A Guide to Making Perfect Avial

Avial is a deliciously maximalist recipe, that can be perfected with a few key lessons. Here’s how to make a perfect Tirunelveli avial every time.

It is Sunday afternoon, and my family is seated for lunch. There is anticipation as a bowl of avial is passed around the table. As everyone starts tucking in, I watch my mother discreetly. In the past, I have been accused of serving what she calls my ‘versions’ of avial. She still brings up the ‘yellow avial’ and the ‘avial without plantains’. I stand by these legitimate and perfectly palatable variations, but we disagree on this.

Avial is the quintessential comfort food for many south Indians Tamilians and Keralites. There is, broadly — Kerala avial, Tamil avial, Udupi avial, as well as a few other geographical variations. In the Tamil Brahmin community I grew up in, each family’s avial has its own distinct look, feel and flavour; the recipe is carefully passed down to each new generation, and is taken very seriously. 

Avial is essentially a stew of mixed vegetables simmered in a gravy of coconut and green chillies. Break it down, and one can see clearly how the process uses ingredients to build flavour in a unique, complex manner.  

Choosing vegetables
The first and golden rule with avial is that all vegetables should be uniformly cut, and that ash guard (white pumpkin) must always be used; barring this, each community (and families within each community) is allowed its own preferences. Some families firmly advocate using only traditional vegetables like pumpkins and plantains; others use ‘English vegetables’ like potatoes, carrots, beans and peas. Most families in Kerala use the red or yellow pumpkin. Some families cannot tolerate drumsticks and brinjals, and others believe avial is incomplete without it.  Several non-Brahmin families even use tart mangoes in season.

Cooking the avial
Each family employs its own technique to perfectly cook avial, based on their choice of vegetables. It is either pressure-cooked or slow-cooked, and typically, each family never wavers from its method. There is a precise point before which the avial is undercooked, and after which it risks becoming an overcooked mush. This is the first lesson in mastering avial.

Souring agents also vary: some use tamarind, others use curd.

The gravy
Avial gravy is made with grated coconut, green chillies and cumin seeds (jeera). Some add soaked rice to thicken and bind. Alternately, rice flour paste is added during tempering.  In another variation, shallots are added to the mixture, to lend an added sharp tanginess.

The volume of coconut used is a point of contention. Palakkad avial (and other Kerala iterations) uses coconut generously, and their avial tends to be drier and more yellow than other versions. If you are stingy with coconut, the avial is nothing more than boiled vegetable soup, the kind you feed a recuperating patient. But hit the right balance, and you have a sea of vegetables playing hide-and-seek in a glistening gravy that is a symphony of glorious flavours.

Seasoning and finishing
This final step in making avial is a simple but significant one. It is what gives the avial its signature aroma and flavour: coconut oil. Some cooks pour the oil over the vegetables at the end, along with a handful of curry leaves, bringing the dish to a gentle, final boil before serving. Others like me, temper the avial (ie, a tadka) with coconut oil, mustard seeds, and curry leaves. There are some recipes, particularly in the Udupi region of Karnataka, that use black peppers and red chillies.

The many variations to this simple yet maximalist dish are an echo of how deeply beloved it is. As for me, I am waiting for my mother to pronounce the verdict. She looks up from her plate and says, “You are quite there with the taste; almost matching mine. But the consistency still needs work.” Work in progress for me.

The Krishnan Family’s Recipe for Tirunelveli Avial

Ingredients
2 cups of chopped vegetables (white pumpkin, plantain, yam, potato, carrot, Indian broad beans, raw mango)
½ cup fresh grated coconut
3-4 green chillies
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds (jeera)
2 tablespoons of curd (reduce quantity if using sour mango pieces)
1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds and a
Liberal bunch of curry leaves
Salt to taste

Method
Ensure the vegetables are evenly chopped, about 1.5 inches long.
Pressure cook the vegetables to just one whistle. Ensure vegetables are cooked al dente. Alternately cook in an open vessel or pan.  Retain about a cup of water in the avial after cooking.
Make a thick paste of the coconut, green chillies and jeera with just enough water.
In the same cooker or pan in which the vegetables are cooked, add the coconut paste, curd, salt and gently simmer for about 2 minutes.
In a small pan, heat the coconut oil, add mustard seeds, and curry leaves and add to the avial and switch off.
Serve hot.

Banner image credit: Pepperdelight.com

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