Nimmy Paul’s Avial

For the vegetables:
1 green raw banana or plantain
1 red onion, sliced thinly lenghtwise
2 green chilies
water
2 carrots, julienned
2 tomatoes, sliced lengthwise
1 cup pumpkin, julienned (use something firm like butternut squash)
2 cups snake gourd, julienned (may substitute green beans or snow peas)
1 tsp salt
2 cups eggplant, julienned
1 sprig fresh curry leaves (20 or so)

For the coconut paste:
2 cups of grated coconut
3 shallots – quartered
1 green chili (jalapeno or long green)
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
pinch turmeric
1 sprig fresh curry leaves (20 or so)

To finish:
1 Tablespoon of coconut oil

1. Heat a wok on medium heat and add the bananas, onion and chillies with enough water to cover them and bring to a boil.
   Tip: You cook these first, as they are the hardest of the vegetables. Add the remaining vegetables in order of how long they will take to become fork tender. This way no vegetable becomes soggy and overdone by the time you are ready to serve the dish.
2. Add the carrots and cook 2 minutes, then the pumpkin and snake gourd in 2 minute intervals.
3. Add the eggplant and tomatoes for the final 2 minutes.
4. Then add the curry leaves, turn the heat off and cover with a lid.
5. Make the coconut paste by placing the grated coconut, shallots, chili, cumin seeds, turmeric and curry leaves in the bowl of a food processor and pulsing them until a coarse paste is formed.
6. Finish the dish by first making a well in the center of the vegetables in the wok. Add the coconut paste in the well and then pull the vegetables up and over the mound of coconut paste and drizzle the dish with the Tablespoon of coconut oil just before serving.

Thanks for trying this facesplacesandplates.com recipe.