Ethakka Aviyal (Green Plantain in Coconut Gravy)

Although the word 'aviyal' denotes mixture of vegetables, this side dish is made with green (raw) plantain alone. Plantain is cooked with green chilli, kudampuli (malabar tamarind or gambooge), turmeric, curry leaves and salt. Grinded mixture of coconut, cumin seeds and pearl onions (shallot) are added and cooked. The dish is finished off with a dash of oil and curry leaves. Kudampuli can be removed from the dish after cooking to avoid too much sourness in localized areas since it is a dry curry.
Recipe Courtesy: Yummy O Yummy

Mathanga Erissery (Pumpkin / Squash in Coconut Gravy)

Finally fall is here and pumpkins are in abundance now. This erissery could be made either with pumpkins or with any other squash varieties. Erissery is a part of traditional Kerala sadya (feast). I added some crushed black peppercorns to reduce the sweetness of the dish.
Recipe courtesy: Sarah's Vazhayila

Mathanga Vanpayar Erissery (Pumpkin Red Cowpeas in Coconut gravy)

Erissery is a side dish usually served in traditional Kerala sadyas. There are different varieties of erissery made with different combination of vegetables. Pumpkin - red cowpeas erissery is one of my favorites. Pumpkin or any other squash variety could be used for the dish. I used red chori (red cowpeas / azuki beans) here which is smaller than the vanpayar that we get in Kerala.

Recipe Courtesy: Yummy O Yummy

Aviyal - Medley of Vegetables with Coconut

Aviyal is a traditional Kerala side dish, which is a very healthy and delicious medley of vegetables. It is very difficult to define a traditional recipe as each region in Kerala has its own take on it. The vegetables used for aviyal vary from region to region and the souring agent used could be raw mango or tamarind extract or curd. But there is one thing I'm sure about - whichever way you make aviyal, I just love it.

Recipe Courtesy: Bharathi's Spicy Chilly