Onam 2022: 3 Must-Try Creamy And Mildly Spicy Dishes

Onam Sadya is a spread of over 25 dishes served, every year, as part of Kerala’s harvest festival. The Sadya has a range of delicious and unique, primarily vegetarian, dishes, which include curries, side dishes, pickles, and sweet dishes. The basic ingredients used to prepare the dishes are an assortment of vegetables, curry leaves, coconut milk, dry red chilies, garlic, and grated coconut. Three delicious creamy, mildly spicy dishes, Olan, Pachadi, and Kaalan are worth a try. Here are the recipes. 

Also Read: Onam 2022: Try Making The Kerala Style Authentic Varutharacha Sambar

Olan

Ingredients

• 1 ash gourd 
• ½ cup cowpeas 
• Coconut milk 
• Salt, to taste 
• Curry leaves 
• Green chilies

Method

• Wash, peel, and cut the ash gourd into cubes.
• Soak the cowpeas in a bowl of water for about three hours. 
• Drain the water and wash the cowpeas with cold water. 
• Boil the cowpeas in a pan of water, add salt to taste, until the cowpeas turn soft. 
• In a bowl, add the ash gourd cubes, two to three slit green chilies, salt to taste, and a few curry leaves.
• Add a cup of water and boil the ash gourd on low to medium flame till it turns soft. 
• Drain the cowpeas and add them, along with one cup of coconut milk, to the ash gourd, and let the dish heat for seven to 10 minutes, take off the flame. 
• Add a handful of curry leaves and two tablespoons of coconut oil, and cover it for about 5 mins. 
• Serve hot. 

Pachadi 

Ingredients

• 2 cucumbers 
• Plain curd 
• Coconut pieces 
• Mustard seeds
• Cumin seeds
• Green chilies

Method

• In a bowl, put one cup of plain curd and whisk it well. 
• In another bowl, add five to six big coconut pieces, add a quarter teaspoon of mustard seeds, a quarter teaspoon of cumin seeds, and one green chilli, take  all the ingredients and add a little bit of water, and make a paste in a mixie.
• Wash, peel, and cut the cucumbers into small cubes, add about a quarter cup of water, and boil for a few minutes. 
• Add the coconut paste and mix well, then take off the flame. 
• In another pan, add a teaspoon of coconut oil, half teaspoon of mustard seeds and wait till it sputters, then add a few curry leaves, and one dry red chilli, and mix well.
• Add the whisked plain curd to the cucumber mixture, temper with the cooked spices, and mix well.
• Serve hot.

Kaalan 

Ingredients

• 2-3 raw bananas 
• 1 yam
• Grated coconut 
• Green chilies
• Cumin seeds 
• Turmeric powder
• Curry leaves 
• Plain curd 

Method

• Wash and peel the raw bananas and cut them into cubes. 
• Wash, peel, and cut the yam into cubes and soak it in water for a few minutes.
• Add the raw banana pieces, the yam pieces, a teaspoon of turmeric powder, 3-4 slit green chilies, a few curry leaves, a cup of water, and mix well. 
• Then, put the mixture on medium flame and stir well till the raw banana and yam are cooked, add salt to taste, and mix well. 
• Make a paste with one cup of grated coconut, one green chilli, a teaspoon of cumin seeds, and a little bit of water. 
• Add the paste to the raw banana and yam mixture, and mix well, bring it to a boil, add a cup of plain curd, and mix well, let it boil, add a teaspoon of fenugreek powder, and mix. Once done, take off from the flame. 
• In another pan, heat one tablespoon of coconut oil, a teaspoon of mustard oil, two dry red chilies, and a few curry leaves.
• Add the above-cooked spices to the Kaalan and mix well.
• Serve hot.