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All things avial...

Here’s looking at the ultimate comfort food from God’s Own Country that almost started a Twitter food war online

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A traditional bowl of avial (left); Masala Library’s exotic twist to the dish
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Recently the Twitter handle for Kerala Tourism managed to rile Malayalis online with a post on avial/aviyal. It read, “Aviyal, a popular accompaniment served with boiled rice is nothing but a medley of native vegetables in a thick coating of coconut paste.” The post and the picture were criticised widely for not being a true representation of this quintessential dish from down South. Some labelled it a salad, while others felt it was just a mix of raw veggies that did not do justice to the much-loved dish. Kerala Tourism did manage to successfully extract themselves from the mess with a follow-up tweet that read, “Now that’s a sticky aviyal situation! Coincidentally, the native expression for ‘messing up’ bears the same name as this wonderful dish. But keep your palate ready for tomorrow as we are not done here. Sweet dreams.”  And while that managed to ebb that rising Twitter storm, it also started a debate online about why this dish evokes so much passion and love. Chefs tell us more.

‘AVIAL — A DISH FOR ALL’

Chef Bala whose expertise in the kitchen puts South of Vindhyas on the map when it comes to mastering flavours from Kerala, believes avial evokes passion and extreme reactions as it’s that one dish that everyone can have. He goes on to add, “Avial is not drowned in masalas, the traditional preparation has no oil and is not spicy. Hence, everyone and anyone can have it. Different regions in the South prepare it differenly, some make it more moist, others prefer it watery. And while the style of preparation may differ, the ingredients used are generally the same. Locally sourced vegetables like elephant foot yam, long beans, snake gourd, carrots, drumsticks all find their way into the dish alongwith coconut, jeera, green chillies with curd, served with a tadka of curry leaves and coconut oil.” You  generally get two types of avial — white and yellow (that’s prepared using turmeric). It goes well with Kerala red rice or steamed rice. And making it also means sticking to the rules.

THE ORIGINS OF AVIAL

Dharmesh Karmokar, chef and owner of Thangabali that dishes out a selection of southern delicacies believes that the avial enjoys a special place because of its very origins. He adds, “In a bid to get that perfect angle and pretty picture, sometimes food stylists get the desired results but what you serve on the table when it comes to avial is very different from what is captured on camera. And that probably explains why people reacted the way they did. After all, avial is that one dish that is looked at as something that is pure and should not be messed with. And this is primarily due to the Nair Brahmin community who believed in not letting anything pollute the dish. This warrior class set the rules that are followed even today. There’s no standard recipe but the veggies and ingredients are the same and are locally sourced.” Thangabali serves avial with garlic. Their version of it is inspired from Thrissur in Kerala where it’s more watery and not dry.


Thangabali serves a version of the dish that’s inspired from Thrissur that’s more watery (left); The avial picture that went viral

AN EXOTIC TOUCH

While purists prefer abiding by the rules, Masala Library has always believed in creating magic on the plate using molecular gastronomy. That’s also true for their version of avial. The dish has been taken to the next level by adding classic French vegetables, with the help of molecular gastronomy creating a cloud like fluffy coconut gravy that is served along with traditional red amaranth thoran and masala appam. Vaibhav Sawant, sous chef, Masala Library by Jiggs Kalra, explains, “When we talk about the exclusivity of this dish, it’s all in the preparation. We make it in a modern way clubbed together with an authentic touch; utilising a lot of exotic vegetables. Another aspect which is special about this is the way we serve the authentic Red Amaranth tossed in South Indian tadka, alongside this dish. Since, we believe in molecular gastronomy, we incorporate food science in the serving of the special south Indian coconut base foam, straight out of the chef’s den” 

So, whether it’s the authentic avial you are craving or a more experimental one, chefs seem to have it all plated and sorted. Whether it’s a fancy eatery or the bylanes of Fort that houses Hotel Deluxe or Udaya Lunch Home in Chembur, the avival enjoys a special place that’s clearly undisputed.

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