Village Style Potato and Plantain Avial

This is a very different Avial, it is basically a typical village style of presentation of this dish. It mainly uses solid vegetables like potatoes, plantains (raw banana), carrot and long beans are just optional vegetables added in this dish. Most of the Avial recipes use green chilies, cumin or curd as a main ingredients. Our family prefer this recipe better, and I would also try the common variety of Avial the next time. It is best served with piping hot rice. 

Potato and Plantain Avial

INGREDIENTS: 

Medium sized potatoes - 3

Two small Plantains - 2

Carrot - 1

Long beans - 7 pieces (optional)

Salt to taste

FOR AVIAL MASALA PASTE :

Dry red chilies - 4 to 5

Fennel seeds - 1 teaspoon

Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon

Poppy seeds/ Kasa kasa - 1/2 teaspoon

Grated coconut - 1/2 cup

Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon

TO TEMPER :

Vegetable oil - 2 tablespoons

Cinnamon stick - 1/2 inch piece

Mustard - 1 teaspoon

Urad dal - 1 teaspoon

Large red onion - 1

Curry leaves - a sprig

TO GARNISH :

Chopped coriander leaves

METHOD:

1. First, cut potatoes and plantains into big cubes and put into salted water to avoid from changing color. Cut carrots into big chunks as well. Chop the long beans 3 inches length wise.

2. Dice the red onion and keep aside. 

3. Time to make Avial paste, grind all the given ingredients under the 'FOR AVIAL MASALA PASTE' into smooth paste by adding enough water. 

4. To the heated pan, add some oil and once the oil is nice and hot, add all the ingredients under the 'TO TEMPER' section. Sauté the onion and curry leaves until fragrant. 

5. Next, add the masala paste and sauté for 3 minutes. Then, start adding potatoes and plantains that are nicely washed to remove the salt. Followed by carrot and long beans. 

6. Add enough water to cook the vegetables thoroughly. Once the vegetables are cooked to perfection and the curry has reduced, switch off the flame.

7. Lastly, garnish with lavish sprinkle of chopped coriander leaves.

8. Serve hot with rice. 

Thank you

Abby 

Jackfruit, Carrot, Cauliflower and Potato Kurma ( Coconut Milk Gravy)

We made Turkey Berry Biryani and Vegetable Kurma last weekend. You can make coconut milk gravy or Kurma using any vegetables of your choice or even substitute the veggies with chicken or prawn. We had these vegetables left in the fridge, and weekends are the days we try to finish all the remaining vegetables or poultry in the fridge before restocking with fresh produces. It was a rich, creamy kurma with all the goodness of vegetables. I would say this one pot kurma can be eaten with rice, chapati, bread or biryani.

Jackfruit, Carrot, Cauliflower and Potato Kurma

INGREDIENTS: 

Unripe Jackfruit - 1 cup (cut into small chunks)

Carrots - 2

Potatoes - 4

Cauliflower florets - 2 cups

Kurma Paste:

Ginger - 2 inch piece

Garlic  - 10 cloves 

Grated coconut -  1 cup

Fennel seeds  - 1 teaspoon

Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon

Coriander seeds - 1 tablespoon

Black pepper - 1 teaspoon

Green chilies - 3

Dry red chilies - 3

Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Salt - to taste

To Temper:

Cinnamon - 1 stick

Cloves - 5

Star anise - 1

Fennel seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Vegetable oil - 2 tablespoons

METHOD:

1. First, you need to cut the unripe jackfruit into bite size chunks and cook them in boiling hot water with little bit of salt. After the jackfruit have been cooked thoroughly, drain and keep a side. 

2. Boil the potatoes as well. 

3. Wash the cauliflower florets in hot salted water. Drain and keep that aside as well. 

4. Next, we are going to prepare Kurma Masala Paste. To begin with, we add a tablespoon of oil, and start adding all the ingredients under the 'KURMA PASTE' section. We fry them until slightly golden brown. Allow them to cool before grinding into smooth paste by adding some water.

5. Now, in the pan, add two tablespoons of oil, and start tempering all the ingredients given under the 'TO TEMPER' section.

6. Following that, add all the vegetables that have been chopped into bite size pieces. Sauté for a while and immediately add in the masala paste, and some hot water. Remember the Kurma paste has to be diluted with water because we are going to make a gravy.

7. Allow the gravy to cook well till the carrot and cauliflower are soften, and there isn't any raw masala paste smell. It should took approximately about 25 minutes. Lastly, before switching off the flame, give a lavish sprinkle of chopped coriander leaves. 

Thank you

Abby