Chuvanna Cheera and Nenthran Banana Avial

Chuvanna Cheera and Nenthran Banana Avial 

Royal Travancore cuisine is mostly vegetarian and a lot of locally sourced produce is used in the cuisine’s preparation. The food is prepared in the palace kitchens by families who have been passing on their culinary expertise through generations. Urlis (vessels which are made from heavy brass) are used to cook the food; they use ghee from the cows bred in the backyard of the palace and the food is cooked using firewood. 
The menu is balanced on ‘shadrasas’—the six tastes of the body extolled by Ayurveda—sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, astringent. The following recipe is a healthy medley of red amaranth leaves and indigenous plantain with a hint of sweet coconut.

Portions: 4
Ingredients
Red amaranth leaves shredded             100 gm
Nenthran banana, peeled, batons        100 gm
Yam, peeled, batons    75 gm
Snake gourd, batons     75 gm
Long beans, batons     75 gm
Curry leaves     5 gm
Coconut grated     25 gm
Cumin sees     5 gm
Green chilli     5 gm
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder     2 gm
Yogurt, beaten     20 gm

Method 
Boil water with salt and turmeric powder. Add nethran banana and yam. Once it is ¾ th done, add snake gourd, long beans and amaranth. Make a coarse paste of coconut, green chilli and cumin seeds. 
Add the coconut paste to the vegetables and cook. Then add beaten yogurt.

Thank you