Instant pot Aviyal

I love yogurt based curries and this Instant pot Aviyal is a favorite at home. Aviyal is a traditional recipe from the southern part of India, specifically Kerala where vegetables like white pumpkin (Ash gourd), drumstick, plantains, carrots, yam etc are cooked in a coconut and yogurt based curry. They are cooked in coconut oil and have the flavour of curry leaves, cumin and coconut. It is one of the dishes served during onam sadhya.

I love to eat aviyal with adai (lentil based crepe) and it is a famous combination in Tamil Nadu. It also pairs very well with spicy vathal kuzhambu rice. This instant pot Aviyal also goes well with my Puliyodharai (Tamarind rice). If you havent tried this combination, I suggest you do it now 🙂 It tastes divine. The cool yogurt compliments the tangy and spicy tamarind rice beautifully.  Since it has loads of veggies and not many masalas, I sometimes eat it as such like a salad.

You can see the aviyal paired with Puliyodharai (Tamarind rice) in the picture below

This recipe can be veganised by substituting the yogurt with a vegan alternative. I have tried adding forager’s cashew yogurt and they worked well in the recipe. Traditionally the yogurt added to the curry needs to be a little tangy. I find these vegan yogurts to have slight tanginess and hence work well in recipes like these. You could also use Coconut yogurt or almond yogurt instead.

The consistency of an avial is like that of a kootu (Not too runny or not too thick). But you could adjust the consistency as per your taste by adding water/ yogurt accordingly. Also the vegetables needs to be cut in big pieces for this recipe which means easy prep.

Here’s a pinnable image for you 🙂

So what all vegetables can we use in the recipe?

I love white pumpkins and it is one of my favorite vegetables. With pumpkin season here, I make this quite often at home and sometimes make this recipe with just pumpkins. It still tastes just as good.  I have used only carrots, drumsticks, beans and white pumpkins for this recipe here. But you could also add raw banana (plantains), yam, potatoes.

Here’s a quick step by step collage of the recipe

It is such a simple recipe.

All you have to do is add a bit of coconut oil, couple of tablespoon of water, make a thick paste of coconut, green chillies, cumin, coriander and curry leaves. Add the veggies to the instant pot and dump the ground paste on top. Pressure cook it and when done, add whisked yogurt. The whole recipe can be done in less than 30 minutes.

If you do try the recipe and like it! Please rate the recipe and share your pictures on facebook or instagram 🙂 Do use the #cookingwithpree so I can see you and connect with you!