The sky was overcast and the breeze was chillier than usual - the shift in the season was evident. The plan was to get the crisp white starched kasavu saris, with their broad golden borders out, and drape them neatly for the feast that I had been looking forward to for more than a month.
My friend Marina Balakrishnan had shared her plan to commence the Onam celebrations in Delhi this year with a specially-crafted pop-up that celebrates the best of the Onasadhya. Balakrishnan, who is widely known by her online persona of ‘That Thalaserry Girl’ on Instagram, is famous for her home-style vegetarian Kerala cuisine, which draws inspiration from her grandmother’s kitchen in Thalassery.
She collaborated with chef Vanshika Bhatia’s café OMO Soul Food Community in Gurugram for this two-day pop-up last weekend, where the café was turned into an Oottupura. I booked a seat for myself and my friends as missing this spread was not an option!
The banana leaves were laid out on the community tables that were arranged for this elaborate 27-item feast. Beautiful ornate flowers adorned the tables along with bowls of Injipulli (ginger chutney) and Naranga Achar (spicy lemon pickle) — which are integral components of the sadhya.
The guests were served a home-style sadhya specially cooked by Balakrishnan and the team at OMO, which offered Upperi (salted banana chips), Sharkara Varatti (jaggery chips), Pineapple Curry, Parippu with ghee (yellow daal), Sambar, Olan (pumpkin curry), Pulissery (a dish of pumpkin and yoghurt), Erissery (a mix of pumpkin and lobia), Avial (mix vegetable), Choru (rice), Kaalan (raw banana curry), Moru (buttermilk), Rasam, Pachadi (mix vegetable raita), and Pappadam (crackers).
Onam is the annual harvest festival of Kerala that spans 10 days, with Thiru Onam being the most important day of them all. It is believed that King Mahabali visits the homes of his people on this day, hence, the elaborate pookalams - and the feast that is called Onam sadhya, or Onasadhya. Irrespective of religion, Onam is celebrated across Kerala with faith, love and food at its centre.
Recently, Arun Kumar T.R, a filmmaker-turned-chef, and now author, launched his book Feast On A Leaf: The Onam Sadhya Cookbook, which is an insight into the festival of Onam and the culinary culture that surrounds it. Through his book, he tries to make the sadhya accessible to everyone with even options like a vegan sadhya.
He writes about the meal in Feast On A Leaf, ‘there is science and a little bit of Ayurveda involved’– the meal is said to balance six flavour profiles: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent. Kumar also points out how there is no one sadhya, as every home and community has their way of preparing it. I recall home-chef Rekha Natarajan sharing, “Traditionally Onam sadhyas were centred around families — extended families, having an elaborate festive meal together and that’s how even now most families celebrate in Kerala even today.”
While Balakrishnan kicked off the Onam celebrations in Delhi-NCR, there are multiple Onam sadhyas planned across the city over this week which one can partake in. At Café Lota, which is housed inside the National Crafts Museum & Hastkala Academy, there is a 10-day Onam celebration that ends this Sunday, while chef Ruchira Hoon is hosting a 22-item feast at Café April in Greater Kailash this Saturday. Also, the chefs at the famed Dakshin in Sheraton, New Delhi, have curated a special Onam sadhya to keep up with the decades of traditions.
At the end of the day, the charm of the sadhya lies in its community dining experience. It is a place where friends and family come together and share a hearty meal, every year. While social media may have brought our worlds perennially closer, there’s no denying that the joy of a unified community meal never goes amiss. With this, and with bespoke Onam experiences coming to every corner of Delhi-NCR, it’s safe to say that our festive season is well and truly underway.
Vernika Awal is a food writer who is known for her research-based articles through her blog ‘Delectable Reveries’
(The writer’s views are personal)