Sadya Onam special recipes

Onam feast - Onam food - Onasadya

The sadya, Onam special recipes of Kerala, are prepared to celebrate the harvest festival, Onam, in Kerala.. It is celebrated generally in the Malayalam month of Chingam, that falls in August or September. It is a main regional festival of Kerala.

Onam is celebrated to commemorate the return of King Mahabali, who was a beloved ruler of his people. This festival is a ten days celebration and many tourists, Indians from other states and foreigners visit Kerala during the festival.

The 10 days Onam celebration.

This festival is celebrated for ten days and the tenth day, the Thiru Onam is the most important.

Kerala People, living in other places visit their homes to celebrate with their families. A onam feast is prepared to celebrate the family reunion with King Mahabali.

Know more about Onam festival of Kerala

A special meal is prepared in his honor and served to the family and friends. The meal is served on a long banana leaf. It consistes of rice, curries, pickles, chutney, payasam, puddings.

Every Indian festival has it own special menu. Onam is no exception. Onam festival food is always vegetarian. It is served on a banana leaf and is eaten with fingers. No fork or spoon is used. There is also a particular order in which the dishes are served.

Onam vegetarian food plater is called Sadya / sadhya or onasadya and it is made on the most important day of the festival 'thiruonam'.

Onasadya or the onam feast includes the traditional kerala dishes that have been prepared for many years in Malayalee homes on onam festival day. It consists of rich flavored vegetable curries, sweets and other special dishes such as paalpayasam, white khichdi, puliinchi(ginger curry), chutneys etc.

Onasadhya or onam feast consists of eleven to 28 dishes. That is celebration, isn't it?

Coconut is a must in Kerala cuisine. And the onam festival food has grated coconut or coconut milk in all the dishes and is seasoned with coconut oil.

Sadya - Onam Food - Onam Feast - Onasadya includes the dishes such as

Erissery - Prepared with pumpkin / redbeans / raw bananas / yam.

Kalan or Pulisseri - This is a buttermilk curry with sliced plantains and yams, ash gourd, cucumber etc.

Olan - prepared from sliced cucumber and brinjal and some pulses such as black beans is added.

Aviyal - This is kind of a mixed vegetable curry with tamarind or yogurt as a souring agent and flavered with coconut oil and curry leaves.

Thoran - Stir fried vegetables such as beetroot, greens, cheera (amaranth) etc.

Mulakoshyam - Kind of dal curry Koottukari - curry with a variety of vegetables and chana dal / bengal gram.

Sambar - is a must in any celebration of south India. made with toovar dal and a variety of vegetables like brinjal, drum-sticks, etc.

Rasam - This is another favorite inSouth India, served with plain rice.

Payasam - sweets and desserts variety. semiya payasam, 'Pal Payasam' made with rice, milk and sugar, parappu payasam etc.

Prathaman There is a whole variety of Prathamans such as ata, pazham, parippu(lentils such as moong dal) and palata prathamans.

Pachadi - curd / yogurt and pineapple dish.

Beverages - cumin and ginger boiled in water is very good for digestion after the delicious onasadya.

Upperi or Chips - loved by everyone, made with various things like raw bananas (kaaya), yam (chena), jack fruit (chakka), bitter gourd (pavayka) and egg plant fruit (vazhuthanga), thin slices fried in coconut oil.

Pickles / Achaar - Pickles made from mango, lemon, ginger, chillies etc.

Pappads - Pappadam - crispy lentil rounds. These are prepared from black grams and are fried in oil.

Fruits - mainly plantains / banana varieties.

Related Pages to visit:

Festival Food Recipes

Onam festival of Kerala

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Diwali recipes

Raksha bandhan recipes

Pongal - Makar Sankranti Festival Recipes