Recipes for Onam Sadhya. (Serves 8-10 people)

 

Some of the common food items prepared for an Onam Sadhya are listed below:

 

·        Sarkaravaratti

·        Inji Curry

·        Parippu Curry

·        Sambhar

·        Pulissery

·        Kichedy

·        Cabbage Thoran

·        Aviyal

·        Vermicelli (Saemiya) Payasam

·        Parippu (Cherupayar) Payasam

 

Preparation method for few of these dishes include seasoning:

Seasoning is done for added flavor. Heat some coconut oil or any refined oil in a shallow vessel, After the oil gets hot add the seasoning ingredients (Mustard, green chillies, curry leaves) and keep stirring till mustard seeds start splattering. Thereafter, add this seasoning to the recipe and mix it well.

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Sarkaravaratti

 

Ingredients:

 

Raw Bananas (plantain)           - 4

Jaggery (sharkara)                    - ¼ kg

Coconut or refined oil             - ½ kg (for frying)

Cardamom powder                  - ½ teaspoon

Dry Ginger powder (Chukku)  - 2 pinches

Rice flour                                 - 1 table spoon

Ghee                                        - 1 teaspoon

 

Method:

 

Remove skin from bananas and immerse in water. Heat oil in a shallow frying pan to the temperature required for deep-frying. Remove the bananas one by one form the water (after washing properly), cut them first longitudinally twice at right angles (to make them into 4 quarters) and then slice them into thick (about ¼ to ½ inch) pieces and deep fry the pieces without salt. When the pieces are crisp, remove them and spread them on a paper.

Dissolve the jaggery in ¼ cup of water and sieve to remove solid impurities. Boil the jaggery solution in a shallow vessel till it reaches one-thread consistency (ie. It is thick enough to draw out as one thread when tried with thumb and forefinger). Lower fire and add cardamom powder, dry ginger powder and ghee. Switch off the fire, add fried banana pieces and rice flour and mix thoroughly taking care not to break the crisp banana pieces. Cool and keep in airtight container.

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Inji Curry

 

Ingredients:

 

Ginger                                                 - ¼ kg.

Tamarind                                 - size of a lime.

Asafoetida (Kayam) powder    - ¼ teaspoon

Fenugreek (uluva) seeds          - ¼ teaspoon.

Coconut or any Refined oil      - 3 tablespoon

Salt                                          - to taste

Jaggery                                     - small piece (optional)

 

For Seasoning:

 

Coconut or any Refined oil      - 1 tablespoon.

Green Chillies                          - 2 cut into thin pieces

Red Chillies                             - 1 cut into two.

Mustard (kaduku) Seed                       - ¼ teaspoon.

Fenugreek seeds                      - ¼ teaspoon.

 

Method:

 

Peel and wash ginger and cut into thin round pieces. Fry in oil till crisp. Coarsely powder the crisp ginger pieces. Extract tamarind juice in ½ liter water and add into it the powdered ginger all the other powder ingredients as well as salt to taste. Boil till the mixture thickens and season. Add piece of Jaggery if required.

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Parippu Curry

 

Ingredients:

 

Moong Dhal                            - ¼ Kg..

Coconut                                   - ½ (to be grated)

Garlic                                      - 2 little pods.

Jeerakam                                  - ½ teaspoon

Curry leaves (Kariveppila)       - few

Salt                                          - to taste

Turmeric Powder                     - ½ teaspoon.

 

Method:

 

Fry the Dhal in low flame until the smell comes (4-5 mins & remove before color begins to change). Wash the fried Dhal and cook in water till it becomes smooth. Mash the Dhal and add salt. Grind finely the coconut gratings with garlic, Jeerakam, curry leaves and turmeric powder and add to the mashed Dhal. If required, add water so that it must have the consistency to pour into the rice. Boil it, remove from fire and add ghee.

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Sambhar

 

Ingredients:

 

Parippu (Toor Dhal)                - ½ Kg.

Coriander (cilantro) leaves      - few

Green Chillies                          - 5

Chilly powder                          - 2 table spoon

Coriander powder                    - 1½ table spoon

Curry Leaves (Kariveppila)     - few   

Asafoetedia (Kayam) powder  - ¾ teaspoon

Fenugreek powder                   - ¾ teaspoon

Salt                                          - to taste

Tamarind                                 - size of small lemon (soak in water & extract juice)

Turmeric Powder                     - ¼ teaspoon.

Vegetables (carrot, cucumber, ½ potato, small onion, eggplant, padavalanga and okra)

 

Method:

 

Pressure-cook the Dhal & mash. Add the vegetables with green chillies and salt  (Make sure you fry the Okra in little oil before adding). Add turmeric powder. When the vegetables are cooked add the tamarind juice. Mix red chilly, fenugreek, coriander and Asafoetedia powder into paste and add to the Dhal.  Let it boil till its cooked. Add coriander leaves before seasoning.

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Pulissery

 

Ingredients:

 

Yogurt                                     - 20 Oz

Cucumber or                            - 200 grams

Kumbalanga (white melon)    

Coconut                                   - 1 full (to be grated)

Chilly powder                          - ½ table spoon.

Jeerakam                                  - ¼ teaspoon

Curry leaves (Kariveppila)       - few   

Salt                                          - to taste

Green Chillies                          - 5

Turmeric Powder         - ¼ teaspoon.

 

 For Seasoning:

 

Coconut or any refined oil       - ½ tablespoon

Red Chillies                             - 1 cut into halves.

Mustard Seed                           - ¼ teaspoon.

Fenugreek seeds                      - ¼ teaspoon.

Curry leaves (Kariveppila)       - few   

Method:

 

Cook the vegetables with turmeric powder, chilly powder, curry leaves in water. Add salt. Now add the smoothly ground coconut, Jeerakam, green chillies and curry leaves and heat, but do not allow to boil. Turn off the stove let it remain for 5 mins. Add the yogurt and stir well. Then season it. While seasoning add few fenugreek seeds too. (Take caution not to blacken the fenugreek seed).

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Kichedy

 

Ingredients:

 

Cucumber or Kumbalanga       - ¼ kg

Green Chillies                          - 8

Grated Coconut                       - 2 tablespoon.

Yogurt                                     - 2 tea cups.

Mustard Seeds                         - ¼ teaspoon.

 

For Seasoning:

 

Coconut or any refined oil       - ¼ tablespoon.

Red Chillies                             - 1 cut into pieces.

Mustard                                   - ¼ teaspoon.

Curry leaves (Kariveppila)       - few   

 

Method:

 

Cut cucumber or Kumbalanga into (¼ inch wide and ½ inch long) pieces and cook in a covered pan with salt (add little water if needed). Grind smoothly grated coconut and green chillies. Then add mustard seeds and few curry leaves & grind coarsely. Mix with curd and salt and add to cooked vegetables. Add salt to taste and heat in low flame for 2 minutes, but do not boil. Then season and garnish over the curry.

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Cabbage Thoran

 

Ingredients:

 

Cabbage                                   - ¼ kg

Savala (Red Onion)                 - 1 (cut fine)

Turmeric Powder                     - ¼ teaspoon

Chilly Powder                          - 1 teaspoon

Garlic                                      - 2 pods

Jeerakam                                  - a pinch

Grated Coconut                       - ½ coconut.

Curry leaves (Kariveppila)       - few   

Salt                                          - to taste

For Seasoning:

 

Coconut or any refined oil       - 2 tablespoon.

Black gram (Urud) Dhal          - 1 teaspoon.

Red Chillies                             - 1 cut into pieces.

Mustard                                   - ½ teaspoon.

Curry leaves (Kariveppila)       - few   

 

Method:

 

Season with oil, chilly, mustard, and black gram (Urud) Dhal and curry leaves and add finely cut cabbage and savala. Add salt, cover and cook in low flame. Grind coarsely, coconut, turmeric powder, chilly powder, garlic, Jeerakam and curry leaves and add to the cabbage after it is properly cooked. Cover and cook in low heat till all the water is evaporated.

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Aviyal

 

Ingredients:

 

Vegetables -

Frozen Yam (chaena)                  - ½ packet

Cucumber                                 - 2 nos.

Frozen Drumstick                      - ¼ packet.

Plantain (raw)                             - 1

Carrot                                       - 2

Jackfruit seeds (optional)             - 8 nos.

Snake gourd (padavalanga)          - 1 medium sized (if fresh) or ¼ packet if frozen

Green Chillies                                      - 3 for cooking & 3 for grinding

Turmeric Powder                                 - ½ teaspoon

Chilly Powder                                      - 2 teaspoon

Grated Coconut                                   -1.

Jeerakam                                              - ¼ teaspoon

Curd (yogurt)                                       - 1 cup

Coconut Oil                                        - 3 tablespoon

Curry leaves (Kariveppila)                   - few   

Salt                                                      - to taste

 

Method:

 

Cut the vegetables lengthwise (1 inch long and ½ inch wide). Cook with turmeric powder, chilly powder, curry leaves, oil and little water. When cooked add coarsely grated coconut (ground with chillies, Jeerakam and curry leaves), curd and salt. Stir well and boil. When it thickens, add little oil and curry leaves and remove from the stove.

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Vermicelli (Saemiya) Payasam:

 

Ingredients:

 

Vermicelli                                            - 200 grams

Sugar                                                   - 200 grams

Milk                                                     - 2 liters

Ghee                                                    - 2 tablespoon (½ for frying vermicelli and other ½ for frying nuts & raisin) 

Nuts                                                    - 25 grams

Kismiss (raisins)                                  - 25 grams

Cardamom                                           - 10 grams

Sweetened Condensed Milk                - 1 tin.

 

Method:

 

Fry vermicelli in 1 tablespoon of ghee for 5 minutes until it turns reddish brown. Add milk and cook. When cooked properly, add sugar and boil in low heat. Keep stirring and add condensed milk and let it boil for few more minutes.  Remove from the fire and add powdered cardamom, fried nuts and Kismiss. Stir it well.

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Parippu (Cherupayar) Payasam

 

Ingredients:

 

Cherupayar Parippu (Moong Dhal)      - 250 grams

Coconut Milk                                      - 4 cans

Chopped Coconut                               - 2 table spoons.

Cashew Nuts                                       - 25 grams

Jaggery (sharkara)                                - 500 grams

Ghee                                                    - 2 table spoons (½ for frying nuts + chopped coconuts and ½ for mixing with Dhal)  

Cardamom Powder                              - 1 teaspoon

Sago (chowari)                                     - 11/2 table spoons

 

Method:

 

Cook the Dhal (Parippu) in enough water and mash it after all the water evaporates. Dissolve jaggery by boiling in a little water and sieve to remove the impurities. Take the cooked Dhal, jaggery and 1 tablespoon of ghee in a shallow vessel and mix well. Boil till it thickens. Meanwhile cook the sago in water until it softens and to the mixture. Take 2 cans of coconut milk and mix with equal amount of water. Pour this diluted coconut milk into the mixture. Boil again for 15 minutes. Lower the fire and add the remaining 2 cans of coconut milk (concentrated).  Add cardamom and fried nuts and fried chopped coconuts. Stir well and remove from fire before it begins to bowl.

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