Sunday, September 6, 2009
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Treat UR taste buds: Onasadhya!
Onasadhya is the most delicious part of Kerala's very own Onam. It is considered to be the most elaborate and grand meal prepared by any civilisation or cultures in the world. It's a feast which if enjoyed once is relished for years.
Memories of treating my friends to a grand Onasadhya at my home...three years ago are still afresh! Thanks to my mother, who prepared the authentic dishes! Onam for the last two years have been at college, with fun, frolic and food!
However this time I am stranded in chennai, still looking for that eluding OnaSadhya! So, wats so special in it?
Onasadhya is prepared on the last day of Onam, called Thiruonam. People of Kerala wish to depict that they are happy and prosperous to their dear King Mahabali whose spirit is said to visit Kerala at the time of Onam.
FlashBack!
Legend goes that Mahabali who was so attached to his people that he requested Gods to allow him to visit Kerala every year. People of Kerala wish to convey that they are enjoying the same age of prosperity as was witnessed during the reign of King Mahabali by preparing a grand Onasadhya.
Rich and the poor, everybody prepares Onasadya in a grand fashion as people of Kerala are extremely devotional and passionate when it comes to Onasadya. So much so that, it has lead to saying, 'Kaanam Vittum Onam Unnanam'. Meaning - men go to the extend of selling all their possessions for one Onam Sathya.
The Meals
Rice is the essential ingredient of this Nine Course Strictly Vegetarian Meals. All together there are 11 essential dishes which have to prepared for Onasadya. Number of dishes may at times also go upto 13.
Hold on...Be a little patient....you need to wait a little before you start gorging the lip smacking meal. There are some rituals which need to be followed. First full course meal is served for Lord Ganapathi in front of a lighted oil lamp (Nila Vilakku). This is in accordance with the Malayalese trend of starting everything in the name and presence of God.
More About the Meal: The Exhaustive List of Dishes:
For a better understanding of the Onasadhya meal let us now go through all the dishes in a little more detail.
Erissery:Prepared from pumpkins/red beans or from yam and raw bananas cubes.
Kalan or Pulisseri: Prepared from buttermilk, ingredients consist of sliced plantains called nenthra-kaya and yams or chena. These are boiled in water with salt and chillies.
Olan: Olan is prepared from sliced cucumber and brinjal. Sometimes pulse is also added. They are boiled in water with salt and no chillies.
Aviyal
This is kind of a mixed vegetable as all sorts of available vegetables are added to it. All vegetables are first boiled in water with salt and chillies. Tamarind and well ground pulp are added at proper time. Aviyal is flavoured with coconut oil and Kariveppila.
Thoran Prepared by slicing beetroot and several other vegetables into very small pieces. These are then boiled in water with some salt and chillies till all the water dries up. Water can also be strained away. For seasoning, ground coconut pulp and mustard fried in coconut oil is used.
Mulakoshyam:Resembles olan. It is a special Onam delicacy from the state of Kerala and has been recently added to Onam Sadhya.
Koottukari: This is a curry consisting of a variety of vegetables and some Bengal gram. It differs from Aviyal as it does not contain tamarind.
Pachchati, Kichchati These are types of curry consisting chiefly of cucumber, mustard and sour butter milk or curds. In Kichchatim, young and tender cucumber is added
Prathaman
There is a whole variety of Prathamans such as ada, pazham, parippu and palata prathamans.
Beverages
A special drink is prepared for Onam in which water is boiled with a combination of cumin and dried ginger (chukku). This is beneficial from health point of view.
Upperi or Chips: Upperi is prepared from various things like raw bananas (kaaya), yam (chena), jack fruit (chakka), bitter gourd (pavayka) and egg plant fruit (vazhuthanga). Slices of the ingredient are fried in coconut oil to a crisp condition.
Pickles (Achaar), Pappads (Pappadam), Fruits
Chiefly plantain fruits of various kinds are served along with other articles of food at meals.
Searching for Onam dishes...I hit upon something...wierd!! called Non-veg SADHYA!! Take a look....
Hope Mahabali is fine with the mutations the festival and its dishes have undergone!
I would advise him to Google for the latest dishes before he finalises his travel plans(wud suggest him www.MAKEMYTRIP.com)and embarks on that annual trip to his very own KERALA!
Happy Onam!!!
-RP
Memories of treating my friends to a grand Onasadhya at my home...three years ago are still afresh! Thanks to my mother, who prepared the authentic dishes! Onam for the last two years have been at college, with fun, frolic and food!
However this time I am stranded in chennai, still looking for that eluding OnaSadhya! So, wats so special in it?
Onasadhya is prepared on the last day of Onam, called Thiruonam. People of Kerala wish to depict that they are happy and prosperous to their dear King Mahabali whose spirit is said to visit Kerala at the time of Onam.
FlashBack!
Legend goes that Mahabali who was so attached to his people that he requested Gods to allow him to visit Kerala every year. People of Kerala wish to convey that they are enjoying the same age of prosperity as was witnessed during the reign of King Mahabali by preparing a grand Onasadhya.
Rich and the poor, everybody prepares Onasadya in a grand fashion as people of Kerala are extremely devotional and passionate when it comes to Onasadya. So much so that, it has lead to saying, 'Kaanam Vittum Onam Unnanam'. Meaning - men go to the extend of selling all their possessions for one Onam Sathya.
The Meals
Rice is the essential ingredient of this Nine Course Strictly Vegetarian Meals. All together there are 11 essential dishes which have to prepared for Onasadya. Number of dishes may at times also go upto 13.
Hold on...Be a little patient....you need to wait a little before you start gorging the lip smacking meal. There are some rituals which need to be followed. First full course meal is served for Lord Ganapathi in front of a lighted oil lamp (Nila Vilakku). This is in accordance with the Malayalese trend of starting everything in the name and presence of God.
More About the Meal: The Exhaustive List of Dishes:
For a better understanding of the Onasadhya meal let us now go through all the dishes in a little more detail.
Erissery:Prepared from pumpkins/red beans or from yam and raw bananas cubes.
Kalan or Pulisseri: Prepared from buttermilk, ingredients consist of sliced plantains called nenthra-kaya and yams or chena. These are boiled in water with salt and chillies.
Olan: Olan is prepared from sliced cucumber and brinjal. Sometimes pulse is also added. They are boiled in water with salt and no chillies.
Aviyal
This is kind of a mixed vegetable as all sorts of available vegetables are added to it. All vegetables are first boiled in water with salt and chillies. Tamarind and well ground pulp are added at proper time. Aviyal is flavoured with coconut oil and Kariveppila.
Thoran Prepared by slicing beetroot and several other vegetables into very small pieces. These are then boiled in water with some salt and chillies till all the water dries up. Water can also be strained away. For seasoning, ground coconut pulp and mustard fried in coconut oil is used.
Mulakoshyam:Resembles olan. It is a special Onam delicacy from the state of Kerala and has been recently added to Onam Sadhya.
Koottukari: This is a curry consisting of a variety of vegetables and some Bengal gram. It differs from Aviyal as it does not contain tamarind.
Pachchati, Kichchati These are types of curry consisting chiefly of cucumber, mustard and sour butter milk or curds. In Kichchatim, young and tender cucumber is added
Prathaman
There is a whole variety of Prathamans such as ada, pazham, parippu and palata prathamans.
Beverages
A special drink is prepared for Onam in which water is boiled with a combination of cumin and dried ginger (chukku). This is beneficial from health point of view.
Upperi or Chips: Upperi is prepared from various things like raw bananas (kaaya), yam (chena), jack fruit (chakka), bitter gourd (pavayka) and egg plant fruit (vazhuthanga). Slices of the ingredient are fried in coconut oil to a crisp condition.
Pickles (Achaar), Pappads (Pappadam), Fruits
Chiefly plantain fruits of various kinds are served along with other articles of food at meals.
Searching for Onam dishes...I hit upon something...wierd!! called Non-veg SADHYA!! Take a look....
Hope Mahabali is fine with the mutations the festival and its dishes have undergone!
I would advise him to Google for the latest dishes before he finalises his travel plans(wud suggest him www.MAKEMYTRIP.com)and embarks on that annual trip to his very own KERALA!
Happy Onam!!!
-RP
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