Aviyal (Steamed Vegetables in Coconut-Yogurt Sauce)

Aviyal(means steamed) is typical kerela food and one of the simplest of dishes to prepare. Aviyal is healthy in the sense that it does not have any masala or chili powders and there is no frying of any vegetable. Its also very easy to prepare and goes well with plain rice, lemon rice, coconut rice etc., Adai aviyal is a classic combination and so is pongal- aviyal.

Ingredients( Serves-2)

Carrots- 3 each chopped into 2″ sticks

Potato- 2 each chopped into cubes

Drumstick (Murungaikai)- 6 chopped pieces

Colacasia (Sepenkizhangu)- 5-6 cubes

Green Plantain- 1 each

White Pumpkin- couple of cubes

Frozen Suran (Elephant foor Yam)- couple of cubes

Green Peas- just a handful

Yogurt- 1/2 cup

Salt- to taste

To grind:

Coconut-  4 tbsp

Green chilies- 4

Cumin Seeds- 1 tsp

Tempering:

Oil- 1 tsp

Curry leaves- 4

Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp

Hing- 1 pinch

Method:

Chop veggies in bigger size (at least 1″) . Pressure cook all vegetables together without adding too much water(3 tbsp of water should do). Else, cook all vegetables on a saucepan with less amount of water adding salt while it cooks. Adding too much of water will result in a soggy sauce. Aviyal has to have a thick sauce. You can include any veggie you have in hand but those veggies should be of the kind which can be steamed easily.

Grind coconut, green chilies and cumin seeds into a thick paste.

When the vegetables are tender, add the ground coconut paste, well beaten yogurt and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Switch off. In a separate pan, pour oil and hing and add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds splutter add curry leaves. Pour this over aviyal and serve hot with rice and appalams.

I think of my nephew A, every time I make Aviyal as at is one of his favorite dishes to eat with rice. For him it is aviyal as the main dish and rice as a side dish. His favorite game is to name each vegetable from his picture book as he eats and recognizes the veggie from aviyal. I think my sis did a good job in binding food with learning in cooking with kids also. Asking them to collect vegetables from the fridge is also a good learning-identifying process.

She also adds some cooked peanuts or chana as a variation along with other veggies and if my nephew A finds one of these he’d be so happy as though he found a treasure and vanish them it in a bite.

I am sending this aviyal as an entry for Lakshmi’s Cooking for kids event running till Dec 15th and started by Sharmi of Neivedyam.

Related posts:Mango Morekuzambu (Mango in Yogurt-Coconut Sauce)
Kadappa (potatoes in a coconut-chili sauce)
Onion Vathakuzhambu (Onions in Spicy Tamarind Sauce)