Onam Special:10 Best Onam Recipes

10 Best Onam Recipes

NDTV Cooks, Modified: September 06, 2014 21:06 IST

It's that time of the year again when festivities and food take over and everything else comes to a standstill. Onam, the 10-day harvest festival that celebrates the homecoming of the mythical King Mahabali has a lot to offer. Apart from fresh flower decorations and power-packed boat races, the highlight of the festival is an elaborate meal called the Onam Sadya. (More: All about Onam)

Sadya, which in Malayalam means 'banquet' is a sensational multi-course vegetarian meal that features over 24 dishes on a banana leaf.  It's enjoyed without the help of cutlery and is usually eaten while sitting on the floor. (More: Why people eat with their hands in Kerala)

The usual items on the menu include: Kaaya varuthatha (banana chips), chena varuthatha (yam chips), sarkara upperi (Jaggery coated banana chips), mango pickle, lime pickle, puli inji (tamarind & ginger chutney), kichadi (Gourd in mildly spiced yoghurt), pachadi (Pineapple in yoghurt) , olan ( ash gourd with black beans in a coconut milk gravy), stir-fried vegetables with grated coconut, theeyal (mixed vegetable gravy), erissery (mashed beans and pumpkin with coconut gravy), avial, puliserry(yogurt based curry), kootu curry (black chickpeas curry), sambar, rasam, spicy buttermilk, bananas,papad and of course boiled rice.

Now how can you get your very own Onam meal? We dug into our treasure trove and found 10 easy peasy recipes you can whip up at home to give your family their very own customized Onam Sadya.

Erissery  - Recipe by Ambili Kurian

This is a gorgeous and mildly-spiced mix of grated coconut mixed with pumpkin, garlic and green chillis. It's tempered with a beautiful blend of mustard seeds, chillis and crisp curry leaves.

Pulissery - Recipe by Ambili Kurian

A simple and popular side dish made with ash gourd, pappaya or cucumber and a yogurt based gravy.

Thenga Choru - Recipe by Kishore D Reddy

Give the usual every-day rice a coconut-y spin with some tasty coconut rice.

Pachadi - Recipe by Ritesh Venu

A light and smashing blend of coconut, curd and pineapple combined with fiery chillies and spices.


Avial - Recipe by Joey Matthew

A delicious dish that uses potato, carrots, raw banana, drumstick, beans and a small piece of raw mango. It's served on a bed of Kerala rice that you'd want to dig into right away!

Paal Payasam - Recipe by Kishore D Reddy

A good meal isn't complete without a smashing dessert and payasam gives you just that.  A typicalsadya has four different kinds of payasam but why don't we start with just one brilliant one.


Rasam - Recipe by Kishore D Reddy

With lots of pepper and tomatoes, rasam with its thin consistency is a real hit with any South-Indian meal. Try it out and you'll know why.

Kadala Curry - Recipe by Niru Gupta

A curry packed with black chana and smooth gravy, this one is a real winner!

Kalan Kerala Curry - Recipe by Niru Gupta

An easy breezy curry prepared using buttermilk, mustard seeds, coconut and raw bananas.

Ulli Theeyal - Recipe by Chef Bala Subramanian

A Kerala delicacy made with shallots or tiny onions cooked in a roasted coconut gravy.

Other Links:

The grand Onam feast losing its charm?

Chennai's fine dining restaurants plan special Onam feast 

All about Onam Sadhya - The grand feast

Celebrating Onam with food in New Delhi

Kerala readies for a 'pricey' Onam 

Why People Eat With Their Hands in Kerala

The Taste of Kerala

Coconut pluckers in Kerala act pricey

The Latest Street Food Craze in Kerala

Kerala Prepares for Onam Festivities