Avial

• 1small raw banana (plantain), peeled and cut into finger-length pieces
• 3½ ozyam, peeled and cut into finger-length pieces
• 1drumstick (moringa pod), cut into 5 cm lengths (or 80 g green beans)
• 1medium carrot, cut into finger-length sticks
• 2¾ ozgreen beans, topped and tailed, halved
• 3½ ozraw mango (if in season), peeled and cut into thin strips
• 1medium potato, peeled and cut into finger-length sticks
• 5½ ozfresh grated coconut (or frozen grated coconut, thawed)
• 3green chillies, roughly chopped
• 2⅓ tspcumin seeds (about 1 teaspoon)
• 5½ ozfull-fat plain yogurt, at room temperature, lightly whisked
• 1⅞ tspturmeric (about 1 teaspoon)
• 1⅔ tspfine salt (about 2 teaspoons)
• ¾ cupfresh or dried curry leaves (about 2 sprigs)
• 2 tbspcoconut oil

Method

1. 1

   Cook the longer-cooking vegetables first. Place the yam (100 g) and drumstick (1) pieces in a wide pan with 150 ml of water, turmeric (1 teaspoon), and half the salt (2 teaspoons). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook for 8–10 minutes until the yam begins to soften at the edges. Drumstick is porous and cooks relatively quickly; yam takes longer. Both should be just shy of done when the next vegetables go in.

2. 2

   Add remaining vegetables. Add the raw banana (1), potato (1), carrot (1), and green beans (80 g) to the pan. Add a little more water if needed. The water level should be just enough to prevent burning, not enough to boil the vegetables (you want them to steam-cook and absorb flavour, not become waterlogged). Add the raw mango (100 g) now if using. Add the remaining salt. Cook over medium heat for 8–10 minutes more, until all vegetables are just tender when pressed with a finger. They should yield cleanly but hold their shape. Do not allow them to become soft or mushy.

3. 3

   Make the coconut (2 tablespoons) paste. While the vegetables cook, combine the grated coconut (150 g), green chillies (3), and cumin seeds (1 teaspoon) in a blender or stone grinder. Process to a coarse paste, adding just enough water (1–2 tablespoons) to help the blender move. The paste should have texture; you want to be able to see individual strands of coconut. An overly smooth paste loses this quality and blends into the yogurt rather than providing the characteristic coating.

4. 4

   Add the coconut paste. When the vegetables are just cooked, check that there is very little liquid remaining in the pan. If there is more than a few tablespoons, increase heat briefly to reduce it. Add the coconut paste and fold gently through the vegetables with a wooden spoon or spatula. The paste will coat each piece. Cook for 2–3 minutes over low heat, stirring gently, until the coconut is heated through and fragrant.

5. 5

   Add yogurt off the heat. Remove the pan from the heat entirely. Add the whisked yogurt and fold through gently. The yogurt should coat the vegetables evenly. Do not return to the heat after this point. Boiling the yogurt causes it to split, producing a curdled, greasy texture that is the most common mistake in avial.

6. 6

   Finish with curry leaves and coconut oil. Scatter the curry leaves over the top. Whole sprigs are traditional; the leaves can be stripped off the stalk if preferred, but leaving the sprig is more common. Drizzle the coconut oil over the surface. The oil should pool slightly on top rather than being stirred in. The fragrance that rises when the curry leaves hit the warm oil is the signal that the dish is ready.

Key Ingredient Benefits

Why This Works

Substitutions & Variations

Serving Suggestions

Storage & Reheating