Onam Sadya: Eating out of kerala’s hand

Kaanam Vittum Onam Unnanam. In Malayalam, it means that one must have the Onam feast, even if it means selling your property. The adage doesn’t even begin to capture the absolute craze the 10-day harvest festival from Kerala that kicked off yesterday, has come to drive. In the recent years, Onam fervour and the culinary legacy associated with the festival, which celebrates the homecoming of the beloved king Mahabali, have grown across India, with more restaurants, pop-ups and home chefs taking the Onam Sadhya to a greater diversity of gourmands.

The platter

Sadhya features rice, curries, pickles and desserts such as sambharam (spicy buttermilk), parippu (lentil curry, often made with moong dal), inji curry (ginger-based curry with jaggery and tamarind), thoran (stir-fry made with beans, carrots and cabbage), avial (local vegetables tossed in a paste of coconut), mezhukkupuratti (stir-fried long beans), payasam (pudding) among other dishes.

A kingly feast, for everyone

“We have been putting together a sadhya meal since 2001,” says Solomon, chef at Dakshin, Sheraton, New Delhi. “It used to be a three-day affair but owing to its increasing popularity, we have started curating two meals (lunch and dinner) from 20th to 31st August. There is also a takeaway,” adds the chef, whose childhood memories of Onam include feasting with his friends and watching the snake boat races.

At Padmanabham, Delhi, pookkalam (floral rangolis) and a cutout installation of king Mahabali will bring alive an authentic ardour for the festival. “Every dish we offer carries with it the essence of age-old recipes that have been passed down the generations,” shares chef RS Sujeevan, who recalls childhood memories of Sadhya: bringing out the first meal for King Mahabali in a room. “No one was allowed to enter for half an hour, as it is believed that he himself comes to relish it,” he says.

It helps that the sadhya is prepared without onion and garlic. Partaking of an Onam sadhya is a lot about ceremony, however, and the rising interest also owes itself to that. The arrangement of the dishes follows a salty-to-sweet order. The right hand is used for eating the meal, as you go about mixing curries and dishes with rice using your fingers (however, one must avoid licking them). “Once you’ve finished eating, fold the banana leaf towards you. This signifies you have enjoyed the meal and are satisfied,” says Sukesh Kanchan, executive chef, Sana-Di-Ge, Delhi.

For Onam, staff at the Renaissance Bengaluru Race Course Hotel staff dress up in festive attire and the décor reflects traditional aesthetics. “On the menu, we have panakam (sweet drink) to start with. We’re also serving traditional matta rice (red rice from the state) with curries. We’ve also set-up a live appam station to serve hot hoppers teamed with a vegetable stew,” says Somasundram Gopalakrishnan, executive chef.

The fever has spread even to places that specialise in North Indian cuisines. For instance, Kebab Korner, InterContinental Marine Drive, Mumbai, has curated a Sadhya menu. “The tradition has grown after the pandemic, since the lockdown brought people from diverse cultures together. We started serving Sadhya last year,” says Kushkant Tripathi, food and beverage head.