AVIAL SOUTH INDIAN VEGGIE DISH-CAMP ANACONDA, IRAQ

Two of the remaining Kerala cooks came to our dining facility to help us cook some traditional Onam--a South Indian Harvest Festival- vegetarian dishes for Staff, and our Customers.

Avial is a mixed vegetable quick fry. Towards the end of cooking...coconut and whole spices are fried separately, and then mixed in. If we were in their lovely place we would have had eggplant, drumsticks, and probably okra added top this too. We had to make do with cucumber, carrot, mango, green onions, and green beans. Unbelievably tasty. Another example of the reason Indian cuisine is the standard for vegetarian cuisine...just making an art out of fresh available bounty.