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Kerala / South India · Indian

Avial (Kerala Mixed Vegetables in Coconut and Yogurt)

A cornerstone of the Kerala sadya: a medley of vegetables simmered until tender and bound in a coconut-cumin paste with tangy yogurt, finished with raw coconut oil and curry leaves. Wholesome, gentle, and quietly addictive.

By Table & Traditions Editors

Published June 29, 2026

A thick Kerala avial of mixed vegetable batons — carrot, beans, plantain, ash gourd — coated in a coarse white coconut paste with curry leaves, served on a banana leaf.

Avial is a centrepiece of the Kerala sadya, the vegetarian feast served on a banana leaf for Onam and other occasions, and is also claimed in Tamil and Udupi traditions. It's a thick medley of mixed vegetables in a ground-coconut and yogurt base — a brilliant way to honour many vegetables in one dish.

Yield
Serves 4–6
Prep
20 min
Cook
20 min
Total
40 min
Difficulty
Easy

Avial is one of South India’s most generous dishes — a medley of vegetables simmered until tender and bound in a coarse coconut-and-cumin paste, brightened with sour yogurt and finished with a drizzle of raw coconut oil. It’s a cornerstone of the Kerala sadya, the vegetarian feast laid out on a banana leaf for Onam, and a brilliant lesson in honouring many vegetables in a single, harmonious dish.

A dish about variety

The spirit of avial is plenty: ash gourd, raw banana, carrot, drumstick, snake gourd, yam, beans — a mix of sturdy and gourd vegetables, cut into similar-sized batons so they cook evenly. Use what’s seasonal and good; the dish is forgiving and made for variety.

The coconut paste, kept coarse

Avial’s texture comes from a coarsely ground coconut paste with cumin and green chili — thick, barely any water. Grind it smooth and watery and you’ve made a curry; keep it coarse and it stays an avial, the coconut clinging to each vegetable.

Tang and the raw-oil finish

Sour yogurt (or raw mango) gives the essential tang — stirred in off the heat so it doesn’t split. And then the signature move: a drizzle of raw coconut oil and a scatter of curry leaves added off the flame, covered for a minute to bloom. That fresh coconut-oil aroma is the soul of Kerala cooking.

Serve it as part of a rice meal with sambar. For more from the coast, see Kerala fish curry, or browse the full recipe collection.

Ingredients

Serves
4

For the vegetables

  • 4–5 cups mixed vegetables, cut into batons Classic mix: ash gourd, raw banana (plantain), carrot, drumstick, snake gourd, yam, beans. Cut into similar-sized fingers.
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • salt

For the coconut paste

  • 1 cup grated coconut (fresh)
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 green chilies

For the finish

  • 1/2 cup thick sour yogurt, whisked Tang is essential; sour yogurt is traditional. Some use raw mango or tamarind instead.
  • 2 tbsp raw coconut oil Drizzled in raw at the end — the defining Kerala aroma; do not skip.
  • 1 sprig curry leaves

Method

Tap a step’s number to check it off as you go.

  1. Cook the hardier vegetables (yam, drumstick, carrot, plantain) first with turmeric, salt, and a little water, adding quicker ones (ash gourd, snake gourd, beans) after.

    Why: Staggering by cooking time keeps every vegetable just-tender rather than some mushy and some hard — important when so many cook together.

  2. Coarsely grind the coconut with cumin and green chilies (no water, or barely any).

    Why: A coarse, thick coconut paste gives avial its characteristic texture; a smooth watery paste makes it a curry, not an avial.

  3. Add the coconut paste to the cooked vegetables and simmer gently 3–4 minutes so it coats everything.

    Why: A brief simmer melds the coconut with the vegetables without breaking them down.

  4. Lower the heat and stir in the whisked yogurt; warm through but do not boil.

    Why: Yogurt added off a hard boil stays smooth and keeps its tang; boiling would split it and dull the sourness.

  5. Turn off the heat, drizzle over raw coconut oil, and scatter fresh curry leaves. Stir and cover for a minute.

    Why: Raw coconut oil and curry leaves added off the heat perfume the dish — the unmistakable Kerala finish.

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Variations

  • Tamil-style (tamarind)

    Use raw mango or a little tamarind for the souring instead of yogurt for the Tamil Nadu version.

  • Vegan

    Skip the yogurt and sour with raw mango or tamarind; the dish is otherwise plant-based and the coconut keeps it rich.

  • Drier (poriyal-style)

    Reduce the liquid for a thicker, drier avial that's good as a side with rice and rasam.

Serving & Storage

Serve as part of a rice meal with sambar, rasam, and pickle — it's a key dish on the Onam sadya banana leaf. Pairs beautifully with plain or red rice.

Pairs with: Steamed rice, Sambar, Rasam, Pappadam.

Storage: Best the day it's made; keeps 1–2 days refrigerated, though the yogurt sharpens. Reheat very gently to avoid splitting.

Nutrition

Per serving (about 1 cup)

Calories
210
Protein
5 g
Carbs
16 g
Fat
15 g
Fiber
5 g
Sugar
6 g
Sodium
360 mg

Notable micronutrients: Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Potassium

Estimated using standard ingredient data. Values vary with brands and substitutions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What vegetables go in avial?

A mix of sturdy and gourd vegetables cut into batons: ash gourd, raw banana (plantain), carrot, drumstick, snake gourd, yam, and beans are classic. The idea is variety — several vegetables in one harmonious dish — so use what's good and seasonal.

Why add coconut oil raw at the end?

Raw coconut oil drizzled off the heat is the signature aroma of Kerala avial — cooking it would lose that fresh fragrance. It's the finishing touch that makes the dish taste authentically Keralan.

Whose dish is avial — Kerala or Tamil Nadu?

Both have strong claims and beloved versions; it's central to the Kerala sadya and also made in Tamil and Udupi kitchens. We present the Kerala style here, but it's a shared South Indian dish rather than any one region's alone.

What to drink with this

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