What's in an Onam sadhya? From avial to payasam, all the dishes explained

Onam sadhya, a lavish vegetarian feast, is a defining culinary experience of Kerala's harvest festival, Onam. Served on a banana leaf, it can incorporate as many as 30 dishes, combining various flavors and textures in a harmonious balance. Each ingredient contributes to the overall appeal, from crunchy snacks to tangy condiments.

Notable dishes include pappadam, a thin, crisp wafer made from black gram flour; nendran chips, raw Nendran plantains fried in coconut oil; and sharkara upperi, fried chunks of banana coated in jaggery-topped with dry ginger and cardamom. Pickles such as kadu manga, made from raw mango, and naranga achar, a lemon pickle, add necessary acidity and heat.

Condiments like inji puli or inji curry, a complex mixture of ginger, tamarind, and jaggery, help refresh the palate. Cooling dishes include pachadi, a blend of vegetables or fruit with yogurt and coconut, and pineapple pulissery, cooked with coconut and yogurt. The vegetable heart of the feast includes avial, a vegetable mixture cooked with coconut and cumin, and thoran, a dry vegetable medley often using amaranth leaves or cabbage.

The meal concludes with soothing dishes like olan, an ash gourd and cowpeas simmered in coconut milk, and kalan, yam and raw plantain cooked in a thick yogurt and coconut gravy. Each element contributes to the essence of abundance and togetherness that defines this joyous Kerala celebration.