Onam: Here's a breakdown of the irresistible Onasadya
What's the story
Onam, one of the main festivals enjoyed in Kerala is famous for its pookalam (floral carpet), and wearing the traditional attires, typically saree or dhoti. However, Onam is also the time to enjoy the delectable sadya for lunch. This tasty meal includes a wide variety of dishes from Kerala. Here's a breakdown of the key dishes included in sadya.
Banana leaf
Sadya is served on a banana leaf
Unlike the usual thaalis that are served on a plate, sadya is served on a banana leaf. Placed horizontally, the dry dishes are mostly served on one half of the leaf while rice is served on the other half. Although the curries vary, a sadya usually consists of 26 - 28 dishes. Each of these dishes is significant in its own way.
Information
Onasadya - a balanced and nutritious meal
The sadya is considered a balanced and nutritious meal, which ensures proper digestion and optimum absorption of nutrients by the body. These age-old recipes have been passed through generations. The practice of eating on banana leaves irrespective of age or caste, symbolizes togetherness and unity.
Dry dishes
You can taste variety of dishes
The most known vegetable and coconut oil stir-fry dish is avial. Other traditional foods that are served on the banana leaf include pachadi (raita), kichadi (sour gravy with cucumbers), kootukari (sauted vegetables with grated coconut), and paavaka theeyal (bitter gourd curry). A sadya also has fried snacks served on it such as sharkara upperi (jaggery chips), kaaya varuthathu (banana chips) and pappadam (papad).
Curries
Exploring the curries served during sadya
A typical Kerala sadhya consists of a rice dish and two to three flavorful curries. The traditional dishes offered during Onam include parippu (dal), ulli theeyal (onion curry), pulissery (buttermilk curry and cucumber), and olan (ash gourd curry). However, rasam and sambhar are the two most popular dishes that are usually eaten by mixing with rice. Moru (buttermilk) is also served with sadya.
Dessert
Dessert includes mainly payasam and prathaman
There are a minimum of two desserts mostly. The desserts include payasam, a sweet liquid meal prepared with milk and vermicelli or semolina, and prathaman, a thick, sweet runny dish made with coconut milk and other ingredients. Prathaman can be made of various ingredients. You get a gothambu prathaman (made of wheat), ada prathaman (jaggery), pazha prathaman (banana). You also get served a banana.