Avial - Indian Vegetable Stew

Avial is a tradition South Indian dish which traditionally uses 16 different types of vegetables. It’s a hearty dish shared with family and friends during festivals, such as during New Year Day or harvest festival.

In my ‘modern’ version, I only use 4 vegetables: pumpkin, carrot, beans and cauliflower. You can use any vegetable you, want with the  exception of 'slimy' vegetable such as eggplant or okra. Using different vegetable changes the dish’s flavour, making an interesting and exciting dish.

The yogurt-and-coconut mixture along with the cooked pumpkin gives it a lovely stew-like texture. The yogurt gives the dish a creamy texture / taste while the tamarind gives it a tangy taste.These variations taste quite different to each other. Using tamarind makes it a vegan dish.


Ingredients
(Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free)


¼ medium-sized pumpkin
¼ cauliflower
1 medium carrot
8 green beans
2 tablespoons water
1 green chili or red chili for heat
1 tomato
4 heaped tablespoons yogurt or ½ teaspoon tamarind concentrate (for vegan version)
4 leveled tablespoons desiccated coconut
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon salt


Preparation

1. Pumpkin, cauliflower, carrot & green beans: Cut into 2cm cubes (or 2cm lengths, for the beans) .
2. Chili: Slice thinly.
3. Tomato: Quarter.
4. Yogurt, turmeric, salt & desiccated coconut/ tamarind: Mix all the ingredients well in a bowl.

Cooking

1. Pumpkin, cauliflower, carrot & green beans: Place in a large pot with 2 tablespoons of water, cover to cook until the pumpkins are soft.
2. Tomato, turmeric mixture, chili & salt:  When the vegetables are cooked add the other ingredients and simmer for about 5-10 minutes to bring the flavours together.

Variation: Use finely-shredded fresh coconut (not frozen) if you can get it. Fresh coconut takes this dish up a notch.