{
  "id": 1402326,
  "title": "What's in an Onam sadhya? From avial to payasam, all the dishes explained",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/whats-in-an-onam-sadhya-from-avial-to-payasam-all-the-dishes-explained-1402326",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-17T02:01:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National Business",
    "slug": "the-national-business",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/lifestyle/2026/08/17/whats-in-an-onam-sadhya-from-avial-to-payasam-all-the-dishes-explained/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.\n\nNotable 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.\n\nCondiments 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.\n\nThe 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.",
  "summary": "Few meals celebrate abundance quite like an Onam sadhya. The elaborate vegetarian feast is one of the culinary highlights of Onam , Kerala's annual harvest festival. Served on a banana leaf and traditionally eaten by hand, it can bring together dozens of dishes in a single sitting, from crunchy banana chips and fiery pickles to vegetable ensembles, coconut-rich curries, rice, lentils and sweet…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National UAE",
        "title": "What's in an Onam sadhya? From avial to payasam, all the dishes explained",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/whats-in-an-onam-sadhya-from-avial-to-payasam-all-the-dishes-explained",
        "published": "2026-08-17T02:01:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}