Onam is Kerala's much-awaited harvest festival. The highlight of the grand event is the sumptuous and lavish banquet, Onam Sadya. It is said that more than 25 dishes are served in a traditional Sadya. The range of mouthwatering dishes makes this feast fit for the Kings. Out of the variety of dishes, there are a few that can be made at home. Though it involves an elaborate cooking process, the dishes are well worth the effort.
Here are recipes for Eriserry, Cheera Thoran, and Ada Pradhaman:
Eriserry
This is a delicious pumpkin and cowpeas preparation flavoured with mild spices
Ingredients
- 1 Yellow pumpkin
- Cowpeas
- Grated coconut
- Curry leaves
- Dry red chillies
- Mustard seeds
- Turmeric powder
- Cumin seeds
- Garlic cloves
- Salt as per taste preference
- Coconut oil
Method
- Wash, peel, and cut the yellow pumpkin into small pieces
- Soak the cowpeas in a bowl of water for about three hours
- In a pan of water, boil the cowpeas for about 10 minutes, add salt to taste, and then add the pumpkin pieces, allow it to boil till it turns soft, you can also use a pressure cooker to speed up the process
- Grind, in a mixie, two tablespoons of grated coconut, two to three dry red chillies, three to four peeled garlic, one teaspoon of cumin seeds, one teaspoon turmeric powder, and salt to taste, to make a paste
- Put the above paste into the boiling pumpkin and cowpeas and stir well, add a handful of curry leaves, and salt to taste, and stir a bit. Take off from flame
- Heat two tablespoons of refined oil in a pan, add two teaspoons of mustard seeds and wait till it splutters, add two to three dry red chillies, a cup of grated coconut, and a handful of curry leaves, and stir well
- Add the pumpkin and cowpeas preparation, and stir well
- Serve hot
Cheera Thoran
This a flavourful spinach stir fry dish
Ingredients
- 2 Spinach (green or red) bunches
- 1 Red onion (small)
- Garlic cloves
- Dry red chillies
- Mustard seeds
- Grated coconut
- Curry leaves
- Green chillies
- Turmeric powder
- Salt as per taste preference
- Coconut oil
Method
- Wash the spinach thoroughly
- Cut the roots and chop the spinach into tiny pieces
- Grind, in a mixie, three green chillies, two or three peeled garlic cloves, two teaspoons of turmeric powder, grated coconut, and a little water, to make a paste
- Heat two tablespoons of coconut oil in a pan
- Add about three teaspoons of mustard seeds and let it splutter
- Chop one red onion and add, stir well, add a few curry leaves, and stir till the onions turn translucent
- Add the chopped spinach, and stir well
- Add salt as per taste preference and stir well
- Add the spices paste and stir well
- Cover the pan and let the spinach cook on low flame for 10 minutes
- Stir the spinach well and ensure it doesn't stick to the pan
- Serve hot
Ada Pradhaman
This is a luscious pudding made with jaggery and coconut milk
Ingredients
- Rice ada
- Coconut milk
- Cashew nuts
- Raisins
- Coconut slices
- Cardamom Powder
- Ghee
Method
- Boil a pot of water, add one cup of rice ada, wait for a few seconds, and take off from flame
- Keep aside the rice ada, soaked in the boiled water, for about half an hour
- Drain the water, and wash the rice ada with cold water well, and keep aside
- To make jaggery syrup, boil half a cup of grated jaggery in water for a few minutes
- Strain the jaggery using a sieve to get a syrup
- Heat two tablespoons of ghee in a pan, add cashew nuts, raisins, and coconut slices, and fry all the ingredients together till a fragrance is emitted, and take off the flame
- In a pan, heat 1 tablespoon ghee, add the rice ada, and saute for about a minute
- Add the jaggery syrup, and let it cook, with the rice ada, on low to medium flame
- Wait for the jaggery to thicken
- Dilute a cup of coconut milk with water and add
- Add a teaspoon of cardamom powder, the cooked cashew nuts, raisins and undiluted coconut milk, and take off from flame
- Garnish the Ada Pradhaman with fried cashew nuts
- Serve hot
Serve the Eriserry and the Cheera Thoran with steamed rice, you can also serve the Ada Pradhaman cold.