Intricately-created pookalams.
The excitement of the Snake Boat Race.
The unique Kaikottikali dance.
These are some of the wonderful imagery associated with Onam, the 10-day harvest festival of Kerala, celebrating the homecoming of the legendary King Mahabali.
As memorable is the delicious Onasadya on Thiruvonam, the tenth day.
Dressed in their onnakodi or new clothes on the last day, families partake of the nine-course Onasadya, that is typically served on a banana leaf.
Kaanam vittum Onam unnana which means: One must have an Onam lunch even if one has to sell one's property.
This multi-course vegetarian feast -- which may include choru or boiled rice, sambar, rasam, moru or buttermilk, banana chips, pappadam, lime pickle, inji puli or tamarind-ginger pickle and vegetable dishes like avial, thoran, olan, pachadi, kaalan, payasam -- with produce of the harvest season, is today, enjoyed not only by Malayalis in Kerala, but also, by gourmands across India.
Parippu Curry often features. Dubai-based Anju Kuriakose, who is behind Anju's Kitchen, provides its recipe.
Unlimited kinds of payasam are made. Chef Karan Manavalan of Chakos Kitchen and Bar, Goa, presents a recipe for payasam with bananas.
Photograph: Anju Kuriakose for Rediff
Parippu Curry
Recipe by Anju Kuriakose
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients
- ½ cup toor dal or pigeon peas
- 3-4 green chillies, slit lengthwise
- 2 cups water
For the masala:
- ½ cup grated coconut
- 3 pods garlic
- 4-5 tiny onions
- ¼ tsp jeera or cumin seeds
- ¼ tsp haldi or turmeric powder
- ¼ cup water
For the tempering:
- 2 tsp coconut oil
- ½ tsp rai or mustard seeds
- 2 whole red chillies
- Sprig curry leaves
- 2 tiny onions, sliced
Method
For the masala:
- Grind the masala ingredients with the water to a fine paste in a mixer/blender.
Keep aside.
For the dal:
- Wash and soak the dal for 2 hours.
- Drain the water and pressure cook in a cooker for 2 whistles along with the green chillies and water.
Let it cool and then open the cooker and transfer the cooked dal into another saucepan and mash it.
Add the ground masala to the cooked dal.
And cook over medium heat till the raw smell of the coconut paste disappears, about 5 minutes, and the mixture starts to boil.
Take off heat and keep aside.
For the tempering:
- Heat the oil in a small frying pan over medium heat.
Add the mustard seeds and let splutter.
Add the red chillies broken into half and add the sliced shallots and fry till golden.
Add in the curry leaves and take off heat and pour over the parippu.
- Serve the Parippu Curry with ghee and papad over hot rice.
Photograph: Chef Karan Manavalan for Rediff
Nendran Payasam
Recipe by Chef Karan Manavalan
Serves: 4-5
Ingredients
- 2 Kerala bananas, ripe with black and yellow skins
- 100 gm jaggery
- Few tbsp water
- 2-3 green elaichi or cardamom pods
- 400 ml fresh coconut milk
- 7-8 cashews
- Few fresh coconut pieces
- Few raisins
- 2 tbsp ghee
Method
For the bananas:
- Steam two ripe Kerala bananas in their skins in a steamer for about 6 minutes.
The bananas should look brown from the outside and bright yellow and gooey from the inside after steaming.
Peel the steamed bananas.
Mash and keep aside.
For the payasam:
- Toast the cardamom pods.
Then remove the black seeds of the cardamom, dispose of the husks.
Pound the black seeds to a powder and keep aside.
- Heat the jaggery in the water over medium heat in a Kerala urli or a small saucepan.
It should gain a syrup-like texture.
If you would like a more thin payasam texture, you can add more water.
Add in the mashed bananas and the cardamom.
Add the coconut milk gradually to the banana-jaggery mixture over low heat, so it doesn't split, stirring continuously.
Take off heat.
- Meanwhile, heat the ghee in a small frying pan and fry the cashews, coconut pieces, few raisins until lightly golden.
Take off heat and add as garnish over the payasam.
- Serve warm.