It’s the season of festivals. And after Ganesh Chaturthi, it’s now time to celebrate Onam - the Malayali harvest festival, particularly celebrated in the Indian state of Kerala. The 10-day harvest festival commemorates the homecoming of mythical king Mahabali. This year, it began on August 30 and it will end with Thiruvonam (the ‘Sacred Onam Day’) on September 8. Onam is celebrated with much fervour and enthusiasm in Kerala, and is also one of the biggest festivals in South India.
Onam is marked with a lot of fanfare and numerous events and activities like vallam kali (boat race), pookkalam (flower rangoli), kummattikali (mask dance), and more. While Onam is known for its many beautiful traditions, the festival is incomplete without good food. One of the major highlights of the festival is the ‘Onam Sadya’ or ‘Onasadya’ - an indulgent spread served on a banana leaf.
The nine-course meal comprises about four to five vegetable dishes, along with rice, pickles, curries, and papad, etc.. It also includes a traditional dessert, called payasam. Aren’t you slurping already? For the unversed, the word ‘sadya’ translates to ‘banquet’, which means the Onam Sadya is an amalgamation of diverse meals, offering a variety of savoury and sweet flavours. According to traditional customs, the meal should be had with hands, while sitting on the floor.
Although the categories of food in Onasadya are fixed, we can experiment with some of the dishes. The spread traditionally consists of 24 vegetarian dishes. So, if you too are planning to prepare a traditional Sadya at home this Onam, we have an excellent vegetarian recipe for you to try at home.
Parippu Curry, a Kerala-style dal recipe, is one that holds a special place in every Sadya spread during this festival in Kerala. It is a wholesome dish made with boiled dal and spicy coconut paste, along with other spices and chillies. And it doesn’t take more than 30 minutes to prepare this dish. Best enjoyed with steamed rice, ghee, and some veg side dishes on the banana leaf, Parippu Curry is irresistibly delicious.
How to make Parippu Curry at home
To prepare this quick and easy dish, you need to roast the washed and dried dal, until it becomes light golden in colour. Then, you need to pressure cook the dal with oil and turmeric for about 10 minutes. After this, add the freshly prepared coconut paste, along with water to adjust the consistency of dal. Medium-thick consistency is ideal.
The coconut paste is the highlight of the dish, which is prepared by mixing fresh grated coconut, green chillies, jeera, turmeric powder, and some water. It gives a spicy tinge to this comforting dal. Click here for the full recipe. Try Parippu curry at home and share your experience with us.