CHENNAI: Onam is here, and amidst our shopping and drawing plans for elaborate pookalams, we also have our Sadhyas, which are no less elaborate. Of course, nothing beats the elation of having a Sadhya homemade, since it takes a whole group to put this together — and Onam is about togetherness. And yet, there’s always room for innovation within each dish. Team CE went scouting for recipes that add a touch of contemporary to tradition.
1. Papaya Pachadi
Kamala Anand (@kamala_anand)
Ingredients
Ripe papaya roughly chopped: 2 cups , Turmeric: 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder: 3/4-1 tsp
Coconut oil: 1 tsp
Salt: to taste
Curry leaves: a few
Water for cooking: 1 cup
Grated coconut: 1/2-3/4 cup
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1/4 tsp,
coarsely ground
Curd: 1/2-3/4 cup
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds or fenugreek powder: a pinch
Red chillies: 1-2, broken
Method
Grind the cumin seeds to a smooth paste using a little water.
To a pan, add papaya, turmeric, chilli powder, curry leaves, coconut oil and a cup of water. Let them cook on medium flame.
The papaya should be cooked until the water has evaporated; later, mash the papaya roughly using a potato masher.
Add the ground coconut paste and the coarsely ground mustard. Mix well and cook on a small flame till the raw smell of coconut is gone.
Add salt and turn off the stove. Allow the curry to cool down, but let it remain mildly warm.
Now add the curd. Mix well and add some sugar /jaggery to adjust the sourness of the curd (optional). Cook for another few seconds in a small flame. Take care not to boil the curry. It should be warm.
Finally, garnish the curry with mustard, split red chillies, add a pinch of Fenugreek seed/powder, and curry leaves in a tablespoon of coconut oil.
2. Strawberry payasam
Priya Shiva (@priyakitchenette)
Ingredients
Basmati rice: 4 tbsp
Strawberries: 10-12
Whole cream milk: 2 cups
Sugar: 1/2 cup
Rose essence: 1 tsp
Crushed pistachios and almonds: 3 tbsp
Method
Clean and soak rice in some water for one hour. Drain completely and grind the rice to a coarse paste.
Grind and strain six strawberries with water. Heat milk in a thick-bottomed pan. When it starts boiling, lower the flame and add the rice paste.
Add strawberry juice when the rice is almost cooked and let it thicken.
Add sugar now and cook on low flame. Keep stirring till it thickens. Add rose essence and stir it.
Transfer the content to a serving bowl and refrigerate. Garnish with some chopped strawberries and crushed nuts.
3. Jackfruit Payasam
Meenakshi Padmanabhan (@houseofpayasams)
Ingredients
Jackfruit: 10-12 long pieces
Jaggery: 1 kg
Coconut milk: of 1.5 coconuts
Coconut slices and cashew crushed for garnish
Method
Stew the jackfruit pieces on low heat until it becomes a thick paste. Add jaggery and bring to a boil (takes 4-5 hours) to get to the base paste which is known as chakka varatti. Do not add sugar, only jaggery.
Once the chakka varatti is ready, add coconut milk and bring to a boil. The trick is to use the first extract and second extract of coconut milk to get a creamy payasam.
Garnish the end product with roasted coconut and cashew nuts.
4. Tomato Mor Curry
Priya Shiva (@priyakitchenette)
Ingredients
Tomatoes: 2
Curd: 1 cup
Green chillies: 2
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
Fresh grated coconut: 1/2 cup
Mustard Seeds: 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds: 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves: 1 sprig
Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp
Coconut oil: 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Method
Clean and chop tomatoes into equal pieces. Boil in half a cup of water for two minutes.
Grind coconut, green chillies, and cumin seeds with a little water to make a smooth paste.
Blend curd with one cup of water well to make buttermilk.
Add the ground paste, turmeric powder, buttermilk, and tomatoes to a pan. Mix well and bring it to the boiling point.
When it starts boiling, add salt to taste, mix well and remove from flame.
In a small frying pan, add oil and mustard seeds.
When mustard seeds splutter, add fenugreek seeds and curry leaves. Fry for a few seconds and add this to the curry.
-Compiled by Diya Maria George, Nikhil Jayakrishnan, Sahana Iyer