As Malayalis celebrate Onam, a Keralite chef helps us decode what goes into the grand feast. Plus, our curated guide to the tastiest traditional fare around town
Representative Image
Every year, between August and September, Malayalis across the world are busy frying up batches of banana chips, simmering payasam and churning out erissery, avial, thoran, pachadi and dozens of other delicacies for a single meal — the grand Onam sadhya. Celebrated to welcome the homecoming of the mythical king Mahabali, Onam is characterised by the mammoth sadhya, which brings friends and family together. Home chef Ashwin Nair, who runs the delivery venture Aiyo, Patrao! with his wife Marian Dcosta, remembers being part of potluck sadhyas while spending the holidays in North Paravur. “The potluck is actually what’s usually practised in most Malayali households to share the load and bond over a celebratory meal. As I grew older, helping Amma prepare her side of the sadhya, as her sous chef, was exciting. This sparked off my love for food,” he reminisces.
Marian Dcosta and Ashwin Nair. Pics/Anurag Ahire
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Placement matters
Typically comprising 24 to 28 dishes or more, sadhya is served on plantain leaves, with the narrow end to the left and the broad end to the right — as most Indians are right-handed, shares Nair. The smaller items, such as upperi and achar, are placed on the narrow end, while vegetable preparations are served on the top-centre, and rice towards the bottom for easy access to mixing without a mess. “The payasam occupies the bottom right space, indicating the last course, but there are other variations while serving this course — in one’s cupped palms or in a glass. Once the meal is over, the leaf is folded towards the diner, which indicates contentment, while the other way hints at a scope for improvement,” Nair reveals.
Balancing act
Despite being a multi-course meal, sadhya is a balance of six fundamental flavours — sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent — guided by principles rooted in Ayurveda, the home chef explains. Each dish is served in controlled portions for a wholesome, balanced meal. “Eating with your hands reportedly triggers your senses and digestive enzymes to form a ‘food connection’, creating an enjoyable experience. Eating on a banana leaf also has its benefits, as it’s rich in antioxidants,” Nair notes. The meal is centred around seasonal vegetables that cater to various nutritional requirements,
he summarises.
Salt
Kaya upperi and sharkara varatti: Crispy raw banana chips and another variant fried in coconut oil and coated in jaggery powder
Inji pulli and manga achar: Sweet, sour and spicy, inji pulli is a concoction of ginger, tamarind, chillies and jaggery that aids digestion, while manga achar is a Malayali raw mango pickle seasoned with assorted spices
Avial: A medley of seasonal veggies such as yams, drumsticks, raw banana, beans, carrots and more
Cabbage thoran: A stir-fry of cabbage along with coconut
Olan: A delicate preparation of red and white pumpkin with red gram and coconut milk
Erissery: Pumpkin, vanpayar or red gram in a coconut paste, with fried coconut tadka
Mambazha pulissery: Adds a touch of tanginess as mangoes are prepared with coconut, spices and curd
Pazham or banana
Papadam: Thin crisp papad made of lentil dough to pack some crunch
Sambar-ney choru: Orange lentil and mixed vegetable curry with ghee, shallots and tamarind; ghee rice
Buttermilk
Pal payasam: Sweet ending with slow-cooked rice pudding
Feast away
Sneha Restaurant in Mahim is synonymous with Malayali fare in the city. Drop by for their mammoth sadhya.
At: 7A, plot 86, Mahim Shiv Sagar Cooperative Housing Society, Lady Jamshedji Road, Mahim.
Cost: Rs 500 for dine-in; Rs 550 for takeaway
Dive into a mini home-style Onam sadhya with sambar, beetroot pachadi, ada pradhaman and more in store.
At: The Tanjore Tiffin Room, Versova and Bandra.
Cost: Rs 650 plus taxes
Craving Kerala buff fry and parotta or prawn roast? Nair and Dcosta are hosting a home pop-up that promises adda.
On: September 10
Log on to: @aiyo.patrao
Cost: Rs 1,949 per person
Play Quiz: How well do you know the Onam festival?
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