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.)
