The harvest festival of Onam is celebrated in Kerala to commemorate the homecoming of the mythical King Mahabali. To highlight this festival, Onam Sadhya, a banquet of over 24 delicious vegetarian dishes is prepared and devoured on a banana leaf. Now while the usual items include Kaaya varuthatha (banana chips), sarkara upperi (Jaggery coated banana chips), olan ( ash gourd with black beans) and theeyal (mixed vegetable gravy) to name a few. If you wish to rustle up a last-minute Onam feast, then you can prepare these 7 key dishes to celebrate the iconic harvest festival in style.
1. Erissery
This is a delicious mildly -spiced dish prepared from grated coconut, pumpkin, garlic and green chillies. This is then tempered with a lovely blend of crisp curry leaves, chillies and mustard seeds. Erissery is the perfect dish to tantalise your tastebuds and add that extra zest to your Onam Sadhya.
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2. Pachadi
Pachadi might be a side dish, but the minute you taste it, trust me, it will surely blow your mind. It’s sweet, sour and spicy all at the same time. Prepared with coconut, gourd vegetable and curd, this side dish has the potential to leave all the main dishes aside. Pachadi with its fresh ingredients, spices and chillies will leave you longing for more.
3. Avial
Avial is the food of the Gods. In fact, it even has its roots in the Indian epic, Mahabharata. The story goes that when Bhima went incognito as the cook Vallala, the king Virat had more guests than expected on a certain day. In a hurry, Bhima created an interesting concoction of leftover veggies, added coconut gravy and boiled the mixture in curd. And voila! The avial came into existence. Avial has potato, carrot, drumsticks, beans and many more veggies. It’s perfect comfort food that you can tuck into during Onam.
4. Injipuli
No Onam Sadhya is complete without the good old Injipuli. This curry is prepared with ginger, tamarind and jaggery. In most Malayali households, injipuli is prepared in the days leading to the 10th day of Onam. It’s sweet, sour and pungent and goes well with anything.
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5. Kuthari Choru Or Red Rice
The aroma and softness of red boiled rice or kuthari choru is just unmatched. It gives any meal a wholesomeness that you might not find with white rice. So if you truly want to prepare a last-minute Sadhya at home, kuthari choru or red rice must grace your plates during Onam. And if you haven’t tasted this yet, you don’t know what you’re missing out on.
6. Sambhar
Sambhar lovers, prepare a delicious spicy Sambhar loaded with carrots, yam, beans, drumsticks, potatoes and lots of veggies this Onam. You can also prepare a quick rasam if you don’t have time to make Sambhar. But more importantly, don’t forget to add oodles of love into it. Pair it with red rice and top it with ghee for the perfect Onam Sadhya. Here are 12 South Indian dishes apart from Sambhar that you must try.
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7. Paal Payasam
To end your Onam feast on a sweet note, prepare the Pal Payasam. This lip-smacking dessert is prepared during auspicious occasions. It’s known for its rich flavour and creamy texture. Prepared with rice, cooked in full-fat milk and sweetened with sugar, it is befitting for a feast.
So, these are some of the key dishes that you must prepare for a quick-last minute Onam feast. Most importantly, don’t forget to have a wonderful time with your loves ones. Wish you a very Happy Onam!