Avial (Mived Vegetables With coconut)

Yum

                                This is a traditional dish of Kerala made with a variety of veggies. Before when I tried out this dish it was watery and my SIL used to make fun off me saying "ha you have made mango mappas again".The problem being, I used curd and the the gravy was watery. This time around I used raw mango instead of curd and I nailed the dish. This is how my mom makes it and it's a bit time consuming dish & a bit dry, unless of course you make use of  a pressure cooker. If you prefer using curd instead of mango click here

Ingredients:
A mix of Veggies of your choice(cut in small strips)  -   ½ to ¾ kg. 
(I used yam(chena), snake gourd(padavalam), long beans(achinga), Carrot, Drumstick, Cucumber(vellarika))
Raw Mango            -         a small piece(depends on the sourness)
Coconut Oil            -        1 tbsp.
Turmeric powder   -         ½ tsp.
Chilly powder        -         1 tsp.
Salt as required
Curry Leaves a few sprigs
Coconut Oil           -          ½ tbsp.

For Grinding:
Grated Coconut     -         of half a coconut
Cumin                   -         1 tsp.
Green Chilies       -           4

Method:

1. Cut the yam(chena) in small and long strips, immerse it in water and set aside.
2. Cut the remaining veggies and place it in a separate  bowl of water.
3. Peel and cut the raw mango and place it separately aside until needed.
4. Heat a tablespoon of oil in  a hard bottomed vessel and place the drumsticks, achinga, snake gourd, carrot, Yam(chena) and finally vellarika one above the other respectively.(ref. Notes)
5. Add the turmeric, chilly powder and the required amount of salt on top of the vegetables, close the vessel with a lid and cook it on low flame.
6. Coarsely grind the coconut, cumin and the green chilies and set aside.
7. When it starts to boil combine all the vegetables together.
8. Add the raw mango when the yam is about ¾ done, close and let it cook.
9. Check if all the veggies have been cooked well, if so make a hole in  the middle of the cooked vegetables. Take all the water from the center and pour it over the surrounding vegetables, continue doing this until there is no water left in the center.
10. Now add the coarsely grounded mixture and the curry leaves and combine well.
11. Finally drizzle the remaining coconut oil on the avial and remove from flame & serve with rice.

 Notes:

• The reason as to why the veggies are arranged is because no water is added & also to prevent the yam from losing its color.