Avial, a mixed vegetable curry, is a simple recipe made even simpler thanks to the instant pot.
If you’ve never heard of avial before, it’s a delicious veggie-packed recipe cooked in coconut oil and flavored with aromatic curry leaves. All of the vegetables are coated in a sauce made with grated coconut and yogurt.
You can easily make this recipe dairy-free, paleo, whole30 or vegan by using coconut yogurt instead of regular yogurt – it’s a perfect substitute! I’ve tried this dish many times using regular yogurt as well as coconut yogurt and trust me, it’s a winner either way.
The great thing about making avial in an instant pot is that you can cook all the vegetables together in the same amount of time and they turn out perfectly. I love making this easy mixed vegetable dish whenever we have guests over – it always seems to impress friends who arenโt used to eating a variety of Indian vegetables. And that brings me to my next point…
What Vegetables Should I use in Avial?
Avial is typically made with assorted vegetables such as unripe plaintan, unripe green mango, carrots, green beans, cucumber, pumpkin, taro root, potatoes.
It is also often made with moringa, which is better known as “drumstick.” If you use drumsticks in this recipe, you are to eat the soft pulpy inside and then discard the fibrous exterior – it’s similar to eating artichoke leaves.
You can find drumsticks as well as a variety of other Indian vegetables in the frozen aisle of any Indian grocery store. You can also find frozen unsweetened grated coconut at your local Indian store.
Also, there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to veggies, so feel free to use what you have/like.
Avial is a Must During Keralite Festivals!
While you can make and enjoy avial any time, this dish is a must during special occasions or festivals. It’s always served during Onam, a big harvest festival, as part of the sadya, a vegetarian feast typically served on a banana leaf. Here’s a picture of my little family during last year’s Onam festival at the temple in Pittsburgh – it was Tony’s first time celebrating!
My husband (who is Keralite) considers avial to be his favorite vegetarian dish (he likes it even more than green bean thoran which is saying a lot). He has loved it since he was a kid and whenever I make it, it makes his day. Thankfully the instant pot allows me to make his day pretty often. I hope you all love it as much as he does!
Instant Pot Avial (Kerala Mixed Vegetable Curry)
Yield: Serves 3–4 1x
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I love this mixed vegetable dish because itโs so easy to make and it always seems to impress guests who arenโt used to eating a variety of Indian vegetables (such as green plantain, taro root or drumsticks). You can easily find a variety of Indian vegetables as well as grated coconut in the frozen aisle of any Indian grocery store.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- ยฝ teaspoon mustard seeds*
- 30 curry leaves
- 4 cups assorted vegetables**, cut lengthwise (2-inch long pieces)
- ยฝ cup grated coconut***
- โ cup water
- 1 Serrano pepper or green chili, slit in half but still intact
- 1 teaspoon salt, adjust to taste
- ยฝ teaspoon ground cumin
- ยผย teaspoon turmeric
- ยฝ cup yogurt (regular or dairy-free coconut yogurt works!)
Instructions
- Press the sauteฬ button then add the coconut oil. Once it melts, add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. When the mustard seeds begin to pop, add the remaining ingredients to the pot except for the yogurt.
- Secure the lid, close the pressure valve and cook for 4 minutes at high pressure.
- Open the valve to quick release the pressure.
- Stir in the yogurt and serve immediately or at room temperature.
Notes
- *You can leave the black mustard seeds out if you’d like. Some use black mustard seeds when making avial and some do not – I personally like the flavor so I use them but it’s not necessary.
- **This dish is typically made with assorted vegetables such as unripe plaintan, unripe green mango, carrots, green beans, cucumber, pumpkin, taro root, potatoes. It is also often made with moringa, which is better known as drumstick. If you use drumsticks in this recipe, you are to eat the inside and then discard the fibrous exterior. You can find drumsticks as well as a variety of other Indian vegetables in the frozen aisle of any Indian grocery store.
- ***Find frozen unsweetened grated coconut at your local Indian grocery store.
What a tasty dish, and the instant pot makes it so quick and easy to make this! I love experimenting with different cuisines and especially different Indian cuisines, and this was amazing! Thanks so much, Ashley!
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Maneesha, so happy you made and liked the avial!! ๐
I can see why this is considered a special occasion or festival dish! I just finished making this with purple potato (probably not the correct name), carrots, plantains, green beans, and coconut yogurt. The aromas and flavors seem truly gourmet! My boyfriend’s mom made avial frequently as he was growing up in India, so I will be eager to see how this version compares…I have a feeling he will rave about it. ๐
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So happy to hear that! Let me know what he thinks – would love to hear! ๐
Nitin declared, “It’s awesome! Where did you get the recipe?” I have a feeling this will be a staple for us. ๐
So happy to hear that!! ๐
Such a different flavour from the usual veges I make. Love that it doesn’t involve the usual onions and tomatoes. And so quick to make!
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Nida, so happy to hear that you liked it! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you ๐
Purple potatoes, purple carrots, mango, banana, string beans. This was so good. I loved it and I am about to make it again. I have never tasted anything like it. Thank you!
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Heather, that’s so great to hear! I’m so glad you made it and loved it!
Ashley, you really gave me the courage to try my favorite in instant pot. It came out awesome. No one could tell that it was made in instant pot.
I made few changes- didnโt splutter mustard, ground coconut with cumin and added it in the end after pressure cooking ( in sautรฉ mode as it had some water). I usually add Indian store frozen mango ( daily delight brand) or bit of tamarind along while cooking vegetables which I did this time as well. And in the end just before turning off, added a little yogurt somehow I like that texture after adding yogurt.
Meera, that is awesome!! I’m so glad you made it – thanks for sharing the changes! I’ll have to try adding frozen mango some time – that sounds delicious! Also, I love the daily delight brand too lol.
I just have to tell you, all of your recipes are becoming staples in our house! Thank you!!
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Michelle, that makes me so happy to hear!! ๐
There was an aunty who whenever she would make Avial, would send some over as she knew I absolutely love this dish – one of my special memories that I hold very dear to my heart – when I saw this recipe, i thought i would try it and see if it comes close! I made it for some guests when I made this for the first time using your recipe and it was a hit! I now make this at least twice a month! Thank you Ashley for bringing my childhood memory alive again!
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This makes me so happy to hear! I am so glad you like the avial so much and that it brings back happy memories! <3
Hello
Is grated coconut from freezer different to shredded coconut you find in the baking aisle?
Thanks
Frozen is just fresh coconut that has been frozen whereas the kind you’ll find in the baking aisle has likely been dried/dehydrated. I prefer frozen but either works!
Omg Ashley, your Avial looks incredible. I am a newbie to Instant pots, this recipe was easy and I canโt wait to for the veggies to cool down so I can add the yogurt. Thanks for sharing the recipe. You rock lady!!!!
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Ramya, thank you!! I’m so glad you found it to be really easy!!
I am also Keralite but never tried making avial until now because I thought it would be too difficult and wouldnโt taste right. Your recipe produced an easy to make and delicious dish. My family loved it and I am thrilled to add it to my dinner rotation. Canโt wait to make it for my mom and dad. Thanks so much. ๐
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Minnie, I’m so happy you made and liked this!! I hope your parents love it too when you make it for them ๐
This came out so well. Thank you Ashley for posting easy to follow recipes. Can thisbdish be doubled, tripled for a party? How will the cooking time change?
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Thanks Anita! I’m so glad you liked it ๐ I haven’t tried doubling or tripling the recipe but I’m sure it’ll be just fine if you do. When I double a recipe I double the ingredients but keep the cook time the same (the pot makes up for the additional ingredients by taking longer to build pressure). Hope that helps!
Hi Ashley,
I canโt seem to find black mustard seeds, but
will brown mustard seeds work instead?
Thanks,
Robert
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Hi Robert, yes brown works! ๐
I’ve made this exactly following the recipe and really enjoyed it! With the current pandemic and being under a shelter in place order, we are now stuck with only bags of frozen vegetables and nothing fresh and interesting like plantains and curry leaves. I went ahead and made this anyway with 4 cups of frozen mixed veggies, worried that it would make my taste buds sad, yet desperate to try to make the veggies more palatable. It turned out pretty good! Thank you for a wonderful recipe that is easily adaptable to the sad stuff in my freezer!
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Cassandra, I’m so glad you liked this! If you’re looking for another veggie dish that would be good with frozen veggies (and potatoes), try my Kerala vegetable stew ๐ I know these are crazy times.