Onam was celebrated as a unique and memorable family event in the Venugopals' cosy home in Mumbai for many years.
All the Venugopals would gather, in appropriate finery, on Thiruvonam, the final day, and Gouri Venugopal would laboriously cook up a special banana-leaf sadhya of eight to 10 dishes, at least, in honour of King Mahabali.
It would include: Sambar, Avial (a vegetable curry), a stew or Olan, an erissery (a thick coconut curry), a Pachadi or raita, around two types of thorans (sauteed vegetables), Puliyenji (imli or tamarind relish), cut mango pickle, Papadams, banana chips, jaggery banana chips and one or two versions of Payasam.
In 2009, she and her husband, V Venugopal, retired to Kerala, to his village of Kavalappara, near Shoranur, in Palakkad district; she hails from Ottappalam, hardly 10 km away. The rhythm of their lives changed completely. They moved into a typical Kerala home, built along traditional lines, and Gouri loved puttering around their garden.
She also fed a whole flock of stray cats generous portions of fish (though she is a vegetarian) when the fishwallah came by on his scooter, loudly hawking it with a peculiar call; the sound of his voice attracted the feline hordes to her gate. More fish was also frozen for future feeds.
Celebrations of Onam over there gained a new flavour too. It was celebrated in her husband's ancestral home nearby, and his brother, sister, their families, and other relatives feasted together. Gouri's sons and daughter Durga and the spouses, children, could not make it to Kerala for Onam because of school/college routines, although an exclusive, out-of-Onam-season sadhya was always organised in May for their granddaughter Maya's birthday.
Gouri does not prepare grand sadhyas for Onam these days, because she is on her own and has a lot of work maintaining their plot, looking after the drumstick, curry leaf, papaya, banana trees.
And growing her vegetables -- okra or lady's fingers, chawli beans, green chillies, eggplant or brinjal, suran (elephant foot yam), pumpkin, tomatoes, turmeric, leafy vegetables like spinach, lal math -- with the help of old garden hands Kumari and Chami.
And then there are the cats who need attention. Sadhyas are now reserved for when the family visits.
Whenever Gouri is/was preparing a sadhya meal for the family, or for Onam, one of the must-have items is Pumpkin Olan, made from either white or yellow pumpkin (also called ash gourd) with black-eyed beans or chawli. Says daughter Durga about this preparation: "It's very simple, but I love her Olan."
Also on the menu were various little side dishes. Durga explains: "The add-ons really provide the flavour and are yummy. I love Puliyenji especially."
One of the regularly-featured sides is yoghurt-based Aayiaram or 1,000 Curry, which, in its simplicity, apparently is the equivalent of a 1,000 curries, hence the sort of tongue-in-cheek name. And then there's much-enjoyed relish Puliyenji, made from tamarind and ginger.
Gouri shares these recipes, so go ahead try them and get in the Onam mood.
Happy Onam Dear Readers!
Pumpkin Olan
Serves: 3 to 4
Ingredients
- 500 gm tender red pumpkin, skin still green or tender white pumpkin, peeled, cut into small cubes.
- 1 coconut, cut into pieces
- 1½ cups hot water
- 2-3 green chillies, slit lengthwise
- 2 sprigs curry leaves
- 2 to 3 tsp coconut oil
- Salt to taste, about 1 tsp
Method
- In a mixer/blender, grind the coconut pieces without any water or as little water as possible, so the first milk, or the first press, extracted is rich and creamy.
Strain or press through a sieve and keep this thick first milk aside. - Return the ground coconut (used coconut meat) to the mixer and grind with about 1½ cups hot water and strain or press through a sieve and keep aside this second milk or second press.
Discard the coconut meat. - In a saucepan or kadhai, over medium heat, boil the cubed pumpkin with the second thinner coconut milk, green chillies, salt.
Once the pumpkin is cooked (it doesn't take much time), add the first thicker coconut milk or first press coconut milk.
After the Olan becomes hot and is just beginning to boil, take off heat.
It shouldn't boil for more than a second or two as the milk can split.
Add the curry leaves and pour the coconut oil on the top and cover. - Let it sit a few minutes and then serve.
Gouri's Note: If making the Olan with tender red pumpkin, you can add black-eyed beans or chawli. Pressure cook, beforehand, ½ a cup of soaked chawli. Add it while cooking the pumpkin in the second coconut milk.
Aayiaram or 1,000 Curry
Serves: 2 to 3
Ingredients
- 200-300 gm thick yoghurt, not sour at all
- 2 to 3 green chillies, finely chopped
- 1-inch piece ginger, peeled, finely chopped
- Dash salt
- Handful green dhaniya or coriander leaves or cilantro, finely chopped, optional
Method
- In a bowl, whisk, or using an old-fashioned churner (mathani), whip the yoghurt till smooth and there are no lumps.
Add the green chillies, ginger, salt and mix. - Add the coriander leaves, mix well and serve.
Puliyenji
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients
- 2 balls (each 1½ inches in diameter ie the size of 2 limes) imli or puli or tamarind
- Warm water
- 2 to 3 green chillies, finely chopped
- 1-inch piece ginger, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp til or sesame oil
- Salt to taste, about ½ tsp
- Pinch haldi or turmeric
- 2 tbsp grated jaggery or 2 cubes (cubed jaggery is available in South Indian grocery stores)
- 1 tsp rai or mustard seeds
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 2 to 3 dried red chillies, slit
Method
- Soak the tamarind in a little warm water for about 30 minutes or more.
Sieve and extract the pulp.
Add the water carefully so that the pulp does not end up too thick nor too watery.
Keep the pulp aside. - Re-soak the tamarind in a little more warm water and sieve again, keeping the pulp and discarding the seeds and fibrous part.
- In a small frying pan or small saucepan, heat the til oil over low heat.
Add the ginger, chillies and saute till light brown, and then add the tamarind pulp.
Add the salt, turmeric powder and bring to a boil over medium heat.
Turn the heat down and simmer for a few minutes till the consistency is just right; not too thick but not watery either.
Add the jaggery.
Once it melts, take off heat and keep aside. - In a small frying pan or tempering pan, heat the coconut oil over medium heat and add the mustard seeds, curry leaves, slit dried red chillies and fry for 30 to 60 seconds, allowing the rai to crackle.
Pour the tempering into the imli-jaggery mixture. - Serve in small quantities with the meal and store the balance in the fridge; it will stay good for several days.
