HYDERABAD: Onam Sadhya is a traditional feast that is an integral part of the Onam festival. It is often enjoyed with family and friends, promoting a sense of unity and togetherness. Onam Sadhya is not only a culinary delight but also a cultural symbol that represents the rich heritage of Kerala and its emphasis on hospitality and community bonding. It’s a time for people to come together, celebrate, and enjoy the festive spirit. Although a typical Onam Sadhya includes around 20-30 items served on a plantain leaf, here are a few basic recipes shared by culinary expert and food curator, Gita Iyer. You can cook these dishes at home easily.
Avial
Ingredients
Carrot 50 gms|Beans 50 gms| Drumstick30 gms | White pumpkin 50 gms| Raw banana 50 gms| Yam 50 gms | Grated coconut80 gms | Yoghurt 40 gms| Green chilli 2 - 3 | Curry leaves
a sprig| Coconut oil 40 ml | Turmeric powder ½ tsp | Salt to taste
Method
● Cut all the vegetables into 1-inch-long strips
● Boil all the vegetables just right (do not overcook or undercooked) with turmeric and salt.
● Grind chilli and coconut coarsely
● Once the vegetables are boiled, retain the vegetables with some water in which the vegetables were boiled
● Add the paste to the boiled vegetables and cook for some time
● Introduce beaten curd, stir and switch off the burner
● Add salt and drizzle coconut oil from the top. Garnish with curry leaves and serve lukewarm
Paruppu Vadai
Ingredients:
Chana dal 1 cup | Urud dal | ¼ cup| Tuvar dal ¼ cup| Red and green chillies 3 each| Hing powder ¼ tsp| Curry leaves a sprig| Salt to taste|Oil for frying
Method:
● Wash and soak the dals for 2 to 3 hours
● Coarsely grind dals, chillies and hing with very little water
● Mix in onion slices, salt and curry leaves
● Heat oil in a deep pan
● Take a lemon-sized portion of the dal mixture on the palm
● Flatten it lightly and gently introduce it to the oil
● You can fry, 4 to 5 vadais at a time, till golden brown
● Serve with chutney or sauce
Spinach Koottu
Ingredients:
Spinach 1 bunch (blanched) | Onion 2 chopped | Tomato 2 chopped | Moong dal 1 cup | Turmeric ½ tsp | Salt to taste
Tempering: Oil 2 tsp, Mustard seeds, Jeera, whole red chillies
Method:
● Soak moong dal. Coarsely grind blanched spinach
● In a pan, cook spinach, moong dal, onion and tomatoes with 2 glasses of water
● Tip in turmeric. Cook till done
● Add salt. Adjust the water to get a semi-solid consistency and bring it to a boil
● Temper with the tempering ingredients
Rajeshwari Puthalapattu
“Rakshabandhan is an Indian festival celebrating the bond between brothers and sisters. Mythology and Indian history have many stories related to this festival. Goddess Lakshmi ties an auspicious thread to King Bali to protect her against demons. Draupadi ties a strand of cloth taken from her saree on lord Krishna’s wrist to heal his cut, later he promises to save her in times of distress. Queen Karavathi ties this magical thread around the wrist of King Humayun asking him for protection. It’s a beautiful festival of love, affection and protection between siblings,” says food consultant, Rajeshwari Puthalapattu.
Ingredients:
Ripe jackfruit 5 | Yellow split moong dal 1 cup | Grated jaggery 1/4cup | Ghee 1/4cup | Fresh coconut scrapped 4 tsp
Method:
● Remove the seed and make a pulp of jackfruit
● Dry roast yellow split dal on low flame till it releases a pleasant aroma for two minutes
● In a thick-bottomed pan add a tablespoon of ghee and when heated add roasted moong dal. Add 2 and 1/2 cups of warm water and cook till dal is completely mashed
● Now add the pulp of jackfruit and grated jaggery to the dal and mix well
● Add another spoonful of ghee at this stage
● Now add the scrapped coconut and mix well add remaining ghee and cook till the ghee releases the edges of the kadai
Strawberry Rose Sheera
Ingredients
Strawberry pulp 1/4 cup | Bombay rawa 1 cup | Sugar 1/2 cup | Rose essence 1/4tsp | Water 2 cups | Ghee 4tsp
Method:
● Roast rawa in 1tsp of ghee on low flame in a thick-bottomed kadai, roast till it leaves its rawness for 5 mins now remove it to a plate
● Heat 2 cups of water add roasted semolina to this and mix well without any lumps
● Now add strawberry pulp and mix well
● Add sugar and keep stirring so that no lumps are formed
● Cook till the sugar melts and mixes properly
● Now add rose essence and remaining ghee to this and mix well till the ghee leaves its edges
Sesame and Chocolate Ladoos
Ingredients:
Sesame 250gms | Jaggery 100gms | Chocolate powder 4tsp
Method:
● Dry roast sesame on low flame till it leaves its rawness
● Grate jaggery
● Powder the sesame seeds finely in a blender adding choco powder
● Take this sesame choco powder in a bowl, add jaggery, and mix well
● Now round them into balls
● These ladoos stay fresh for 10 days