Onam Festival Recipes

Wish you all a very Happy Onam!!

Onam is one of the most important festivals celebrated by the people from Kerala (located in South India). This festival is celebrated every year for 10 days in the Malayalam month of “Chingam” which falls between August and September. These 10 days are celebrated as a harvest festival and also as a homecoming for King Mahabali, who was banished by Lord Vishnu in Vamana avatar. For more details please refer here.

All the 10 days are part of Onam celebrations and each and every day is  celebrated with various traditional rituals starting from making “Pookalam” (rangoli with flowers) on the front yard of houses everyday for the 10 days which marks the beginning of Onam and set the tone for the celebrations. The celebration continues with conducting

Vallam Kali – Snake boat races conducted across the state which is a main tourist attraction ever year.

Puli Kali – which is performed by trained artists who disguise themselves as tigers and perform a folk art.

The procession of Caparisoned Elephants – One of the main highlight of this festival.

Music and Kathakali aattam.

The 10th and final day of the celebration is known as “Thiru Onam” which marks as a day the King returns to visit his kingdom and the people. On this day a grand feast popularly known as “Onam Sadya” is prepared in each family by cooking various types of curries, kootu, pappadam, pradhaman, rice, pazham and is served traditionally on a plantain leaf.

My husband’s family is from Kerala and I am so glad that I got to learn a lot of delicious Kerala recipes from my mother-in-law. The “Pookalam” (rangoli with flowers) in the above picture is made by her and our aunt as a part of  Onam Celebrations this year. Here is a list of items that are prepared during this festival. We will be sharing the recipes of Olan, Kalan and erissery soon. Enjoy the festival and prepare a grand Onam Sadya for your family and friends.

Onam Sadhya Recipes:

Avial – Mixed Vegetable Stew

Elavan Mathan Pachadi – Pumpkin and Melon Curry

Puli Inji – Tangy Ginger Curry

Mambazha Pulissery – Ripe Mango in a Yogurt Curry

Sambar

Arachuvitta Sambar

Moru Kootan or Mor Kuzhambu

Cabbage Milagootal

Tomato Rasam

Medhu Vadai

Thakkali Pachadi

Idichakka Thoran – Unripe Jackfruit dry Curry

Cabbage Thoran

Carrot Beans Thoran

Avarakkai Paruppu Usili – Lentil Fry

Manga Kurry

Plantain Chips

Neer More or Spiced Buttermilk

Desserts:

Paruppu Pradhaman

Palada Pradhaman

Chakka Pradhaman

Semiya Pradhaman

Paal Payasam

Thengai Payasam

Aval Payasam

Elai Adai

Paruppu Poli

Unniyappam

Neyyappam

Rawa Kesari