Avial

SOUTHERN INDIA | SUCHITRA VARMA

Avial is a traditional vegan recipe with mixed vegetables in coconut and yoghurt gravy from Kerala, which is in the southern part of India. It is part of a traditional sadya, or a feast.

Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 tbsp cumin seeds 1 cup desiccated/grated coconut 4 tbsp yoghurt 2 green chillies 1 tsp turmeric powder

• 1 tsp red chilli powder

•

1 tbsp coconut oil • 1 bunch of curry leaves (optional) • a mixture of vegetables like potato, courgettes, green beans, butternut squash, carrots, marrow, and swede, cut into 2-inch batons. Traditionally we use vegetables like green beans, carrot, green plantain, pumpkin, ash guard, snake guard, elephant foot yam, drumstick, and more.

Method

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7. 8. 9. Cook the vegetables in a pan with a little water and turmeric. Meanwhile, coarsely grind the coconut, green chillies, and cumin to a coarse paste in a food processor. When the vegetables are cooked but still hold their shape, add the salt and red chilli powder. Allow it to cook for 2 minutes. Add the yoghurt and mix well. Now add the ground coconut mixture. Mix well. Once it’s heated through, take it off the heat. Add the coconut oil and curry leaves. Cover and allow it to rest for some time. Serve with rice or roti.

About Suchitra

I’m an engineer from India with experience in the education sector. In 2009, my husband, who is an IT Consultant, got transferred to Belfast on a short six-month contract. Shortly, we joined him as a family.

We found this place very welcoming and the people very friendly. My husband’s contract kept on extending and I started volunteering in a school and later started working there. The kids are well settled and flourishing in their schools. So, we decided to settle down here in Belfast.

As a trained Bharatanatyam dancer (Indian classical dance), I teach Bharatanatyam and Bollywood dancing to children and adults. I am a trustee with Mudra Academy of Performing Arts UK and through this I organise various fundraisers for Action Cancer as well as for other social causes.

I am also part of Sudarshanam NI Hindu Samajam, an organisation aiming to impart knowledge about Indian culture, particularly Kerala, to the younger generation of the Indian diaspora. I am passionate about making people aware of the rich and diverse Indian culture through performances and workshops, and to further the Indo–Northern Irish bond. I believe in contributing positively to Northern Irish society as it is my new home.

>> Cooking Playlist

I mainly listen to Bollywood music, Malayalam and Tamil film music, ghazals and some Carnatic classical music. Singer Lata Mangeshka is a legend in the Indian subcontinent. Salil Choudhary is my dad’s favourite music director, so his songs would always be played at home. ‘O Sajana Barkha Bahaar AAyi’ is my all-time favourite. I just love ‘Kabira’— the lyrics, the singing, the visuals. It’s an emotion, a feeling. The ghazal ‘Hoshwalon Ko Khabar Kya‘ is for the romantic in me! ‘Ambalappuzhe Unnikkannanodu’ is a Malayalam movie song (Malayalam is my mother tongue). It’s very soothing, very traditional, and it’s a romantic song with devotional undertones. ‘Kannamoochi Yenada’ is my favourite song from AR Rahman’s vast collection of masterpieces. The singer KS Chitra is another legend, especially in South India. The picturisation of the song is beautiful as well.

‘O Sajana Barkha Bahaar Aayi’ by Lata Mangeshkar (from the movie Parakh) ‘Kabira’ by Tochi Raina & Rekha Bhardwaj (from the movie Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani) ‘Hoshwalon Ko Khabar Kya’ by Aamir Khan & Sonali Bendre (from the movie Sarfarosh) ‘Ambalappuzhe Unnikkannanodu’ by K. S. Chithra & G. Sreekumar ‘Kannamoochi Yenada’ by Chitra