Onam without Sadhya is like Diwali without lights. The Sadhya would have a variety of dishes including Pulishery, Erishery, Sambar, Avial, Pappadam, Pickles, and more.
The family gathers for the Onasadya, the traditional lunch served on banana leaves. It consists of 11 to 13 courses that everyone consumes, as is customary, with their hands and sitting on the ground. It ends with the payasam, an excellent dessert made with rice, boiled milk, and brown sugar. There is a saying, in this regard, Kanam Vittum Onam Hunnam.
The usual dishes on the menu are:
1. Kaaya varuthatha: sliced bananas fried in small pieces.
2. Chena varuthathaam chips
3. Sarkara upperi - Jaggery covered banana chips
4. Puli Inji- Chutney made with ginger and tamarind.
5. Kichadi- Pumpkin in spiced yogurt
6. Pachadi- yogurt and pineapple sauce
7. Olan - Ash squash with black beans in coconut milk sauce
8. Theeyal-mixed vegetable sauce
9. Curried Kootu: black chickpeas
10. Erissery- Bean and pumpkin puree with coconut sauce.
11. Rasam - It can be used as a soup or a curry that would aid digestion after a heavy meal.
12. Pulishery - It is one of the traditional dishes in Kerala made with yogurt and grated coconut.
13. Upperi - It is a snack that is served alongside other main and side dishes. There are two types of upperi that would be served. One of them is Banana chips and the other is Sarkaravaratti. Banana chips, as the name suggests, are the deep-fried pieces of raw banana.
Wait, it's not over! Sambar, spicy buttermilk, papad and of course, boiled rice!
Here are the More Onam food - Parippucurry, Injithair, Sambar, Avial, Kalan, Olan, Thoran, Puliinji, Pachhady pineapple, Erissery, Kootukari, Sarkarapuratty, Kaya Varuthathu, Pappadam, Payasam, Prathaman, Thokku Tomato,
kheer, Lady Kichadi's finger, Pesarattu masala, coconut chutney, Medu Vada, Dosas, Mor Kuzhambu, Kesari dried fruit, Banana Halwa, Pulissery, Mothagam, Palada Pradhaman, Pesarattu, Puttu rice, Theeyal, Tomato Rasam, Dudhi (Chorekka) Pradhaman.
1. Avial
Avial is an important dish in Onam sadhya. It is made with vegetables and coconut paste. Potato, carrots, raw banana, chicken thigh, beans are used for the preparation. Avial is a vegetarian dish typical of South India, in particular it is believed to have its origin in Kerala, and is composed of a dry mixture of vegetables with coconut and curry leaves.
Avial is one of the dishes of Sadhya, the banquet of the most important festival in Kerala, Onam, the Hindu festival that traces the birth of the state of Kerala every year in its legendary origin.
Method of preparation
Cut 2 carrots and drumstick into sticks, 1 plantain, 1 cucumber, 1 sweet potato and 1 onion into cubes.
Coarsely grind 2 full tablespoons of grated coconut, 1 tsp cumin seeds and garlic together.
Meanwhile, bring the mixed vegetables, onion, salt and 1 tsp chilly powder to a boil in a little water, a couple of glasses maximum. Wait for it to dry and then add 1 tomato and finish cooking well.
At the end of cooking add the coarsely ground paste, previously prepared and cook for another 2 minutes, continuing to mix.
Add the oil and curry leaves, leave to rest and serve.
2. Cabbage Thoran
Wash 1 cabbage and chop finely. You can also use a grater if it suits you more.
In a pan or wok, heat 2 tsp coconut oil, add 1 tsp black mustard seeds and wait for them to crackle. At this point add 1 tsp cumin and fry until the seeds are colored. Then add 1 finely chopped onion and using a wooden or metal spoon, fry until it becomes translucent. Then add 1 chopped chilli and 10 curry leaves and let them brown for a minute, then add 1/2 tsp turmeric and little asafoetida and fry for a few more seconds. At this point add the cabbage and season with salt, continuing to turn and letting it brown for a few minutes.
Cover the pot and let it simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally. If you see that the cabbage is too dry, add just half a glass of water, or even less, cover and continue cooking.
Only when the cabbage is cooked can you add 1/2 cup grated coconut, mixing well and cooking for another 2/3 minutes. If the contents are still damp, leave on the fire a little longer until the steam is completely absorbed.
When cooked, it can be garnished with a few leaves of fresh coriander to taste.
You can serve with white rice or chapati bread.
3. Beet pachadi
Grate 3 small cooked beets and heat for a few minutes in a saucepan. In a blender, mix 1 cup of freshly grated coconut with 1 green pepper, 1 small shallot, 1/2 tsp of cumin, 4-5 curry leaves, salt, mix well with a little hot water to obtain a fluid paste. Add this paste to the beets, cook for a few minutes, stirring. It should no longer be too runny.
Remove from the heat, and wait for it to cool. Meanwhile, fry in a small pan with 1 tbsp of oil (coconut if you have) 1 tsp of black mustard seeds, then 1 dozen curry leaves and 2 minced shallots. Add 2 cups yogurt shaken well in advance to the beets as well as what you have just fried and mix.
It can be eaten both warm and cold. Do not reheat.Not only is it delicious but it also brings a very colorful note to the plate!
4. Sambar
It is said that Kerala Sambar is different from the other states of southern India. As far as I know, in other states, the recipe consists of a single common vegetable, while Kerala sambar would have several vegetables, such as potatoes, tomatoes, sticks, cucumbers and many others.
First put a large knob of tamarind paste to swell in lukewarm water. Cook 2 handfuls of toor dhal in a pressure cooker for 10 minutes in 2 cups of water with 1/2 tsp of turmeric and salt. During this time peel and cut drumsticks, a dozen okra or ladies fingers, 2 potatoes, 2 tomatoes, 1 large onion, 2 carrots, 1 tiny pumpkin, a small eggplant, a piece of elephant yam into big chunks!
Add them to the dal in the casserole dish with the onion. Squeeze the tamarind and collect the juice only, add it to the casserole dish (add water if necessary). Put everything to cook under pressure for 15min. In a small pan, heat 1 tbsp of oil, crack 1 tsp of black mustard seeds, then ten curry leaves, add ten small shallots and 2 cloves of minced garlic, brown, then 2-3 tbsp of sambhar powder, fry 1 to 2 minutes. Add this to the cooked vegetables, and that's it!
5. Coconut chutney
In a chopper, mix 100g of grated coconut with 6-7 small shallots, 1 or 2 green peppers, 5 curry leaves and a little water. In a small saucepan, heat 2 tbsp of oil, add mustard seeds, then another 5 curry leaves, then the spices. Add the mixed coconut, leave to heat for 5 minutes, add water depending on whether you want your chutney to be more or less liquid, and season well with salt.
6. Appam
Put 2 cups of un-cooked white rice to soak overnight (at least 4 hours). The next day, rinse and drain the rice. Mix it in a solid blender or a good blender with 1 cup of water. Obtain a liquid but thick paste. (If you are using rice flour, mix it with water until you get a thick but runny dough).
Put 1 sachet of baker's yeast in a glass with a bit of lukewarm water and a pinch of sugar until it swells well.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine 1/3 cup of rice flour with 1 cup of water. Let the mixture thicken over low heat until you get a kind of pudding, you must stir vigorously to avoid lumps. You can replace the pudding with 1/2 cup cooked wheat semolina or drained cooked rice. Mix this with the dough, mix everything. Add the yeast and mix.
Leave to rest for a few hours, covered. The mixture should rise and be full of small bubbles. Before cooking the appams, add 1 cup of coconut milk and mix well. Allow about 1/2h to cook all these appams (the dough cannot be kept). Once the dough has a nice consistency full of bubbles, put a small wok or a small pan (but then they will not have their characteristic shape, thick in the middle and thin at the edges) to heat over medium/low heat.
Using a paper or potato or onion cut in half and dipped in oil (sesame for me), lightly oil the wok. Place a nice ladle of dough in the center then turn the wok to distribute the dough on the sides (but not too much, not like pancakes). Cover, this is important, and cook for a few minutes. Cook on one side, the edges should lightly brown and small holes should form on the surface. You can readjust the consistency of the dough with lukewarm water or rice flour to make it more or less thick.
Stack the appams in a tea towel or closed container and serve instantly. You can keep them for 2 days in the fridge and heat them in steam (or in the microwave with a little water added on the surface).
