Onam Sadya Items and Onam Sadya Recipes

Onam is an important festival for the people of the state of Kerala. All people, irrespective of their religion and community come together to celebrate this festival with great enthusiasm. The festival goes on for ten days. On the tenth day (Thiruvonam), a grand banquet is kept at almost every house in Kerala and nowadays even in restaurants. The feast that is served on Onam is called Onasadya. Only vegetarians dish items are prepared on this day. The items of the feast are served on a banana leaf which has to be kept in a particular way. There are specific places on the banana leaf where the items have to be served. Of all the recipes of Onam, people especially love the variety of payasams (a type of dessert) that are made on this day. Some of the other items of the feast includes upperi (deep fried vegetables), curries such as sambar, avial, kaalan etc, pappadam, pickles, puli inji, parippu, rasam, rice and fruits.

Onam recipes

Peel and cut the vellerikka into medium size pieces. Put it in a bowl and cover it with water. Add turmeric powder and salt to it and keep it on flame for cooking. Meanwhile, in a mixie, mix grated coconut, cumin seeds and green chillies very well with water to make a paste. After sometime, add curd to the curry - If you wish, you can mix the curd in the mixie itself with the coconut mix. After the curry boils, add the coconut mix. Let it boil just a little and switch off the gas. For the tempering, heat oil and add mustard seeds. When it crackles, add dry red chilli and curry leaves. Pour this on top of the curry.

5. Koottukari - This is a 'khatta-meeta' curry meaning that it has a little sweet taste also along with the spice.
Ingredients
1 cup kadala parippu (chena dal) or white channa (you can put any of these as you wish)
1 chena (chopped into small pieces)
A small piece of pumpkin (chopped into small pieces)
1 kaaya (raw plantain) (cut into small pieces)
1 carrot (cut into small pieces)
A pinch of turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1 onion
½ cup Fresh coconut (grated)
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
Coconut oil as required
For tempering
1 tsp mustard seeds
Few sprigs of curry leaves
1 dry red chilli
Method
If you are using white channa, soak it overnight and then pressure cook it for 2 whistles. Put the chopped vegetables in a bowl and add turmeric powder and salt to it. Pour little water in it and keep it on flame for cooking. When the vegetables are 3/4th cooked, add the white channa or chena dal. Meanwhile, in a mixie, mix grated coconut, red chilli powder, cumin seeds and onion very well with water. When the curry is cooked, add the coconut mix and let it boil for a minute and then switch off the gas flame. For the tempering, heat oil and add mustard seeds. When it crackles, add dry red chilli and curry leaves. Pour this tempering over the curry. Serve hot.

6. Thoran - Thoran is a deep-fried dish of vegetables. Usually people prefer to make this with cabbage, beans and carrot.
Ingredients
1 cabbage (cut into small pieces)
1 carrot (cut into small pieces)
Few pieces of French beans (cut into small pieces)
1 tsp mustard seeds
Few pieces of dry red chilli
Coconut oil as required
Salt to taste
A pinch of turmeric powder
Few small onions
¼ cup fresh coconut (grated)
1 piece green chilli
Few sprigs of curry leaves
Method
Heat oil in a kadai and add mustard seeds. When it crackles, put dry red chilli. Then add chopped cabbage, carrot and beans to it. Add turmeric powder and salt in it, pour little water and keep it closed tightly for cooking. Meanwhile, in a mixie, mix coconut, green chilli and small onions. Pour very little water and mix it. Just mix it a little or else it wont taste very good. Add this coconut mix to the vegetables when the water has evaporated. Break curry leaves into small pieces and put it in the dish. Add little coconut oil and stir.

7. Kichadi - It is a side dish made of yogurt and cucumber in its raw or cooked form.
Ingredients
1 vellerika (a type of cucumber) - cut into small pieces
½ cup curd
1cup fresh coconut (grated)
1 tsp cumin powder
6 green chillies
Coconut oil as required
Salt to taste
For tempering
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 dry red chilli
Few sprigs of curry leaves
Method
Cook the cucumber in water with salt added to it. Meanwhile, in a mixie, mix coconut, cumin powder and green chilli to a fine paste. Add this coconut mix to the curry and let it boil. Add curd and stir it for few minutes. For the tempering, heat oil and add mustard seeds. When it crackles, add dry red chilli and curry leaves. Pour this tempering over the curry.

8. Pachadi - it is a sweet form of the kichadi curry.
Ingredients
1 ripe pineapple (cut into square pieces)
A pinch of turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1 cup fresh coconut (grated)
1 dry red chilli
Coconut oil as required
1 tsp mustard seeds
Few dry red chilli
Few sprigs of curry leaves
1 tsp crushed mustard
Method
Put the pineapple in a bowl, pour ½ cup water in it and add turmeric powder and salt to it. Keep it on flame for cooking. Meanwhile, in a mixie, grind grated coconut with dried chilli to a fine paste. Heat oil and add mustard seeds. When it crackles, add dry red chilli and curry leaves and the coconut paste. Add the boiled pineapple pieces to this. Make the gravy very thick and cover the pineapple pieces with the gravy. Add crushed mustard just before removing the curry from the flame.

9. Rasam - Rasam is a watery curry made of tomatoes, tamarind and spices. It is supposed to be very spicy and is quite healthy as it helps in digestion.
Ingredients
3-4 tbsps red gram dal (washed and cooked in pressure cooker)
4 tomatoes (finely chopped)
½ tsp garlic paste
1 piece ginger (finely chopped)
3 cups water
1 tsp garlic (grated)
2 green chillies (finely chopped)
1 tsp chilli powder
A pinch of turmeric powder
Salt to taste
Oil as required
A pinch of asafoetida
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 dry red chilli
Few sprigs of curry leaves
Few sprigs of coriander leaves (finely chopped)
Method
Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When they crackle, add curry leaves, dry red chilli and asafoetida. Add garlic, ginger, tomatoes and green chillies. Add salt, turmeric powder and chilli powder and 1 cup of water. Lower the flame and let it cook for 5 minutes. Then add the cooked dal to it and 2 cups of water. Let it boil. Garnish with coriander leaves.

10. Palada pradhaman - Palada pradhaman is a sweet dish which is a speciality of Onam festival
Ingredients
2 cups milk
1 cup water
½ cup condensed milk
1 tbsp butter
¼ cup ada
¼ cup sugar
Method
Put the ada in boiling water and let it boil. Keep it covered for half an hour. Drain the water from the ada completely. Heat butter in a pan and fry the ada till it becomes golden brown in colour. Keep it aside. Boil milk and water in a pan. Add the boiled ada and stir continuously, keeping the flame very low. Keep stirring till the milk has reduced to half its quantity. This dish takes almost one and a half hours to make. By the end of this time, it should be golden brown in colour. Add condensed milk to it and cook for 10 minutes. Add sugar and stir well. Switch off the gas and serve it warm.