When I ask how is Onam food? Daddy's Ready... Served on a banana leaf (starting from the left to right in a set order). Usually includes 20–30 items, sometimes even more. Always vegetarian and prepared without onions and garlic in most homes. Balance of six tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent. Common Items in Onam Sadhya Rice – Kerala red rice (matta rice). Parippu – Lentil curry with ghee. Sambar – Tangy dal curry with vegetables. Rasam – Spicy, peppery tamarind soup. Avial – Mixed vegetables in coconut and yogurt. Thoran – Stir-fried vegetables with grated coconut. Olan – Ash gourd and cowpeas in coconut milk. Kaalan – Yam or raw banana in yogurt and coconut. Kootu curry – Black chickpeas with yam/plantain and coconut. Erissery – Pumpkin and beans in coconut gravy. Pachadi – Sweet-sour side dish, usually made with pineapple or beetroot. Kichadi – Similar to pachadi, but with cucumber or bitter gourd. Pulissery – Yogurt-based curry. Pickles – Mango, lemon, and ginger. Pappadam – Crispy lentil wafers. Banana Chips – Fried raw banana slices. Sharkara Upperi – Jaggery-coated banana chips. Payasam / Pradhaman – Traditional desserts made of jaggery, milk, coconut milk, lentils, or rice. (Examples: Ada pradhaman, Palada payasam, Parippu pradhaman.)
