Wonderful Waste

This is a story about accidental discovery of avial, a famous dish from Kerala.

The Maharaja of Travancore was on a survey of the kitchen. He saw vegetable waste lying in a corner. When asked, the cook said he was going to throw the waste. Maharaja asked the cook to make something useful from the waste. The cook tried to make a dish and that is how a new dish was born.

इस कहानी में केरल के एक मशहूर पकवान अवियल की खोज के बारे में बताया गया है।

एक बार त्रावणकोर के महाराज ने एक विशाल भोज का आयोजन किया था। भोज की तैयारी का अंदाजा लगाने के लिए वह राजसी रसोई में घूमने गए। महाराज ने देखा कि एक कोने में सब्जियों के बेकार हिस्से रखे हुए थे। जब रसोइए से पूछा गया तो पता चला कि वह उन्हें फेंक देगा। महाराज ने रसोइए से कहा कि सब्जियों के उन बेकार हिस्सों से कोई डिश बनाए। रसोइए ने बहुत बुद्धि लगाई और फिर एक पकवान बनाने में कामयाब हो गया। उसी पकवान का नाम अवियल पड़ा।

Exercise Questions

Reading is Fun

Question 1: What were the preparations in the palace for?

Answer: The preparations in the palace were for a grand dinner.

Question 2: Why did the Maharaja go into the kitchen in the afternoon?

Answer: Maharaja went into the kitchen to survey the work in the kitchen.

Question 3: What had the cook planned to do with the vegetable scraps?

Answer: The cook had planned to throw the vegetable scraps.

Question 4: Ingredients are the things that are used to make a dish. Select the ingredients of avail from following list:

Chillies, groundnut, wood, vegetable scraps, coconut, roasted peanuts, curd, pot, garlic, broken bangles, basket, curry leaves

Answer: Chillies, vegetable scraps, coconut, curd, garlic, curry leaves

Question 5: State where the following are True or False

The king had ordered a dinner in the palace.
No one had heard of or tasted avial before.
The cook had planned to make another dish using the vegetable scraps.

Answer: (a) True, (b) True, (c) False

Question 6: A recipe is a list of directions to prepare a dish. The following sentences are not in order for preparing avial. Number them in the correct order.

Grind some coconut, green chillies and garlic.
Cut the vegetable scraps into long strips.
Wash and clean the mix of vegetable bits.
Decorate with curry leaves.
Whip some curd and mix it in.
Pour some coconut oil on top.
Avial is ready.

Answer: Cut the vegetable scraps into long strips. → Wash and clean the mix of vegetable bits. → Grind some coconut, green chillies and garlic. → Whip some curd and mix it in. → Pour some coconut oil on top. → Decorate with curry leaves. → Avial is ready.

Question 7: Following are some things that children do after they reach home from school. Choose five things that you do when you reach home from school. Write them in order.

Pack school bag, Put away school bag, Have lunch, Read a story book, Chat with mummy about school, Sleep for a while, Wash up, Do the home work, Watch TV, Go to play, Change out of school uniform

Answer: Put away school bag, Change out of school uniform, Wash up, Chat with mummy about school, Have lunch, Do the home work, Go to play