Vegan Avial (South Indian Coconut Curry) from Vegan Richa’s Instant Pot Cookbook
Avial is a simple coconut curry from South India. This flavorful sauce is a blend of fresh coconut, green chile, and cumin seeds. You can add any local or seasonal vegetables you have available. It’s surprising how flavorful this dish is without any added garlic or onion. Like any South Indian dish, avial also relies a lot on flavor from fresh curry leaves. You definitely want to use curry leaves here because they are essential for the flavor. You can find curry leaves in any Indian store or online, and you can keep them frozen for up to a year.
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Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 177kcal
Ingredients
- COCONUT SAUCE
- ½ cup 40 g unsweetened shredded coconut, preferably fresh
- 1 hot green chile - such as serrano, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt - or more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric - optional
- ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds or ground cumin
- ½ cup 120 ml water
- VEGETABLES AND TEMPERING
- 1 teaspoon safflower or sunflower oil
- ½ teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 1 hot green chile - such as serrano, finely chopped 10 to 12 curry leaves
- 3 cups about 550 g assorted chopped firm vegetables, such as potatoes, pumpkin, carrots, green beans, summer squash, Moringa stems, or unripe banana and/or plantain
- ¼ cup 60 ml water
- GARNISH
- Freshly squeezed lime juice
Instructions
- For the coconut sauce, combine all the sauce ingredients in a blender and blend well. If you are using fresh coconut, don’t blend for too long, as it will cause too much of the oil to release. If using dried coconut, blend for 30 seconds, then let sit for 5 minutes so the coconut can rehydrate, then blend again to keep the texture from getting too coarse.
- For the vegetables and tempering, preheat the Instant Pot by selecting the Sauté setting. Heat the oil in the preheated pot for a few seconds, then add the mustard seeds to the oil pooled on the edges and leave for about 30 seconds, or until they start to splutter. Stir in the green chile and curry leaves, then add the vegetables and coconut sauce. Add the water and give it a good stir to pick up any stuck bits. Select the Cancel setting.
- Lock the lid into place, set the Pressure Release Knob to Sealing, select the Pressure Cook/Manual setting at high pressure, and set the cooking time to 4 minutes.
- Once the cooking cycle is done, let the pressure release naturally for 2 minutes, then carefully set the Pressure Release Knob from Sealing to Venting to release any remaining pressure. Carefully open the lid. Taste for salt, adjust if needed. Garnish with lime juice. Serve with rice or dosas.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 177kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 436mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 2g
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