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

The Onam sadhya is a traditional, lavish vegetarian feast that epitomizes the spirit of abundance during Kerala's harvest festival. Served on a banana leaf and eaten by hand, the dish consists of various dishes that bring together contrasting flavours and textures. Onam is observed during the first month of the Malayalam calendar, a time when the celebration transcends religious boundaries in Kerala and Malayali communities worldwide.

The Onam festival reaches its peak on Thiruvonam, the most significant day of the event, which falls on August 26 this year.

Onam sadhya's essence lies in the delicate balance of flavours and textures, with sweet, sour, salty, spicy, bitter, and savory elements harmoniously mingling on the leaf. The dish can range from a relatively simple version containing fewer than ten dishes to a more elaborate affair featuring thirty or more dishes. Brand executive chef Sandeep Ail of Punjab Grill UAE, who serves a thirty-plus-course sadhya, describes the significance of this feast as the balance of flavours, the order of the meal, and the sense of togetherness that defines Onam.

The dish commences with crunchy elements like pappadam, thin and crisp wafers made from black gram flour, which can be crushed over rice, lentils, and ghee to add textural contrast. Nendran chips or kaya varuthathu are thinly sliced raw Nendran plantains fried in coconut oil, providing a salty crunch. Sharkara upperi, another banana preparation, is fried and coated in jaggery flavoured with dry ginger and cardamom, offering a sweet and mildly spiced crunch.

Pickles and palate sharpeners like kadu manga, a raw mango pickle that introduces acidity and heat, and naranga achar, a tangy lemon pickle, are added to enhance the taste profile. Inji puli, or inji curry, a complex condiment made with ginger, tamarind, and jaggery, offers a sweet, sour, hot, and pungent taste, refreshing the palate between other dishes.

Cooling and tangy dishes, such as pachadi, combine vegetables or fruit with yogurt and coconut, typically featuring a vibrant beetroot pachadi in Ali's version. Pineapple pulissery, a coconut and yogurt gravy with cooked pineapple, offers a unique sweetness, acidity, and gentle spice.