Avaraikkai Poriyal

                                  Avaraikkai is a very tasty seasonal country vegetable. It is a fibre with lots of nutrition and easily digestible.This vegetable is cooked and made as Poriyal or added to the Kuzhambu ( gravy ) as Pathia Sappadu ( Comfort Food ) to the mothers after child birth.
                           Dry grinding the grated coconut with Zeera, green chillies and a few small onions and mixing with the Poriyals, is a characteristic feature of the Tirunelveli region. In many of the North Indian dishes also, Zeera Powder is used invariable in almost all the dishes for its nutritive valley.
                          So East or West, North or South, the basic ingredients are the same.

Avaraikkai Poriyal

Ingredients :


Avaraikkai    250 gms.
Grated coconut    2 to 3 tbsp.
Green chillies / Red chillies   1 or 2
Zeera   3/4 tsp.
Small onions  3
Mustard, Urad Dhal,  Oil, Salt

Method :

1. Cook the sliced Avaraikkai till they become soft with little water.

2. Heat oil, add Mustard, Urad Dhal and Curry leaves.Then add the crushed garlic pods,
    if preferred and saute for a minute.

3. Then add the cooked veg. and salt. Dry grind the coconut with the chillies, Zeera and
    small onions.Mix them well with the Avaraikkai and saute on a medium flame for 3 to 4
    mins. till the raw smell leaves.

4. Those who do not like the taste of blended coconut with Zeera can add broken red
    chillies with Mustard, add the cooked Avaraikkai, salt, grated coconut and saute well.

Note :

Partly cooked Toor Dhal can be added with this Poriyal to give Protein to the growing children.
The elderly people who like to avoid coconut, can also mix the partly cooked toor Dhal.