Ever wondered what makes Onam so special for all of us across the country? You guessed it right. Apart from the festivities attached to it, it is the Onam sadhya, which literally means a feast or a banquet, and is something that we look forward to the most, not only in Kerala but across India. Although this year we may not be able to celebrate Onam with the usual pomp and show associated with it, we definitely don’t want that to dampen our spirits.
The festival of Onam marks the celebration of the annual homecoming of Kerala’s beloved mythological king, Mahabali, who was banished to the netherworld for his legendary benevolence. It is a much-awaited time of the year when Malayalis celebrate the memory of this compassionate Asura king who is believed to visit his subjects on the day of Onam. All over the world, the Malayali diaspora celebrates this festival with much pomp and fanfare, complete with intricate atthapookalam or flower carpets. Men and women dress up in the traditional kasavumundu and saree with respect to the most important meal of the day—the Onam sadhya.
The year 2020 has been marked for many wrong reasons and it has been especially bad for festivals so far since gathering people and eating food from outside are a big no this year. So this time, we are bringing the restaurants home to you with a few of the most delectable recipes for Onam, from some renowned chefs from across India, to make this festival really special.
Onam is as much about the passion of cooking each and every item with utmost love and care, as it is about eating them. The Onam sadhya is an elaborate feast served on a plantain leaf. The traditional sadhya is a vegetarian affair, comprising more than 22 dishes, starting with the uppu (salt), upperi (banana chips), sharkara peratti (jaggery-coated banana chips), pickles and pappadams, followed by the other dishes such as kaalan (yam and raw bananas in yoghurt curry), olan (ash gourd and red beans in coconut milk), rice, and so on, ending on a sweet note with two varieties of payasams (kheer).
A TRADITIONAL ONAM SADHYA SERVING
There is a specific place for each item on the plantain leaf. For example, the pickles are served on the top left corner and the banana on the bottom left corner.
Let us now get on with the recipes from some renowned chefs and restaurant owners!
RAW MANGO AND COCONUT CURRY
It’s a twist to the traditional Pachadi, by Chef Nishant Choubey, who is a Corporate Chef with Seinan Group, Tokyo, and Consulting Chef with Michelin plated Indus Bangkok.
Ingredients
• 2 raw mangoes
• 4-5 drumsticks
• ½ cup of grated coconut
• 1 cup of coconut milk
• Coconut oil
• Turmeric powder
• A pinch of asafoetida
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 5-7 dried red chillies
• A handful of curry leaves
Method
• Cut 2 raw mangoes with their skin and seeds, marinate with some turmeric powder, salt, grated jaggery and 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, and keep it in the fridge.
• Take 4-5 drumsticks and cut them into equal-sized pieces.
• In a pressure cooker, boil them until the 2nd or 3rd whistle or till they are done. Strain them out and keep them separately.
• Broil or dry roast whole coriander seeds and dried red chillies till you can smell their aroma. Keep them aside and let them cool.
• Dry roast the grated coconut next, and keep it aside to cool.
• Blend everything with a bit of water to make a fine paste.
• Take a pan and heat it up.
• Add coconut oil, asafoetida (hing), black mustard seeds and a handful of curry leaves. Let these splutter.
• Add the marinated raw mango and cook for 4 to 5 minutes.
• Add the finely ground masala paste and cook till the oil leaves the masala.
• Add water and cover till the raw mango softens. Add the boiled drumsticks at this point.
• Finish off by adding coconut milk and some fresh curry leaves.
CUCUMBER PACHADI
This delicacy is being prepared by Chef Tarun Sibal, who is the co-founder of award-winning restaurants like Titlie in Goa, Café Staywoke in Gurugram and Street Storyss in Bengaluru.
Ingredients
• 1 cucumber big (kakkarikka)
• 3/4 cup grated coconut
• 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp chopped ginger
• 2 green chillies
• 1/2 cup yoghurt
• 1/4 tsp cumin (jeera) powder
• 4 to 5 curry leaves
• Salt – as needed
• To Temper
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 3 dried red chillies
• Chef’s touch – chopped watermelon
Method
• Wash and peel the skin of the cucumber. Grate it to fine shreds. Add some salt and mix well. Keep for 5 minutes.
• In a mixer, grind the coconut, green chilli, ginger and mustard seeds to a smooth paste. Add in the yoghurt and mix well.
• Drain the salt water from the shredded cucumber and add the coconut-yoghurt paste. Mix well. Sprinkle jeera powder and curry leaves, mixing them properly.
• Heat oil and add mustard seeds. Let it crackle and add dried red chillies and curry leaves. Pour this onto the Pachadi.
• Add chopped watermelon for tweaking the Pachadi and adding a new layer of flavour!
• Tip: Make sure that the Pachadi is not watery but of a slightly thick consistency.
MOONG DAL PAAYASAM
This delicacy is being made by Chef Rachna Desai. Chef Desai is the owner of Chateau de Pondicherry.
Ingredients
• 150 gms of yellow moong daal
• 100 gms of jaggery
• Ghee
• Coconut milk (thin)
• Cashew nuts
• Cardamom powder
Method
• Take 150 gm of yel – low moongdaal and soak for 5 minutes.
• Boil it in an open pan till it’s done. Reduce the water almost fully.
• Take the thick cooked moong daal and add the jaggery. Mix it into the daal till it gets dissolved.
• Then add thin coconut milk to the daal mix and heat it a little. Take care that the mix remains thin and does not turn thick.
• Now take a tadka pan and add ghee.
• Once the ghee is hot, add finely chopped pieces of cashew nuts, finely chopped coconut, and also a pinch of cardamom powder.
• Add the tadka to the moong daal mix, and your payasam is ready to serve.
We hope you enjoy these recipes and have a very special Onam this year with your loved ones. Stay home, stay safe!
BEETROOT PACHADI
This culinary delight is being prepared by Chef Sheikh at Savya Rasa.
Ingredients
• 200 gm of beetroot
• 10 gm of green chillies
• 1 coconut, grated
• ¼ tsp fenugreek powder
• 25 gm shallots
• 5 gms red chilli powder
• Salt to taste
• Oil
• 1 tsp of mustard seeds
• A sprig of curry leaves
• 2 cups of curd/yoghurt
Method:
• Clean and cut the vegetables and cook or fry them separately.
• Heat oil in a pan until mustard seeds splutter. Then add the red chillies, sliced shallots and curry leaves and sauté well till shallots turn translucent.
• Add the cooked vegetables and toss it well. Turn off the flame.
• Add the beaten curd, salt and fenugreek powder to the cooked mixture and mix well.
Anurima Roy is a publishing professional, marketeer and editor who writes on the food and alchobev industries.
