Aviyal

Mixed vegetables in coconut-yogurt — a medley of Kerala vegetables (raw banana, raw plantain, drumstick, yam, ash gourd, carrot, snake gourd, string beans, and raw mango) cut into uniform finger-length pieces, cooked with turmeric and salt in very little water until just tender, then a freshly ground paste of grated coconut, green chilli, and cumin mixed in, and the whole cooked covered for two minutes before being finished with a generous pour of raw coconut oil and fresh curry leaves. The sour element — lightly beaten yogurt or raw mango — is added at the end; the dish must not boil after the yogurt is added or it will split. Considered the centrepiece of the Onam Sadya banana leaf feast; present at every traditional Travancore feast as the vegetable course that requires the most skill and the most ingredients. The coconut oil must be raw and unrefined.