Avial Terrine

By Panfusine • June 15, 2012 • 0 Comments

◅ ▻

Avial Terrine — 1 of 3 Photo by Panfusine

⎙

Author Notes: As much as I'd like to say that I got inspired by the spiral vegetable tart, nope I made this dish & posted it for my blog much earlier.. the inspiration was solely from Perennial plates recipe for potato terrine, except the flavors are totally South Indian.
Avial is a signature dish from the Southern Indian state of Kerala. A mix of different vegetables, (always added in odd numbers (never 3 though) , Don't ask me the reason, Its a quirky thing that I can't explain since I didn't make the rules!), cut into finger length sticks cooked in a gravy of fresh grated coconut, cumin & green chile and Soured yogurt. The version here uses just 2 vegetables, chosen simply for their similar cooking times, but other candidates include sweet potato (which my other half doesn't care too much fo) & raw plantains (which i did not have on hand) - Panfusine

Makes 1 standard loaf tin (~ 8-10 slices)

4-5 Large Idaho potatoes
4 medium carrots
2 tablespoons freshly shredded coconut (from the frozen section of any Indian grocery)
1 can coconut milk
1-2 serrano chiles finely chopped
2 tablespoons Cumin
Salt to taste (~ 1.5 teaspoon)
1/2 cup greek yogurt
1 teaspoon rice flour

Combine the yogurt, cumin, green chile, flour , coconut and the coconut milk & blend thoroughly in a blender until there is no trace of the shredded coconut, serrano & cumin. (i.e blended thoroughly in). Add the salt as to your taste and transfer to a large mixing bowl
Peel the potatoes and carrots and discard the peels. Using the peeler make ribbons out of the vegetables. Immerse the ribbons into the coconut cumin mix.
Line a standard loaf tin with parchment paper. Using clean hands, line the tin with the potato ribbons alternating with the orange carrot ribbons. Continue layering till the rim of the tin.
Cover with foil (perforated to allow steam to escape) and bake in a preheated 350 F oven for about an hour until a knife easily slips through the vegetables. (Place a plate underneath, the coconut mix tends to ooze out & drip). Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Place an identical empty oaf tin over the dish & weigh down with heavy cans. (a brick covered with aluminum foil does the trick as well). Place in the refrigerator overnight, allowing the layered vegetables to compress down into a brick.
When ready to serve, tip over onto a cutting board, remove the parchment paper and carefully slice into 1/2 in. thick slices. Pan fry the slices using coconut oil or any other oil of your choice (2 minutes / side) Serve as a side to Rice & plain dal.