Cabbage Avial (Yogurt based gravy) and holding on to the roots

I hope you all had a great Pongal / Sankranti .
Joining me to turn your boring cabbage into a delicious curry that too in under 15 minutes ???

Cabbage Avial ? might looks strange to you all . Well , avial is a vegetarian delicacy (yogurt based gravy ) from Kerala usually prepared with mixed vegetables. You can have a look at the traditional recipe here . I've earlier shared with you all that my roots are from Kerala.

I've heard lot of stories related to this from my grandma.This particular method of preparing avail with cabbage is my great grandma's (strange ) idea which has been now passed on to me by my mom.Now I enjoy making two three varieties of avial and hope to pass on this !!

 Slight crunchiness from the cabbage, tanginess from yogurt, richness from coconut and flavors from curry leaves and coconut oil ... mm all you will need is a hot steaming rice to go with it .But yes, if you are like me then pair it with spicy potato curry and relish !!

The key for this gravy is some fresh coconut and thick and sour yogurt. When you have this , all it takes is just 15 minutes to make your trip to Kerala.

Ingredients

Cabbage ........................ 2 cups ,Shredded / thinly sliced
Coconut ....................... 1/2 cup , grated , preferably fresh
Green Chillies ............... 2
Yogurt ........................... 3/4 cup , preferably sour
Curry Leaves  ................ handful
Coconut oil .................... 1.5 tbsp
Turmeric ....................... 1/2 tsp
Salt .............................. to taste

Method 

1. Grind coconut and green chillies to a fine paste and set aside.
2. Whisk the yogurt well and set aside.
3. In a deep pan , add about 3/4 cup water and cabbage, turmeric and salt.
4. Cover and cook till the cabbage is 50 % cooked.
5. Stir in the coconut paste and cook for another 3 minutes.
6. Now add the yogurt and roughly chopped curry leaves.
7. Adjust the consistency, if you need.
8. Cover and cook for a minute.
9. Check the seasoning now and add the coconut oil on top .
10. Turn off the heat and cover .
11. After 5 to 7 minutes, the avial will be ready .

Note

• Be generous with coconut and curry leaves.
• Coconut oil is a must to get the deep flavors.
• Try not to over cook the cabbage.