Kerala Style Aviyal Recipe | How to make Kerala Avial | Onam Sadhya Recipe Aviyal

Aviyal.. The word literally translates to concotion or a mixture of different things! That's what this dish is also all about. It is a beautiful collection of different veggies cooked together along with curd and coconut. And it is a potpourri of all different kinds of taste like salt, sour, sweet and bitter.. Curd gives the sourness and a little bit of bitter gourd gives the bitterness. 

According to Wikipedia, the origin of Aviyal is 

'It is supposed to have been invented by Bhima (one of the Pandava brothers) during their exile. According to the legend, when Ballav (Bhima's name during this time) assumed his duties as the cook in the kitchen of Virata, he did not know how to cook. One of the first things he did was to chop up many different vegetables, boil them together and top the dish with grated coconut. There are mythological variations. Bheema is said to have prepared Avial, when there were unexpected guests for King Virata and he needed to serve meals for them. There was no sufficient vegetables to cook any single recipe for side dish, so Bheema used what ever available vegetables to make a new dish, which came to be known as Avial'

Different parts of Kerala cook this dish in a slightly different manner from one another. Some use cumin seeds while some don't. Some cook the veggies in curd whereas some add curd in the end. My version of this recipe is from my MIL who makes them in Malabar (to be exact, Nilambur) style. I am specifically saying that coz the Calicut version (which is just a 1.5 hour drive from Nilambur) has an entirely different taste ! And my fussy eater (when it comes to veggies) hubby doesn't seem to like any other version other than this ;) But I must confess, that this is one of the best aviyals that I have had as well. I have lived in many places in Kerala like Trivandrum, Kollam, Kottayam, Kochi, so I can very well vouch for this version ! And this is one dish that I actually look forward to whenever I visit Kerala :) 

The key and the time consuming part of making this dish is cutting the veggies. All the veggies should be cut to equal lengths. And make it as thin as you can so that it cooks faster and blends in well ! During Onam, it seems that it was Deeps' duty to cut these veggies to perfection. And this is done on the night before Thiruvonam. Veggies are cut and kept ready for cooking the next day so that it is easier to finish off that big list of dishes for the Sadhya.. So let's move on to see how this lipsmacking traditional Kerala style aviyal is made !

Serves: 5-6 persons

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

I Used:

Ash Gourd/Kumbalanga	-	Around 200 gm
Drumstick/Murungakya	-	2 medum sized
Elephant Yam/Chena	-	Around 100 gm
Kaya/Raw Banana	-	1 medum sized
Carrot	-	1 medum sized
Bitter Gourd/Pavakka	-	A quarter of a medium sized one
Long Beans/Payar	-	Around 10 nos
Curd	-	½ - ¾ cup
Coconut Oil	-	1 tbsp
Curry Leaves	-	A sprig

To Grind:

Coconut	-        ¾	cup
Green Chilly	-	2 nos
Curry leaves	-	2 sprigs

The Way:

1. Cut all veggies into thin slices lengthwise of approximately 2 inches of length. All the veggies should be cut to the same length. The thinner the better. It will get cooked faster

2. Now take all the cut veggies in a wide pan or uruli if using one. Add salt, turmeric powder and chilly powder and little water (approximately 1/4 cup) give a gentle stir

3. Allow it to come to a boil. Once the water starts boiling, reduce the flame and cover the pan and cook till the veggies are almost done. The yam and long beans take the longest time to cook. So the test is to check if they are cooked

4. Meanwhile grind together grated coconut, green chillies and curry leaves in a blender. Do not add water. It should not become smooth. 3-4 pulses should be enough

5. Now add whisked curd. Whisk the curd once using a whisk or give a quick pulse in mixie. If the curd has lumps it will be difficult to get it blended with the veggies

6. Cook uncovered till there is on water content. Now add the ground coconut and give a quick gentle stir. Leave for about a minute or two

7. Now add the coconut oil and curry leaves and give a gentle stir. Aviyal is ready to be served

Notes:

• The curd should be really sour. That gives the needed tanginess for the aviyal

• Do not add more curd as the aviyal will turn watery and the veggies will get over cooked then and turn into a mash. Key is to use really sour curd so that less quantity would be sufficient

• Add very little bitter gourd else the dish will turn out very bitter

• Add little water to cook as you do not want the veggies to be over cooked and become mushy

Cheers,
Chitz

Olan | Kerala Olan Recipe | Kumbalanga Mathanga Vanpayar Olan with coconut milk | Onam Sadhya Recipes

Ash gourd, Yellow pumpkin and Red Eyed Beans in coconut milk

Olan is one of my favourite Kerala recipes. It's a subtle dish that tastes mild and creamy. It can be made with or without coconut milk. I like both versions but I love the one with coconut milk more ! There can be many combinations of this recipe, with vanpayar (red eyed beans) and without it. You can also add both kumbalanga (ash gourd) and mathanga (yellow pumpkin) or either one.. It is a quintessential dish in an Onam Sadhya. 

When I make it on normal days mostly there will be some spicy side like a fish fry or chicken gravy. Else there will be pickles :) This time I had it with rasam and some tangy mango pickle. Another kinda comfort food for me :) If you use pressure cooker to cook this recipe, then it will be ready in less than 30 minutes. Slow cooking in a pan will time. So while making for an Onam Sadhya go with pressure cooker as it saves time for you. So let's see how to make this yummy and comforting Olan now..

Serves: 4-5 persons

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Soaking Time: 8 hours

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

I Used:

Ash gourd/Kumbalanga	-	½ cup heaped (after cutting)
Yellow Pumpkin/Mathanga	-	½ cup heaped (after cutting)
Red Eyed Beans/Vanpayar	-	½ cup heaped (after boiling)
Green Chilly	-	2 nos
Coconut Milk	-	½ cup
Salt	-	As needed
Curry leaves	-	A sprig
Coconut Oil	-	1 tbsp

The Way:

1. Rinse and soak the vanpayar (red beans - I used ¼ cup of the beans to soak) overnight for around 8 hours. While making the olan, discard the water. Take the beans in a pressure cooker. Add enough water (around 2 cups) and salt and pressure cook till done. It took me 2 whistles in high and 2 in low. Keep aside

2. While they get cooked, extract the coconut milk and keep ready. I used around ½ cup of grated coconut and ¼ cup of water and ground it in a mixie till the coconut was smoothly ground. Then using a muslin cloth, extracted the milk from the ground coconut

3. Cut and discard the skin of the ash gourd and pumpkin. Discard the seeds along with the soft middle portion as well. Cut them into thin pieces as shown in the picture. The thickness should not be more than ¼ inch along both width and length

4. Now take the cut pieces in a cooker and add required salt and green chilly along with little water (¼ cup) and pressure cook it till done. I kept 1 whistle in high and 2 in low. Alternately you can cook in a pan as well, only difference would be that it would take time

5. Now once the pressure is released from the cooked veggies, open the cooker. Again switch on the flame. If there is excess water after cooking the veggies, I remove them. Else the coconut milk becomes very thin. Add the cooked beans (a heaped ½ cup) without water to the veggies. Give a gentle stir

6. Then add in the coconut milk and curry leaves and again give a gentle stir. Check the salt now. Add if required. Once the coconut milk is added, it should not boil. It should only get warm. And it would take about a minute or so. Switch off the flame. Add coconut oil and just swirl the cooker

Transfer to the serving dish and serve along with rasam and pickle or as a dish in your Onam Sadhya leaf !

Cheers,

Chitz

Carrot Thoran | Kerala Carrot Thoran Recipe | Onam Sadhya Recipes

Carrots sauteed with coconut-shallot paste

Today I bring to you yet another easy thoran recipe which can be made for an Onam Sadhya as well. I am going to go to my hometown and hubby's place for Onam this year. So this year also I am going to miss making an elaborate Sadhya. Also this year in my society here in Pune they are celebrating Onam and I'm gonna miss that as well :( But spending Onam in Kerala is a different and real feel all together, so I'm not complaining ! And coming to the recipe it's a basic and can be made in a jiffy. So if you want to put up your Sadhya leaf without much sweat shed, here's a simple recipe to your rescue :) 

Other Sadhya recipes: Beans Thoran Cabbage Thoran Mathanga Erissery Mathan Erissery | Mathan Vanpayar Erissery Mampazha Pachadi | Pazhutha Manga Pachadi Mambazha Pulissery | Mambazha Kaalan Chembu Kumbalanga Moru Kootan | Taro-Ash Gourd Pulissery Pulissery | Kachiya Moru | Mor Kuzhambu Sambar | Kerala Style Varutharacha Sambar with no Coconut Homemade Ada for Adapradhaman Recipe Source: Ma   I Took:  Preparation Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 20 minutes   Serves : 3-4 persons I Used: Carrot Coconut Oil Mustard Urad Dal - - - - 250 gm/1.5 cups (chopped)  1 tbsp ¼ tsp 1 tsp Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp Salt Curry Leaves - - As needed A sprig To Pulse: Coconut - ¼ cup Shallots/Small Onion - 3 nos Green Chilly - 1 no The Way:

1. Scrape away the skin of the carrot and rinse them well in water. And chop them finely into small quarter inch pieces.

2. In a pan, heat the coconut oil. Splutter mustard seeds. Add urad dal and curry leaves. When it turns golden in colour, add the chopped carrots along with ¼ tsp turmeric powder, salt and little water. Allow them to cook covered in a medium low flame until done. Check in between if water is sufficient, take care not to overcook or burn.

3. Now while the carrot gets cooked, coarsely pulse together the ingredients under 'To Pulse' in mixie without adding water. Do not grind to a smooth paste. Just 3-4 pulse until all the ingredients get crushed and mixed well would be sufficient.

4. Now add the ground coconut paste and and give a nice stir till the coconut tempering is coated evenly all over the carrots. Switch off the flame in a minute or two and serve

Serve along with brown rice, Sambar and pappad or as a side dish in your Onam Sadhya :)

Notes:

• Coconut is the key ingredient for thoran. So do not compromise on it :)

Cheers, 
Chitz

Beetroot Pachadi | Kerala Style Beetroot Pachadi | Onam Sadhya Recipes

Grated Beetroot in a mild coconut-curd gravy

In another two weeks it is going to be Onam right ! So how are you going to celebrate Onam this year? Planning to make an elaborate Sadya or is it going to be a simple one? Either ways, this recipe will be a saviour for you. As I always re-iterate I'm all for easy recipes that can be made in less time. But that doen't mean I don't like elaborate preps. But that discussion is for another time! So this is an easy pachadi recipe with beets. I know many don't like beetroot. I have two of that kind at my home as well ;) But they like this pachadi. This and another kurma with beetroot are the only ways in which I can make them eat beets.. So all those beetroot haters out there, try this simple pachadi for Onam this year and enjoy! I'm sure you are going to like it :)

Other Sadhya recipes:

Beans Thoran

Beetroot Thoran
Cabbage Thoran

Mathanga Erissery

Mathan Erissery | Mathan Vanpayar Erissery

Mampazha Pachadi | Pazhutha Manga Pachadi

Mambazha Pulissery | Mambazha Kaalan

Chembu Kumbalanga Moru Kootan | Taro-Ash Gourd Pulissery

Pineapple Pachadi

Pulissery | Kachiya Moru | Mor Kuzhambu
Sambar | Kerala Style Varutharacha Sambar with no Coconut

Vellarikka Pachadi

Homemade Ada for Adapradhaman

Makes: Around 2 cups

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

I Used:

Beetroot	-	2 nos (big sized - grated) (around 1 cup grated)
Turmeric powder	-	¼ tsp
Salt	-	As Needed

To Grind:

Coconut	-	¼ cup
Green Chilly	-	2 nos
Mustard	-	¼ tsp
Curd	-	¼ cup

To Temper:

Coconut oil	-	1 tbsp
Mustard	-	¼ tsp
Red Chilly	-	2 nos - broken
Curry leaves	-	A sprig

The Way:

1. Peel the beetroots and rinse them well in water. Then grate them using a grater

2. In a pan/kadai, take the grated beetroot. Add turmeric powder &  salt and cook covered over medium flame until done. It will get cooked soon (around 5-6 minutes) as it is grated. So check in between and stir once or twice so that it doesn't get burnt

3. Grind together grated coconut, mustard and green chilly along with a little water. Grind it to a smooth paste add them to the cooked beetroot

4. Let them cook for a minute or two

5. Meanwhile in the same mixie add curd & give a quick pulse or two so that the curd is whisked well without lumps

6. Now add the whisked curd to the beet-coconut mixture and give a quick stir. Make sure the flame is very low & it does not boil. Leave it for about a minute. Once mixed well, remove from flame

7. Heat the coconut oil in a tadka pan. Splutter the mustard seeds. Add red chilly & curry leaves & saute. Take care that they are not burnt. Add this tempering to the pachadi & give a stir & serve

Cheers,
Chitz

Aval Kesari | Poha Kesari | Poha Sheera | Easy Krishna Jayanthi Recipes

So as I told you yesterday, I had made Aval Kesari for Krishna Jayanthi neivedhyam day before yesterday. And as it goes, it should be posted here right? :) Have I told you friends that I am a certified Cuemath teacher and I take math classes for kids at home. So I gave the kids who came for class day before yesterday this kesari. At first I offered them by asking, 'Do you kids like kesari?' And the reply I got was 'Aunty, who is there who wouldn't like kesari'. That's the speciality of this sweet right. It pleases everyone and it's so easy to make too.. It can be done in less than half an hour and when those unexpected guests arrive it's a life saver, right ! So now let's see how to make this easy and tasty sweet.. 

Makes: 1 cup

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

I Used:

Poha/Aval/Rice Flakes	-	½ cup
Sugar	-	½ cup
Water	-	1 cup
Cardamom	-	1 no
Ghee	-	2 tbsp
Cashew Nuts	-	6-8 nos
Food colour	-	A pinch

The Way:

1. In a pan, dry roast the poha/aval for 4-5 minutes in low flame till they turn crisp

2. Transfer it to a plate/mixie jar and allow it to cool. Once completely cool, grind them to a coarse powder like that of sooji/rava/semolina consistency

3. Now heat ghee in the pan. Roast the cashews to golden brown colour. Then transfer to another plate and keep aside

4. In the same ghee, roast the powdered aval/poha. The ghee should get coated evenly in the poha

5. Now pour water and allow it to boil. Once boiled, simmer the flame and allow it to cook

6. Mix the colour in a tbsp of water and add it to the poha 

7. The poha would take around 5-7 minutes to cook. The test is to check the poha with wet hands. If it is not sticking to your hand then it is cooked (learned this tip from Jayashri's kitchen :)) and also all water should be absorbed and it would become a thick mass. You can cook the poha covered.In that case stir it in between so that it doesn't get burnt

8. Now once cooked add sugar and mix well. The kesari will again turn watery but don't worry

9. Keep stirring. Add the powdered cardamom and roasted cashew nuts

10. The ghee would start leaving the sides and the kesari is ready then !

Cheers,

Chitz

Aval Laddu | Poha Ladoo | Easy Krishna Jayanthi recipes

So friends, how did your Janmashtami celebs go this year? Mine was simple as usual with some homemade butter, sago kheer and aval kesari as neivedhyam to kutty krishna. This year I did not have a great mood to dress up little Dhruv like last year. U know why, we cut his hair last week :( I was saving the trip to the hair dresser so that I can tie his hair and dress him up like kutty krishna but he was getting very irritated with those particularly longer strands near the ears that we had to cut his hair. I lost all my enthu coz of that and so it was a simple krishna jayanthi yesterday with just homemade neivedhyam. 

Last year it was nice, we dressed him up in his dhothi and tied his hair and made him wear some of my jewellery and he was looking like a thoppa (paunch) ganapathy in a kutty krishna attire :) Maybe next year I should plan something different ! So now recipe of the day is a simple poha ladoo with just 2 main ingredients poha and jaggery. If you want you can use sugar in place of jaggery. Just replace jaggery with ½ cup sugar in the recipe. I love this one. Simple and easy to make. And for the past one week, this was satisfying my sudden cravings for a sweet or quick bite ! So off to the recipe..

Makes: 8 ladoos

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

I Used:

Poha/Aval/Rice Flakes	-	1 cup
Jaggery	-	¾ cup
Cardamom	-	1 no
Ghee	-	¼ cup
Cashew Nuts	-	3-4 nos
Raisins	-	6-8 nos

The Way:

1. Dry roast the poha for 3-4 minutes in low flame. It will become crunchy. Then transfer it to another plate/mixie jar and allow it to cool

2. Add cardamom and jaggery to the cooled poha and blend to make a fine powder

3. Heat the ghee in a pan and fry the caashews and raisins. Once the cashews turn golden brown and the raisins turn big, switch off the flame ( I also remove the pan from the flame else the residual heat will keep it warm for some more time)

4. Add the powdered poha-jaggery mix to the ghee. Mix well. Make sure there are no lumps

5. Now make small laddus when the mixture is warm

Notes:

• I use organic poha and organic jaggery. So there is not much impurities in them. If using normal poha dust away those ones that are visible before dry roasting them

• Some use milk instead of ghee to make these ladoos. If then use warm milk else it will be difficult to shape the ladoos. If then the ladoos must be consumed within a day or two as they do not have a great shelf life

• Grind the poha to a fine powder else it will be difficult to shape the ladoo

• If more cashews or bigger pieces of cashews are used then also it will be difficult to shape the ladoos

• These ladoos stay good and fresh for a week and make sure you store them in an air tight container

• If using sugar instead of jaggery, the method is the same. Instead of grinding jaggery grind ½ cup sugar

Cheers,

Chitz