A Guide to Onam Sadya Recipes by Food Blooger Aarthi

As the celebrations for one of the biggest festivals of Kerala begin, one thing is surely being prepared in every Malayali's house. This festival marks the start of the harvest festival in the state and to thank the motherland for the produce it yields, a feast is prepared. With many rituals performed during this 10-day fiesta, Onam Sadya or Onam Sadhya happens to be a significant one. Sadya is a traditional vegetarian feast that is served in a banana leaf, mostly during the time of lunch and it consists of 23 to 30 dishes. If you wish to prepare an Onam Sadya meal at your home, here is a guide to it by food blogger and recipe creator Aarthi Satheesh.

The main dish is plain boiled red rice, served along with other dishes collectively called Kootu which include curries like parippu, sambar, rasam, pulisseri and other like kaalan, avial, thoran, olan, pachadi, kichadi, koottukari, erissery, mango pickle, pulinji, naranga achaar (lime pickle), as well as papadam, plantain chips, sharkara upperi, banana, plain curd and buttermilk.  

Pre-preparation for the Sadya 

Coconut is one of the main ingredients and you need it in plenty. Crack open the coconut, remove the coconut meat using a knife or you can grate the coconut in the scraper. Transfer the coconut to a container and pop them in the fridge or freezer until required. You can even extract coconut milk and store it in the fridge for making payasam and pradhaman. 

Instant mango pickle, narthangai pachadi and puli inji are the most popular achaar served in Sadya. You can cook all these in advance and store them in the fridge. These three can be preserved in the fridge for up to 10 days. 

Narthangai Pacchadi Recipe 

Narthangai Pachadi is a sweet, spicy, slightly bitter condiment from the South. It is also known as narthangai pickle, citron pachadi which is popular in and around the south of India. 

Method

• Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Add in the tempering spices and let them sizzle for 10 to 30 seconds.
• Add in onions, and green chillies and sauté for 3 minutes. Add in turmeric powder and the chopped narthangai and mix well. Sauté this on medium-high heat for 10 minutes till the narthangai starts to cook down and shrink. 
• Now add in chilli powder, and coriander powder, and mix well. Pour in tamarind juice and cover the pressure cooker.
• Pressure cook for 1 whistle, let the pressure release by itself, open the cooker and check whether the Narthangai is cooked completely. Once the citron is cooked, add in salt and jaggery and mix well, cook this for another 5 to 10 mins until thickens. Once it gets thick, take it off the heat and allow it to cool completely. 
• Store in an air-tight glass jar in the fridge and use as needed. 

Mango Pachadi 

Mango Pachadi is a sweet and sour pachadi (pickle) made with mangoes which goes well with rice.

Ingredients 

Ripe Mangoes - 2 chopped finely

Turmeric powder / Manjal Podi -1 tsp

Curd -1 cup

Salt - to taste

Sugar - 2 tsp

For Grinding 

Coconut -1 cup

Cumin seeds/Jeerakam -1 tsp

Green chillies - 1

For Seasoning

Mustard seeds/Kaduku -1 tsp

Dry red chilli - 2

Curry leaves - 1 spring

Coconut oil - 1 tbsp

Method

• Grind coconut, green chillies and cumin seeds into a smooth paste.
• Peel and cut mangoes very finely.
• Take mangoes, salt, sugar and turmeric powder in a kadai.
• Pour in water and cook until the mangoes are completely cooked.
• Add in ground coconut paste and mix well. Simmer for 5 mins.
• Switch off the flame and let it cool down. Add in curd and mix well.
• To make seasoning, heat coconut oil. Add in mustard seeds and let it crackle.
• Now add in dry red chilli and curry leaves.
• Pour this over the pachadi and mix well.
• Serve with rice.

Puli Inji 

Puli Inji also known as inji puli, inji curry or puliyinchi is a popular Kerala-style ginger pickle made with ginger, green chillies, and spices cooked in a tamarind jaggery sauce to a thick jam-like consistency. 

Method

• Peel ginger skin using a peeler or a spoon. Once peeled, wash ginger really well to remove any dirt. Now use a grater to grate the ginger into fine shreds.
• Heat oil in a kadai or earthenware pot. Add in tempering spices and mix well. Let them sizzle in the oil.
• Add ginger and green chilli and mix well. Saute this for 4 to 5 minutes till it gets slightly brown. Add in salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder and stir fry for a few more minutes.
• Pour in tamarind pulp, ½ cup of water, jaggery and mix well. Bring it to a full boil, cover and cook on low flame for 10 minutes until it thickens. Once thickened, cool it completely. Store in an air-tight jar in the fridge.

Rice

Kerala red rice also known as Matta rice is traditionally used for this feast. 

Avial 

Avial is a thick stew, usually made with 13 vegetables. 

Ingredients 

Potato - 1 peeled and cut lengthwise

Carrot - 1 cut lengthwise

Beans - 6 cuts lengthwise

Raw Banana/Vazhakkai - 1 peeled and cut lengthwise

Brinjal - 1 cut lengthwise

Flat Beans - 6 cut lengthwise

Cucumber - ½ cup peeled and cut lengthwise

White Pumpkin - ½ cup cut lengthwise

Salt - to taste

Water - ½ cup

Thick Unsour Curd/Yogurt - 3 tbsp

For Grinding

Fresh Coconut - 1 cup grated

Green Chillies - 3 to 4

Cumin Seeds/Jeerakam - 2 tsp

Coconut Oil - 2 tbsp

Mustard Seeds/Kaduku - 1 tsp

Urad dal/Ulundu Paruppu - 1 tsp

Curry Leaves - a sprig

Method

• Take the grinding ingredients in a blender and make it into a coarse mix without adding any water.
• Take all vegetables in a thick kadai. Add salt and water. Give one mix. Cover and let it cook for 15 minutes.
• Once it is cooked, open the lid and evaporate the water left in the veggies.
• Once it is done, add the ground masala and mix well. Simmer it for 5 mins.
• Take the kadai off the heat add in curd and mix well.
• Now make the tempering by heating oil and frying mustard, urad dal and curry leaves. Pour this over the avial and mix well.
• Serve with rice.

Mambazha Pulissery

Mambazha pulissery also known as mango pulissery is made with ripe mangoes, coconut and yoghurt. This is a sweet and sour gravy that pairs well with Kerala red rice, thoran and puli inji. 

Method

• Cook together sliced mangoes, turmeric powder, chilli powder, green chilli and salt with 2 cups water. Bring it to a boil and let it simmer till the mangoes are cooked and reach a mushy consistency.
• Grind together coconut and cumin with 2-3 tbsp water to a smooth paste.
• Add the ground coconut paste to cooked mangoes and mix well. Let it cook for 5-7 minutes on low - medium flame. 
• Remove the pan from the fire (to avoid splitting/curdling) and gradually add yoghurt/buttermilk. Gently mix till no white traces are seen. Bring it back to the fire and cook on low flame for 5-6 minutes till steam comes from the back of the spoon. Do a taste test and add more salt and sugar if required.
• Heat oil in a small pan and crackle mustard seeds. Add curry leaves & dried red chilli. Fry for 1-2 mins and add to the curry.

Paruppu Rasam

Paruppu Rasam is a spicy curry made with cooked dal and flavoured with tomato, tamarind, rasam powder and a few other spices.

Ingredients 

• Tomatoes - 1 large chopped finely
• Green Chilli - 1 slit
• Toor Dal / Tuvaram paruppu - ½ cup cooked
• Tamarind Pulp - 2 tbsp
• Garlic - 5 cloves crushed
• Rasam Powder - 1 tbsp
• Salt - to taste
• Sugar - 1 tsp
• Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp finely chopped

For Seasoning 

• Oil - 1 tsp
• Mustard Seeds/Kaduku - 1 tsp
• Cumin Seeds/Jeerakam - 1 tsp
• Curry leaves - 1 sprig
• Asafoetida/Hing/Kaya Podi - ¼ tsp
• Dry Red Chilli - 1 broken

Method 

• Take oil in a saucepan, add in all the seasoning ingredients and fry them for 30 seconds.
• Now add in tomatoes and green chilli. Saute for a couple of minutes.
• Add in salt, sugar and rasam powder. Mix well.
• Add in water and tamarind pulp, crushed garlic cloves and mix well. Bring this to a boil.
• Now add in cooked dal and bring it to a boil.
• Once it reaches a boil, turn off the heat and add coriander leaves.
• Mix well and serve.

Pazham Pori

Pazham pori is a fritter made from Ripe bananas(Nendram pazham or ethapazham ) or plantain. 

Ingredients 

Ripe Plantain/Nendrapazham - 2

All Purpose Flour - ¾ cup

Sugar - 2½ tbsp

Baking Soda - ¼ tsp

Cardamom Powder - 1 tsp

Yellow Food Colouring -  ⅛ tsp

Water - as needed

Oil for Deep Frying

Method 

• Take sugar and water in a bowl and mix well so the sugar is melted.
• Add in flour, baking soda, cardamom powder and food colour and make it into a smooth thick batter.
• Heat oil for deep frying.
• Now peel some ripe bananas and cut them into thick rounds. Dip it into the batter. Drop it in hot oil and fry till golden brown.
• Drain and serve.

Moru Curry

Moru (yoghurt/buttermilk) curry is a yogurt-based curry tempered with spices. 

Method

• Whisk together curd with salt and water till smooth.
• Heat oil in a pan. Add in tempering ingredients and let them sizzle for a minute.
• Add in onions, green chillies, and ginger and saute till golden brown. Add in turmeric powder and mix well.
• Now turn off the flame, pour in the curd mixture and mix well.
• Add in coriander leaves and mix.
• Serve.

Erissery 

Erissery is a dish made with vanpayar (red cowpea), yam and coconut masala.

Ingredients 

Cow peas/Vanpayar /Thatta Payir/Karamani/Perum Payir - 1 cup

Elephant Yam/Chena Kilangu - 2 cup cubed

Salt - to taste

For Grinding

Coconut - 1 cup

Whole Pepper / Pepper Powder - 1 tsp

Chilli Powder - 2 tsp

Garlic - 3 cloves

Turmeric powder/Manjal podi - 1 tsp

For Tempering

Coconut Oil - 2 tbsp

Mustard Seeds / kaduku - 1 tsp

Urad dal / Ulundu - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - 1 spring

Method 

• Soak Cow peas overnight in lots of water. Drain the water and pressure cook it with some water for 3 whistles. Let it simmer for 5 minutes. Switch off the flame and let the pressure go all by itself. Remove and set aside.
• Now take cubed yam in a kadai and cover it with water. Add salt to it. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes till the yam is completely cooked.
• Add the cooked cowpeas to this and mix well.
• Now take the grinding ingredients in a mixer and make them into a fine paste.
• Pour this over the cooked yam and cowpeas and mix well.
• Let it simmer for 10 minutes.
• Now, to make the seasoning, heat oil and add mustard, urad dal and curry leaves in a small pan. Let it sizzle and crack.
• Pour this over the curry and mix well.
• Serve with rice.

Cabbage Poriyal

Cabbage Poriyal is a side dish that is made with cabbage and chilli powder.

Ingredients

Cabbage shredded - 3 cups

Oil - 1 tbsp

Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp

Urad dal - 1 tsp 

Asafoetida / Kaya Podi / Hing - a pinch

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Salt -  to taste

Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

Chilli Powder - 1 tsp 

Method

• Heat oil in a kadai. Add in mustard seeds, urad dal, asafoetida and curry leaves. Let them sizzle.
• Add in cabbage and salt and toss well. Cover and simmer on low heat till it is cooked.
• Now add in turmeric powder and mix well. Cook this for 5 minutes or so till it is wilted and completely cooked.
• Add in chilli powder and mix well.
• Serve.

Rice and Sago Kheer

Rice and Sago Kheer is a kheer made using sago, milk, and sugar. 

Ingredients 

Basmati Rice - ½ cup

Sago / Javarisi - ½ cup

Milk - ½ litre (add extra if the payasam gets thick)

Sugar - ½ cup

Condensed Milk / Milkmaid - 3 tbsp

Ghee - 1 tsp

Cashewnuts - 3 tbsp chopped

Cardamom Powder - 1 tsp

Method 

• Take basmati rice in a blender and powder them coarsely. Soak sago in water for 15 minutes.
• Heat milk in a saucepan and bring it to a boil, add in ground rice and sago.
• Keep stirring till the rice and sago are cooked. It will take around 15 minutes.
• Add in sugar and condensed milk and mix well. Simmer it and keep stirring for 5 minutes.
• Add in cardamom powder and mix well.
• Fry cashew nuts in ghee till it is golden, add it to payasam and mix well.
• Serve. 

Palada Payasam

Palada payasam is a popular Kerala dessert made with rice ada, sugar, and milk and is served during most cultural festivals. 

Ingredients 

Rice Ada - 200 gram

Milk -  2 litre

Sugar -  1 cup

Sugar (for Caramel) - 3 tbsp

Water - 1 litre

Method

• Start by reducing milk in the pressure cooker. For this take 2 litres of milk in a large pressure cooker, add 1 cup sugar and cover it with a lid. Cook on low-medium heat for 1 hour till it is reduced. This step makes the milk thicken and taste more milky. Set this aside till use.
• Meanwhile, cook the rice ada. Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Add in rice ada and cook for 6 to 8 minutes. It doesn’t have to be cooked completely because we are going to cook it in milk later. Strain the cooked ada in a strainer. Rinse under cold water to remove all the excess starch. Set aside.
• Now take the milk which we have reduced in the pressure cooker. You can make this in the same pressure cooker. Add the cooked rice ada into the milk and mix well.
• Cook this for a further 20 to 25 minutes till the rice ada is cooked completely and the milk has thickened even more.
• Now let’s change this payasam into pink palada payasam. We are going to make caramel. Take 3 tbsp sugar in a pan, and cook on medium-high heat till sugar starts to caramelize. You can swirl the pan but don’t stir it using a spoon. As you swirl the caramel, it will get smooth and flow. Now pour this caramel into the cooked payasam and mix well.
• Once the caramel is added, mix it really well. You can now see the payasam has turned into a pink shade. Cook for 10 more minutes. Switch off the flame and leave it to cool. As it cools the payasam will get even more thicker and creamier.