Aviyal: The Mixed-Vegetable Harmony Dish

Whatever the garden gives, bound by coconut and curd — a quiet lesson in harmony. It belongs to the Tamil Virundhu tradition of Kerala / Tamil Nadu.

Myth credits Bhima with inventing aviyal during the Pandavas' exile, tumbling every vegetable he could find into a single pot. It endures as the great no-waste dish and a fixture of the Onam and wedding sadya.

A rainbow of vegetables delivers wide fibre and micronutrients; ground coconut adds the fat that helps the body absorb their fat-soluble vitamins; a finish of sour curd and raw coconut oil brings probiotics and aroma. Barely cooked, the vegetables keep both bite and vitamins.

Aviyal is harmony you can eat — many different things, each keeping its own shape, all made better for sitting together. Not the worst metaphor for a marriage.

Serves 4 · 35 minutes. Ingredients: Mixed veg: drumstick, yam, raw banana, beans, carrot, 1 cup grated coconut, 2 green chillies + 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 cup sour curd, Curry leaf & raw coconut oil. Method: Cook the firmer vegetables with turmeric until just tender. Coarsely grind the coconut, cumin and chilli and add to the veg. Stir in the beaten curd off the heat so it doesn’t split. Finish with a drizzle of raw coconut oil and fresh curry leaves.

Yes. We cook traditional Tamil Virundhu menus for 25 to 5,000 guests across Chennai and Tamil Nadu, including live counters and banana-leaf service. Share your date and guest count on our enquiry form and we will build a menu around it.