Preparation / Directions:
Chop veggies an inch and a half long and less than half inch thick. Wash them separately. Steam cook veggies on low-medium simmer using a large pot with a lid, with about a cup of water. Layer washed hard veggies on bottom to softest veggie on top. That is, plantain on bottom, next carrot, beans, squash, zucchini on top. If you are using the canned chenai and murungakkai add it when other veggies are 3/4 done, they come sort of pre-cooked in cans. Add turmeric and salt while veggies are steaming. This takes about half hour to 45 minutes. You have two options in this improvised stage.
Option 1: Blend 4 green chiles with half a can of coconut milk (Thai product, available in Indian store, not to be confused with `cream' of coconut which also comes in cans.) Add a cup of yogurt and blend everything into cooked veggie and simmer few minutes, without letting it boil. Throw in few curry leaves, if you have them. This produces a thin but very tasty aviyal and can be eaten with rice and appalam.
Option 2: Carve out half a cup of fresh coconut in slices. Blend this with 4 green chiles plus a cup of yogurt. Add all of this to cooked veggie and simmer a few minutes, without letting it boil. Throw in curry leaves if you have them. This produces a thick aviyal which can be either a side or main dish
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