Veg
Cheera Aviyal (Red Amaranth Aviyal)
A family recipe since September 2016
A bright, tangy Kerala-style aviyal that combines red amaranth leaves with cucumber, jackfruit seeds and raw mango in a fragrant coconut-cumin paste. Gentle cooking keeps the greens tender and the flavors fresh—perfect for festival meals or a comforting weeknight rice side.
30 min total4 servings
Ingredients
- Red amaranth leaves (chuvanna cheera, red spinach) - 2 cup
- Red amaranth stem - 1 cup
- Cucumber - 2 cup
- Jackfruit seeds - 1 cup
- Raw mango - 1 cup
- Grated coconut - 1 1/2 cup
- Green chili - 1 whole
- Shallots - 2 whole
- Cumin seeds - 1 pinch
- Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
- Red chili powder - 1 tsp
- Salt
- Coconut oil - 1 tbsp
- Curry leaves - 1 whole
Instructions
- 1Boil 1 cup of water in a large pan; while it heats, prepare the vegetables by cutting the cucumber, raw mango and jackfruit seeds lengthwise and slicing the red amaranth stem so the pieces cook evenly.
- 2Add the cucumber, red amaranth stem and jackfruit seeds to the boiling water, cover the pan, and cook until the vegetables are soft so they hold their shape but are tender.
- 3Meanwhile, make a coarse paste by pulsing the grated coconut with red chili powder, green chili, turmeric powder, cumin seeds and shallots in a blender or by grinding them roughly; a slightly textured paste is traditional and comforting.
- 4Once the vegetables are tender, add the red amaranth leaves to the pan and cook for only 5 minutes, because leafy greens need much less time to soften and will retain a lovely color and texture.
- 5Stir in the raw mango pieces, then add the coconut paste and salt; mix gently so the paste coats the vegetables evenly and the mango adds its bright tang.
- 6Cover and cook on low flame for another 5 minutes to let the flavors marry, then remove the pan from the heat.
- 7Finish with a drizzle of coconut oil and the curry leaves, toss gently, and transfer to a serving bowl. Serve with steamed rice or rice porridge if you like.