My 50th post - A Guest Post from Pavithra : Avial

Today, is a very special day for me. My blog completed 50 posts today and my happiness has also doubled because I have a very special blogger friend on my blog as my esteemed guest. She definitely needs no introduction as you may have received her continual appreciation and support in the form of her valuable comments on your space.  Her words are so encouraging and motivating and each time you read her comment there would be a smile on your lips. I’m sure most of you must’ve guessed who she is.  So, without much delay I’d like to introduce you to the most humble person I’ve ever come across in this blogging world – The very adorable Pavithra R of Potpourri.

She is very down-to-earth by nature and helpful always. Whenever I need advice on my blog, she is the first person who comes to my mind and believe me, she answers to all my questions very jovially and readily. Last week, I asked her anxiously if she’d be willing to do a guest post for me.  She was kind enough to accept my invitation immediately. Thanks a lot Pavithra for sharing your wonderful recipe with us. 

She started her wonderful blog 3 months back and is always ready to voice her opinion on issues related to sports, politics, education, movies, or be it books. Do visit her space to and check out her posts on Sports - Why is it so important for kids , How to use SWOT in personal life , Suspended Coffee , German restaurant story and A lesson on Unity . I also love her simple and comfort cooking like Simple Mango Pudding and Simple Carrot And Paneer Pulao .

Over to Pavithra:-

Hola, to all!!

I'm Pavithra, a techie by profession and a wannabe writer(Dream, dream and dream :-)). I'm a dreamer, but I live in the moment. I love anything related to food, news, music, sports and lifestyle. I like the flavor and aroma more than any other quality in food. I love trying out new dishes at restaurants and of course at home. I have a lot of little cousins, who are always enthusiastic to taste my simple recipes, no matter how bad it turns out, HaHa. My favorite TV channels are TLC, Fox Traveler and NDTV Goodtimes. One of my favorite shows is "High Way On MY Plate"(Highly recommended for foodies!). Overall, I'm a simple person with sophisticated thought process. :-)

About my blog "Potpourri": HeHe, What can I say - it is my punching bag!!

PS: Nilu: Thank you so much for asking me to do a guest post, although I'm not a food blogger per se, I really appreciate it!! This is my first :-)

The first word which comes to my mind when I think about Nilu and her blog is being "Humble". I'm sure everybody would agree with that!

Also she is one of those bloggers, who is very innovative and creative with new ideas and never shies away from giving credit to whomsoever she learnt the cuisine from. I especially love her MIL's recipes!!

Her's is one of those blogs, I never miss reading the tips(notes) section on any given day, because it is really useful and informative! Her comments on posts are genuine and heartfelt, I really appreciate her for that.

I also love the humble "Cooking Mama" picture on her profile. :-)

I love all her recipes, because it is simple to make and doable!

To pick quite a few, here are my 3 favorites:

Gulab Ka Sheera  

Vermicelli With Poached Eggs  

Dry Fruits Hareera

Since Nilu is from Mumbai, I'm hoping to learn a lot of Maharashtrian Vegetarian cuisine from her in near future!! :-) 

Well, I wanted a simple yet rich recipe which is healthy, but not made very often. I see a lot of healthy, rich and simple recipes in Nilu's blog and hence wanted to go with the flow!

Also, I love the flavor in Kerala cuisine because they are very authentic!

                                                                         Avial                                                                              

Avial is one of the favorite dishes in our household. It is a humble yet rich side dish from Kerala. Avial is made with loads of vegetables and coconut as the main ingredient. The only rule of thumb is to use 'coconut oil' to make this authentic recipe. It takes the dish to a different level.

It is also a healthy recipe!

Ingredients:

1)Carrot - 1

2)Beans - 8

3)Brinjal - 2(small)

4)Potato - 1

5)Ash Gourd - 1/2 cup

6)Raw Plantain - 1(small)

7)Drumstick -1

8)Raw Mango - 1/2

9)Yam - 1/2 cup

10)Curd - 3 tsp

11)Water - as required

For Grinding:

1)Grated Coconut - 1/4 cup

2)Cumin Seeds  - 1 tsp

3)Green Chilli - 4

For Tempering:

1)Coconut oil - 3 tsp

2)Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

3)Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

For Garnishing:

1)Coriander leaves - 3 sprigs 

Preparation:

1)Chop all the vegetables into same(or similar) sized pieces.

2)Grind Coconut, Cumin Seeds and Green Chillies in a mixer with little water and make a coarse paste(Not a fine paste!)

3)Take required amount of water in a pan, add salt and turmeric powder. Now add all the cut vegetables. Let it boil, until the veggies turn tender.  It should not be mushy. Filter the water out and spread the veggies. 

Note: Every vegetable takes different time to cook, so it is not possible to boil them separately, hence it is OK to add all the veggies together, make sure the Brinjal which tends to cook super fast is placed above and not at the bottom of the pan.

4)Add coconut oil to a pan and add mustard seeds and curry leaves. Let it splutter.

5)Add the cooked veggies and saute for couple of minutes.

6)Add the grounded paste and mix well. Saute for 2 minutes. Switch off the flame.

7)Add curd and mix well.

8)Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Avial tastes perfect with plain rice.

Tips: 

1)Instead of boiling the veggies in a pan, you can cook the veggies in pressure cooker or you can steam the veggies in microwave oven.

2)You can add any number of veggies in this dish. Avoid Capsicum, it takes away the authentic taste of Avial.

3)The filtered water from boiling the veggies can be used to make vegetable soup.

Thank you Pavithra for taking some time and making this yummy avial for me. I'm sure all my readers would have loved this tempting dish. Hope to see many more of your interesting posts in the future :-)  
Happy Cooking!!