🌸 My Avial Story
Avial… frankly speaking, I don’t know why I hated this amazing veggie mix, the true speciality of Kerala. For me, it always felt like my mom’s clever way of torturing me by putting all the vegetables I disliked into one dish. I would wrinkle my nose at the sight of it on the banana leaf.
But life has a funny way of changing our taste buds—and our hearts. After marriage, I was shocked to realize how much I missed this dish. It felt like even Avial hated me back for ignoring it all those years, because no matter how many times I tried, I could never get it to taste like my mom’s.
Yet, love wins. Slowly, patiently, and with many experiments, I finally cracked it. Today, I proudly say that my Avial competes with my mom’s recipe—believe me, that’s no joke!
Of course, I make it my own way. I don’t add every single traditional vegetable (and definitely not the raw banana 🙈), but I always add potato—my anytime favorite. That’s the magic of Avial—it welcomes everyone’s touch.
🌿 Ingredients (my version, serves 4–5)
- 1 potato, cut into long sticks (my favorite twist ✨)
- ½ cup elephant yam (chena)
- ½ cup ash gourd (kumbalanga)
- ½ cup cucumber (vellarikya)
- ½ cup drumsticks (muringakka, cut into 2-inch pieces)
- ½ cup carrots / beans
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ cup grated coconut
- 2–3 green chilies
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 1 cup curd (slightly sour)
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- A few curry leaves
- Salt to taste
👩🍳 Method
- Cut & Cook Vegetables
- Slice all veggies into uniform 2-inch sticks.
- Cook yam, ash gourd, drumsticks, potato, and others with turmeric, salt, and little water till just tender.
- Make Coconut Paste
- Grind coconut, cumin, and green chilies into a coarse paste.
- Mix Everything
- Add the paste to the veggies, mix gently, and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Finish with Curd
- Add beaten curd, stir lightly, and switch off (don’t boil).
- Season with Love
- Drizzle coconut oil, toss in curry leaves, and mix.
🍲 Serving
Serve steaming hot Avial with rice and pappadam, or spread it proudly as part of the Onam Sadya.
💚 For me, Avial is no longer “mom’s torture dish.” It’s my comfort bowl of Kerala memories, with a potato twist.