The traditional Onasadhya is a recommended treat to your taste buds -- sumptuous preparations made from rice, coconut, milk and assorted veggies are served on a banana leaf.
After a filling Onam meal, try resisting a generous helping of the yummy ada prathaman. We bet, you'll end up asking for more...
Onasadhya or Onam lunch / Photograph: Jenna /Creative Commons
Onam is the harvest festival of Kerala.
It celebrates the homecoming of legendary King Mahabali.
This year the ten-day long festival which commenced on Attham (August 29) will culminate on Avittam (September 8)
The festival is incomplete without the Onasadhya -- the traditional Onam feast and the Kaikottikali -- a form of folk dance where women dance in a circle and sing traditional Onam songs. (Read all about it here!)
For those who have never tried the feast, here are some simple recipes you can try making this Onam weekend.
Sambaar
Photograph: Divya Nair/Rediff.com
Ingredients
- 250 gms toor dal
- 3 drumsticks
- 250 gms ash gourd
- 100 gms red pumpkin
- 100 gms okra (ladyfingers)
- 2 potatoes
- 2 brinjals
- 2 tomatoes
- 50 gms tamarind paste
- 1 pinch asafoetida
- 25 gms coriander seeds
- 10 red chillies
- 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 50 gms shallots
- 50 gms onion
- 1/2 cup grated coconut
- 5 curry leaves
Method
- Pressure-cook toor dal with salt till it's completely cooked.
- In a frying pan, heat two tablespoons of cooking oil.
- Fry the grated coconut, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, red chillies, shallots and onions separately and keep aside to cool.
- Grind the above ingredients into a mixture of semi-thick consistency.
- Dice all vegetables (you may add ash gourd, red pumpkin, okra, potatoes, brinjal) except the tomatoes and empty them into a vessel.
- Add two cups of water, salt and turmeric and cook the vegetables for five-seven minutes.
- When they are semi-cooked, add the chopped tomatoes.
- After a while, add tamarind paste.
- When it comes to a boil, add the toor dal and mix well.
- Next, add the ground paste of grated coconut, chillies and onions.
- Stir well and wait till it comes to a boil. Simmer the flame.
- To garnish, in a separate pan heat some coconut oil, add mustard seeds and curry leaves.
- When they splutter, add sambaar and serve hot with idlis, dosas or rice.
Avial
Ingredients
- 250 gms ash gourd
- 250 gms red pumpkin
- 100 gms pointed gourd (parwal)
- 100 gms beans
- 100 gms carrot
- 100 gms yams
- 100 gms raw banana (medium-sized)
- 100 gms black-eyed peas
- 2 drumsticks
- 2 cups grated coconut
- 10 green chillies
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 4 tbsps coconut oil
- 1 cup curd
- Salt to taste
- Curry leaves
Method
- Grind the grated coconut and green chillies into a coarse mixture. Keep this aside.
- Cut all vegetables along their length into one and a half inch pieces.
- In a deep vessel, pour two cups of water and steam-cook the vegetables along with the peas.
- Add turmeric powder and salt to taste.
- When the vegetables are half-cooked, add curd.
- When the mixture comes to a boil, add the coarsely ground paste of grated coconut and green chillies and cook for two minutes. Mix well.
- To garnish, in a small pan, heat two tablespoons of coconut oil and add the curry leaves.
- Garnish the curry with curry leaves and add two tablespoons of coconut oil.
- Serve hot with rice.
Kaalan
Photograph: Rameshng/Wikimedia Commons
Ingredients
- 1 cup grated coconut
- 25 gms pepper
- 10 gms jeera
- 1 kg yam cut into 1 inch cubes
- 100 gm plain yoghurt
- 1 tablespoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 4-5 red chillies
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 4-5 curry leaves
Method
- Grind the coconut, pepper and jeera into a fine paste.
- In an aluminium vessel, heat two glasses of water.
- Add the yam cubes and turmeric and cook it on slow fire for about 10 minutes or more till the cubes become tender.
- Add the finely ground coconut paste and stir well. Cook it on slow fire for about a minute.
- Beat the yoghurt well to avoid lumps and add it to the above mixture.
- Continue cooking on slow fire for about two to three minutes.
- For garnishing, in a separate pan, heat one tablespoon coconut oil.
- Add mustard seeds, curry leaves and red chillies and saute.
- Add this to the main preparation and serve hot with rice/roti.
Pulissery
Photograph: Ks.mini/Wikimedia Commons
Ingredients
- 2 ripe mangoes (optional)
- 250 gms red pumpkin (diced)
- 250 gms ash gourd (diced)
- 1 tabespoon turmeric powder
- 1 tablespoon red chilli powder
- 1 cup grated coconut
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp jeera
- 1 cup sweetened yoghurt
- 50 gms jaggery
- 4-5 curry leaves
- 4-5 red chillies
Method
- Grind the coconut, mustard seeds and jeera into a fine paste.
- In an aluminium vessel, heat two glasses of water.
- Add red pumpkin, ash gourd, turmeric powder and red chilli powder. Cook for about five minutes.
- Add sweetened yoghurt and jaggery and stir for about a minute.
- Take it off the fire.
- For garnishing, give a tadka of mustard seeds, red chillies and curry leaves in coconut oil.
- Serve hot with rice or roti.
Erissery
Ingredients
- 2 cups grated coconut
- 1 teaspoon jeera
- 250 gms tuar dal
- 250 gms red pumpkin (diced)
- 2 tsp turmeric powder
- 3 tsp chilli powder
- Salt to taste
Method
- Steam cook tuar dal by adding 1 1/2 glass of water.
- After it is cooked, add red pumpkin, turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt. Cook on low flame for about five minutes.
- Meanwhile, grind coconut and jeera into a fine paste.
- Add this to the main mixture and cook for about five minutes.
- Garnish it with a tadka of mustard seeds, curry leaves and red chillies.
- Serve hot with rice or roti.
Narangya Curry (Lime Pickle)
Ingredients
- 1/2 kg big sized lemon 1/2 inch diced
- 2 tbs salt
- 1 tbs chilli powder
- 1/2 tbs turmeric powder
- 2 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1 tsp asafoetida
Method
- In a pan, heat asafoetida and fenugreek seeds on a low flame for about two minutes.
- Grind it well in a grinder and keep it aside.
- In a glass bowl, take the lemon and season it with salt and keep aside for about five to ten minutes.
- Add turmeric and chilly powder and mix them well.
- Add the ground mixture of asafoetida and fenugreek seeds and mix well.
- Garnish it with a tadka of mustard seeds and red chillies.
- Serve with rice, dosa, idli or roti.
Important Tip: Never store the pickle in a silver, copper or steel container.
Ada Pradhaman
Photograph: Divya Nair/Rediff.com
Ingredients
- 500 gms ada (broken rice)
- 4l milk
- 1 kg sugar
- 10 cashewnuts
- 10 raisins
Method
- Wash ada thoroughly and soak in hot water for half an hour.
- In a deep vessel, heat a litre of the milk and add ada to it.
- Cook the ada for about 40-45 minutes.
- Keep stirring from time to time to avoid formation of lumps.
- As the ada gets cooked, the consistency will get thicker. Add milk and keep stirring till the ada is cooked.
- Once the ada is fully cooked, add sugar.
- Add the rest of the milk and stir well till colour of milk changes to pale yellow.
- Add cardamom powder and simmer the flame.
- In a separate pan, heat some ghee and fry the dry fruits.
- Garnish with dry fruits and serve hot.
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