Poriyal
Encyclopedia
Poriyal is the Tamil
Tamil people
Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...

 word for fried or sometimes saute'd vegetable dish. The kannada word for the same dish is Palya. It is usually made by shallow frying shredded or diced vegetables along with spices. The preparation would normally involve frying mustard seeds, urad dal, onions and then the main vegetable, and finally adding turmeric, spices, dried red chillis and coriander. In Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...

, shredded coconut would be added as a dressing.

Poriyal serves as a side dish to a three course meal of rice with sambhar, rasam
Rasam
Rasam is a South Indian soup. Traditional preparation involves tamarind juice as base in addition to tomato, chili pepper and other spices as seasonings. Steamed lentils are added by some along with any preferred vegetables. Nowadays all the seasonings required are combined and ground beforehand...

 and curd
Curd
Curds are a dairy product obtained by curdling milk with rennet or an edible acidic substance such as lemon juice or vinegar, and then draining off the liquid portion. The increased acidity causes the milk proteins to tangle into solid masses, or curds. The remaining liquid, which contains only...

.

All poriyals by default have some vegetables and lentils, but many variations of the main vegetable exist:
  • Potato Poriyal: Poriyal made of Potatoes.

  • Beans Poriyal: Poriyal made out of Green or String Beans.


Many other regional variations exist. Palya, a very common dish in the South Indian state of Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...

 is very similar to the poriyal. Some variations of the palya involve use of chana dal instead of urad dal.
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