12 Onam Delicacies That Every Non-Keralite Should Try Once

Onam is a Hindu festival celebrated in the Malayalam month of Kerala called Chingam (August – September). Onam is a harvest festival, but the most beautiful fact about it is that it is a secular festival, celebrated by people of all religions and castes. It is a 10-day festival with the first and last days being very important. Onam is about 10 days of feasting followed by traditional boat races, singing, dancing and merriment, with a lot of joy and vigour.

All over the state of Kerala, festive rituals, traditional cuisine, dance, and music mark this harvest and auspicious festival. But more than that, the different types of food made during these 10 days play an imperative role. Sadhya (meaning banquet in Malayalam) is the term used for various vegetarian dishes that constitute Onam. Here are some dishes that are hallmarks for this festival:

1. Avial

This is a thick mixture of coconut and vegetables that uses coconut oil and curry leaves for seasoning. The vegetables used in this dish are brinjal, cucumber, elephant yam, carrots, beans, bitter gourd. It is generally eaten with rice.

 

2. Pachadi

Pachadi is also a traditional Kerala recipe. This uses vegetables or fruits like cucumber or pineapple which is cooked using yoghurt or coconut paste. The taste enhancers are grounded coconut, cumin and green chilly. Slurp!

 

3. Puliyinchi

Puliyinchii is an indispensable part of every Onam Sadhya. It is a hot and sour sauce made by simmering fried ginger (inji), in jaggery and tamarind (puli) sauce. Some Keralites prefer this as chutney and some as a thick paste.

 

4. Payasam

This is like Kheer but the only difference is made of boiled rice or dal or wheat, to which people add jaggery and coconut milk. It is also flavoured with spices.

 

5. Sharkara Upperi

This is jaggery coated banana chips.

 

6. Parippu Curry

Parippu is made with lentils (dal). This is the first dish of ONASADYA. This is teamed up with pappad and a teaspoon of ghee. This doesn’t use coconut.

 

7. Thoran

This dish is dry and it is a combination of finely chopped vegetables such as such as yardlong bean, unripe jackfruit, bitter gourd. The chopped vegetable is mixed together with grated coconut, mustard seeds, curry leaves and turmeric powder and briefly stirred on a pan over high flames.

 

8. Kaalan

This is made of yoghurt, coconut and one vegetable. It is very thick and sourer than Avial.

 

9. Olan

This dish is very tasty. It is prepared from a white gourd, coconut milk, ginger seasoned with coconut oil.

 

10. Koottu Curry

It is a yellowish dish that has one or two vegetables and banana and coconut and has a hot and sweet taste.

 

11. Pulisserry

Also called Moru curry. It is a simple curd based dish yellow in colour.  It is usually prepared by adding ash gourd or papaya or cucumber.

 

12. Inji Thayir

This is a mixture of yoghurt, ginger and red chillies.

Okay bye! I am so going to try these out now. Looks so yum.

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