. Add curry leaves after mustard seeds splutters.

9.       Spread grated coconut and coconut oil.

10.   After it is cool add curd and mix well.

Note: You can even add curd to the quantity which you are going to use immediately. Adding to the whole lot may turn sour after sometime. So it is to be refrigerated. 

Vegetable side dish for meals or kai or kari amudhu varieties

1.       Vadhakal

(i)                  Karam potta vadakal

Vegetables like cabbage, beans, kothavarangai, avaraikai, sweet potato, boiled potato, karamani, pavakai and capsicum can be cooked in this way with less oil.  For those who have to avoid both oil and coconut can use this method.

Method:

Any one of the above vegetable – ½ kg

Cooking oil -1 tsp

Mustard – ½ tsp

Asafetida – a pinch

Salt  -1tsp

Turmeric powder – a pinch

Chili powder -1tsp

Curry leaves

1. Wash and cut the vegetable in to small pieces. 
2. Heat the kadai. Add oil and add mustard seeds and asafetida. 
3. When the mustard seeds splutters, add curry leaves and fry for a second then add the cut vegetables and half a cup of water. Add salt and turmeric powder. 
4. Keep the pan closed. Stir now and then. Once the vegetable is cooked and there is no water left in the pan, add chili powder, mix well, switch off the stove and close the pan. Serve after a minute. 
5. To add a flavor, you can add curry powder (karamdhu podi/sambar podi) [refer curry powder recipe] after adding chili powder.
   
   
   

Tips:

·          Cabbage needs less salt and water.

·         Sweet potato and potato should be cooked separately in pressure cooker and no water should be added. It takes just 3 minutes to fry the cooked vegetable.

·         Capsicum needs less water and less cooking time.

·         Keep the pan open while cooking the green vegetables to retain the color.  

(ii)                  Thengai potta vadakal

vegetables like cabbage, avaraikai, beans, kothavarangai , vazhaikai, karamani, beetroot,carrot and cauliflower can be used for this type of side dish.

 

Ingredients:

Any one of the above vegetable - ½ kg

Oil- 1tsp

Mustard – 1tsp

Urid dal - ½ tsp

Red chili -1

Asfotida – a pinch

Turmeric powder- a pinch

Salt – 1tsp

Grated coconut – 1 karandi

Method (1) 

     1. Chop and cook any one of the above vegetable separately adding salt and   turmeric powder and salt. The excess water can be drained off. 

2. Heat the kadai, add oil, mustard and hinge. Once the mustard splutters, add urid dal, and red chili pieces.

3. Fry till the urid dal turns brown. Add curry leaves and cooked vegetable. 
Stir well and add the grated coconut. Keep it for a minute on the stove. 

Tips:

·         Binjal can also be done in this method.

·         Lady’s finger should be cooked in tamrind water.

·         Cabbage curry if done without turmeric looks attractive.

·         But we may lose the nutrients in this method as we drain off the water after cooking. To avoid this (except brinjal and lady’s finger), we can drink the water adding little pepper powder.

Method (2) 

     1. Heat the kadai, add oil, mustard and hinge. Once the mustard splutters, add urid dal, and red chilli pieces.
     2. Fry till the urid dal turns brown. Add curry leaves and chopped vegetable and ½  cup of water. Keep the pan closed. Stir occasionally. Water can be added if necessary. 
     3. Once the vegetable is cooked ( you can check by smashing a piece) add grated coconut and stir well. Keep it on the stove for 10secs.