Adai Aviyal

Blogging Marathon# 35: Week 4/ Day 1
Theme: Bookmarked recipes
Dish: Adai Aviyal

We are starting the final week of Blogging Marathon today and my theme for this week is 'Bookmarked recipes'. My bookmarks are multiplying by the minute. There are so many recipes that I really really want to try but I never seem to find the time or the occasion to make them. Thanks to Valli for creating the occasion by making bookmarked recipes as a theme during BM, which gives us a chance to try at least 3 dishes from the bookmarked folder.

So for the first day, I made Adai-Aviyal (Avial). I didn't know they were served together as a combo until BM# 30 where this was part of the combo dishes. Few of my fellow marathoners made this combo and I bookmarked Vaishali's & Priya's posts.

I already have the recipe for ada/ adai here, but I'm going to type it again.

Ada/ Adai (Mixed Lentil Dosa):

Ingredients:

Chana dal - ¼cup 

Toor dal - ¼cup
Moong dal - ¼cup
Urad dal - ¼cup
Masoor dal - 2tbsp

Brown Rice - ½cup
Ginger - 2" piece
Dry red chilies - 6~8 (adjust as per taste)
Salt - to taste

Method:

• Soak the dals along with brown rice for at least 3~4 hours. Then grind along with the other ingredients into a coarse paste. 
• Heat a tawa/ griddle on medium high heat. Pour a 1~2 ladleful of batter and spread it into a circle with the back of the ladle. Add 1tsp oil on the top and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes. 
• Flip and cook for another 1 minute. Serve hot with avial and chutney of your choice.

Avial/ Aviyal: Avial is a yogurt-coconut based dish from Kerala. Grated coconut is ground along with cumin seeds and added to mixed vegetables along with yogurt. This is a very simple dish to make, but it is super tasty. My mom makes traditional avial and I wanted to make something a little different, so when I found the recipe on Hari Chandana's blog where she used shallots in the avial masala, I knew I had to try it.

Ingredients:

Mixed Vegetables - 2½~3cups (I used potato, carrot, green beans, grean peas & ash gourd)
Yogurt - ½cup
Turmeric - ¼tsp
Salt - to taste

For the Masala Paste:
Fresh grated coconut - 1cup
Cumin seeds - 1tsp
Green chilies - 3~4 (adjust as per taste)
Red onion - 1 small or 5~6 shallots, coarsely chopped

For Tempering:
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Dry Red Chili - 1 (optional)
Curry leaves - 8~10

Method:

• Cook the veggies along with turmeric and water until tender.
• In the meantime, grind all the ingredients for the masala into a paste. Use as little water as possible.
• Once the veggies are tender, add the coconut paste, mix well and cook for 3~4 minutes.
• Add whisked yogurt and salt, cook until heated through, about 1~2 minutes. Turn off the heat.
• Heat 2tsp coconut oil, add mustard seeds and curry leaves. Once the seeds start to splutter, add this to the veggies. Cover and set aside for at least 5 minutes for the flavors to mingle.

Serve with adai or wuth steamed rice.

Lets check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked today for BM# 35.