Avial

' Avial' is a dish prepared with vegetables and can be eaten with cooked rice. Very easy to prepare.

Ingredients.

1. Raw Banana (Valaikkai) one
2. Ash gourd little portion (Pooshani kkai, )
3. Pumpkin (Parangikkai) little portion
4. Beans few
5. Carrot half
6. Squash (Bangalore Katharikkai) half
7. Potato one small
8. Drumstick (Murungai kkai) one
9. Cumin seeds (jeera) 1 table spoon
10. Green chillies 4 or 5
11. Grated Coconut 3 to 4 table spoons
12. Yogurt (Thayir) one cup.
13. Salt to taste.
14. Fresh coconut oil or ghee (optional)
15. Curry leaves (if available) few

Method:

Cut all the vegetables into square 1 inch pieces, murungai kaai into 3 inch length pieces.

Some other vegetables like egg plant (katharikkai), peas (pattani) and yam (senai kilangu) can also be added.

Be careful when you cut the Senai kilangu. just wash it and put it with other vegetables without touching it with hand as it might cause itching.

Normally Valakkai, pooshani and parangikkai are the main ingredients and you can add other vegetables depending on the availability.

Grind the coconut, jeera and green chillies into a paste. add the yogurt and keep aside.

Cook all the vegetables with very little water and salt. It can be pressure cooked but stove has to be switched off once the pressure is set in, so that the vegetables are not over cooked.

Add the paste with curd and bring the vegetable to a boil mixing it well.

Add a spoon full of coconut oil or ghee, the curry leaves cleaned and soaked in the oil. just switch off the stove and the 'Avial' is ready. Garnishing with mustard seeds is not done for this dish.

Use chillies according to your taste. I always add a little turmeric powder while cooking the Vegetables.  Hence My Avial looks a little yellow.  It is optional.
I add ghee when fresh coconut oil is not available.