Onasadhya or onamsadya (The Meals) is the most favorite and delicious part of the Onam festival. It is considered the most elaborate and grand meal prepared for any festival in the world.
There will be 11 essential dishes for Onasadya. Number of dishes may go upto 13. Earlier, Onasaya used to be even more elaborate than depicted above. There were about 64 mandatory dishes - eight varieties each of the eight dishes. At that time three banana leaves were served one under the other to accommodate all the dishes.
Major items. Pappad or Pappadum, banana (can be 'Rasakadali', 'Poovan', 'Palayankodan'). - Salt, banana wafers, sarkarapuratti fries, ginger, lime and mango pickles, 'vellarika', 'pavakka', 'beetroot' and 'ulli kitchadi'. 'Kitchadi' made of pineapple and banana splits or of grapes and apple, 'cabbage thoran' or thoran made of beans and avial, bread and green peas mix 'thoran'', kootucurry, 'parippu curry, ghee, Sambhar, Rasam, butter milk, curd, adaprathaman Payasam, erissery, Kalan or Pulisseri, Olan, Mulakoshyam etc
Pappadam
A very thin flatbread made with lentil flour, often crisped by deep-frying or grilling.
Parippu:
Cheruparippu (moong dal) – 100 gm (approximately 1 cup)
Grated coconut – half of one coconut
Jeera – 1/2 tsp
Green chilli – 2-3
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Ghee/coconut oil – 2-3 tsp
Water – 1/2 ltr
Small onion – 3-4
Mustard seeds – a pinch
Red chilli – 2
Curry leaves
Salt
Grind together number 2 ingredients. Roast the moong dal in a heavy bottomed pan (without oil). Boil half a litre water and add the roasted dal to this. Cook till the dal is done. Mash it well or you can just run it in a food processor or blender for a few seconds. Add ground paste, salt and 1/2 – 1 cup water to the mashed dal and let it boil. Remove from heat.Heat oil/ghee in another pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add small onion, curry leaves and red chilli. Fry till small onion becomes golden brown. Pour over cooked dal. Serve with rice and pappad.
Puli Inji:
Ginger - peeled and cut into small pieces - 2 cups (250 gms)
Green chillies - 7 - 8 nos
Red chillies - 2
Red chilly powder - 1 tbsp
Tamarind paste - 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves - 1 strand
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds(Uluva) - A pinch
Sugar/Jaggery(Sharkkara) - 1 tsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Heat oil in a pan.Fry the chopped ginger, until brown.Remove the ginger into a plate and keep it aside.In the same oil, fry the green chillies and remove them too from the flame.In the same oil, add fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds red chilly and coriander leaves and let the mustards crackle.Add the fried ginger and the fried chillies along with the tamarind water so that all the ingredients are immersed in the liquid. Add sugar or jaggery and let the solution become very thick and viscous.
Vendakka Kichadi(Pachadi)
Ladies Finger – ¼ kg
Coconut grated – ½ coconut
Cumin – few
Garlic – 2-3
Ginger – a small piece
Mustard– some
Salt – to taste
Green chilly – 2-3
Curd – according to your requirement
Red dried chilly – 2 (cut in two pieces)
Curry leaves – 2 sprigs
Cook and fry it in a kadai and keep it aside. Cut the ladies finger in small round pieces. Grind coconut grated, cumin, garlic, ginger, green chilly and salt together.You could Grind them by pouring curd to it instead of water as this brings in more flavor.In a vessel, take some oil and once it is heated add some mustard seeds. When it pops add the dried red chilly to it and the curry leaves. Then add the coconut grinded mixture to it and once it is boiled add the ladies finger to it.
Vellarikka Pachidi
Cucumber(vellarikka) - 2 nos(finely chopped)
Curd/Yogurt – 1 1/2 cup
Mustard seeds – 1/2 to 1 tsp
Salt - As reqd
Water – As reqd
Grated Coconut – 1/2 cup
Green Chillies – 2 nos(slit)
Cumin seeds(Jeerakam) – 1/4 tsp
Oil – 1 tbsp
Dry red chillies – 4 nos
Curry leaves – A sprig
Remove the skin from the vellarikka and cut into small pieces.Cook the vellarikka with little water along with salt and green chillies.Grind together coconut, cumin seeds and little curd.Once the vellarikka pieces are cooked, add the ground coconut paste. Continue cooking in low flame for another 3 minutes and add the remaining curd and stir well till it becomes thick.Remove from the flame.Splutter mustard seeds and saute dry red chillies and curry leaves for a few minutes.Pour seasoning over the vellarikka pachadi.
Olan:
Ash Gourd - 100gm
Pumpkin - 100gm
Green Chillies - 4nos
Red Gram Dal - 1tbs (soaked in the water for about 6 hours)
Grated Coconut - 1/2quantity (Squeeze out 1/4cup of the milk from the coconut without adding water. Take one more cup of milk from the coconut)
Salt - to taste
Coconutoil - 1tbs
Curry leaves - 1sprig
Remove the covering of the ash gourd and pumpkin and cut it into small pieces.Cook the vegetables and red gram dal in water. Add enough salt and the green chillies. When it is done, add 1cup coconut milk and boil. When it thickens well, add 1/4cup coconut milk. Bring to a boil and remove from fire. Add 1tbs coconut oil and the curry leaves and mix well.
Erissery
VanPayaru/Red Beans – 1 Cup
Pumpkin (chopped into medium pieces) – 5 or 6 cups
Turmeric – 1/4 tsp
Salt – to taste
Water – as required
Grated Coconut – 1 cup
Turmeric Powder – A pinch
Garlic Cloves – 2
Jeera (Cumin) – 1/4 tsp
Green Chillies – 5 or 6
Pepper Powder – 1/4 tsp
Oil – 1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds – 1/2 tsp
Dry Red Chillies – 4
Curry Leaves – A sprig
Grated Coconut – 1/4 cup
Finely chopped Shallots (Kunjulli) – 4
Soak the red beans in water overnight or for atleast 4 hours.Grind the grated coconut and other ingredients to a smooth paste and keep aside.Pressure cook the red beans in water (add water so as to cover the beans) with 1/4 tsp turmeric powder and salt for around 15 minutes on medium heat. It should be half cooked and not mushy.Add the cubed pumpkin pieces and continue to pressure cook on medium flame for 2 more whistles.Open the lid and transfer the contents into a big pan. Mash the pumpkin pieces with a spatula. You can leave a few chunky pieces if you like.Add the ground coconut paste and cook for 5-7 minutes on medium heat.Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. Saute shallots, dry red chillies and curry leaves.Reduce heat, add 1/4 cup of grated coconut and roast for a few minutes till brown. Be careful not to burn it.Pour the seasoning over the curry and gently mix everything.
Avial
Elephant yam (Chena) - 1/4
Cucumber (Vellarika) -1/2
String beans - 25g
Carrot - 2
Raw banana- 1
Drumstick - 2
Snake gourd (Padavalanga) - 1/2
Salt As required
Coconut -1 cup
Shallot -4
Green chilly- 2
Chilly powder -1 tsp
Turmeric powder -1/2 tsp
Cumin powder -1/4 tsp
Curd -2tbsp
Curry leaves 2 stem
Coconut oil 1 tablespoon
Wash all the vegetables and cut into 2 inch long pieces.Add required water and salt and cook.Grind ingredients Coconut 1 cup , Shallot 4 , Green chilly 2 , Chilly powder 1 teaspoon , Turmeric powder ½ teaspoon, Cumin powder ¼ teaspoon coarsely.Add this to the cooked vegetables. When cooked properly add curd and curry leaves and mix well.Add coconut oil and remove from fire.
Carrot beans thoran
chopped beans-1/2 cup
grated carrot-1/2 cup
grated coconut-1/4cup
garlic-2-3
green chillies-2
turmeric powder-1/4tsp
mustard seeds-1tsp
A few curry leaves
Salt to taste
Grind coconut ,green chilly, turmeric pwd and garlic.Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds.When the mustard seeds crackle, add the dry red chillies and curry leaves.Then add the chopped beans, grated carrot, salt and turmeric powder.Add a little water, cover and cook.Once the vegetables are cooked, add coconut paste and fry for just a few minutes.
Kovakka Mezhkkupuatti
Kovakka/Tindoras-2 cups-sliced thin, lengthwise.
Redchillies-2
Shallots/Small Onions-7-8 nos
Garlic- 2 flakes
Coconut Oil- A tbsp
Curry Leaves- a sprig
Mustard seeds-for seasoning-1/4 tsp
Salt- to taste
Wash the vegetable.Cut off the tips. . Pulse the onions, red chillies and garlic in the mixie for not more than 5-10 seconds or crush them coarse using a hand mortar. Heat oil in a non-stick pan, splutter mustard seeds, sauté crushed onion- garlic- chilly mixture till raw smell disappears, for a few seconds.Throw in curry leaves. Add the vegetable and mix well so as to get coated with the spices. Keep the pan open, on a medium flame, tossing well, once in three minutes.Remove from fire when they are roasted or acquire a golden brown hue, here and there.This would take 20 minutes time, more or less. Remove from fire and serve hot with rice.
Pullisherry
Cucumber - 1 medium size
Curd (Yogurt) - 3 Tbsps
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Red chillie powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt as per taste
Oil - 1 Tbsp
Shallots - 3
Dried Red chillie - 2
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - a bunch
GratedCoconut - 4 Tbsps
Cumin seeds - 1tsp
Shallots - 3
Green chillie - 1
Peel and cut the cucumber into small pieces and boil it in a pan with enough water and salt till it gets cooked.Put the ingredients for the gravy in a mixer and grind it into a smooth paste. Add the paste from the mixer to the cooked cucumber along ith the turmeric powder and red chillie powder and boil it for a few minutes.Keep stirring in between. Switch off the heat and add the beaten curd to it. Stir it for a few minutes. The Pulisherry can be now transferred to a serving bowl. In a separate pan add oil and put the mustard seeds. Once it starts sputtering , add the shallots (finely chopped) , fenugreek seeds, curry leaves and dried red chillies.Saute them for a minute without getting them burnt. Get it from the pan and add on the top of Pulisherry.
Sambhar
Red gram(Thuvaraparippu) – As reqd
Shallots/Red onions(Kunjulli) – 5-6
Drumstick(Muringakkai) – 2 nos
Carrots – 2 nos Potatoes (medium) – 2 nos
Cucumber– 1/4
snake gourd-1/4
Elephant yam -1/4
Tomatoes – 2 nos
Lady’s finger(Vendakkai) – 10 nos
Fenugreek seeds(Uluva) – A pinch
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Cumin seeds(Jeerakam) – A pinch
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Sambhar powder(optional)
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Salt – As reqd
oil - 1 tsp
Tamarind water-1/4 cup or as required
Coriander leaves – A bunch
Cook the red gram in a pressure cooker along with ¼ tsp turmeric powder, a pinch of salt and the reqd qty of water.Heat a pan and splutter mustard seeds, fenugreek and jeera.)Add onions and sauté for a while till they become very light golden in colour.Add coriander powder, chilly powder and turmeric powder along with a tsp of sambhar powder which is optional.Saute till the raw smell goes.Add the vegetables along with some water. Stir well.Add the tamarind water .Close the pan and cook the vegetables.Add salt as required.Once the vegetables are cooked, add the cooked red gram or dal and mix well.Add little water and bring to a boil or till the required consistency is reached.Finally, add coriander leaves .Serve hot with idly or dosa or even with rice.
Rasam
Tomato 1
Tamarind paste 1tps
Garlic 2 pods
Dry red pepper 1
Curry leaves 4-5
Cilantro 2tsp
Asaefoetida
Mustard 1tsp
Salt to taste
Grind whole pepper, toor dhal, and cumin seeds. Cut the tomatoes and make into a paste. Mash the garlic with a whisk.Add 1 cup of water to the tomato paste and mix well. Add the tamarind paste, grinded items, garlic’s, a pinch of asaefoetida and salt. Cook them for about 10-15 mins. Don’t allow them to boil, turn off the heat once the form appears.Meanwhile heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Let mustard and cumin seeds splutter, add the dry red pepper and curry leaves. Pour it over the tomatoes. Now add some cilantros for the aromatic rasam.
PalPayasam:
Broken Rice - 1/2 cup
Milk - 4 cup
Condensed Milk - 200gm (around 1/2 a tin)
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Cashew Nuts - a handful
Raisins - a handful
Pressure cook rice with 2 cup milk, Sugar and wait for one whistle. You could cook rice without the cooker as well.. Add the rest of the milk and Condensed milk and keep stiring. Bring it to a boil and turn off the stove. In another pan, heat ghee and fry raisins and cashews in it. Garnish the payasam with this fried nuts and raisins.
