Onam 2024: 5 Traditional South Indian recipes you must try

Onam 2024 celebrates Kerala’s harvest festival with a lavish feast, Onam Saadya. Explore five essential traditional South Indian recipes that embody the vibrant spirit and flavors of the festival.  

Onam is a vibrant and festive harvest festival celebrated mainly in Kerala, India, with a grand feast called Onam Saadya. This traditional dish is an interesting spread of different dishes served on a banana leaf. Here are five traditional foods commonly eaten during Onam:

Avial

Ingredients: Mixed vegetables (carrot, beans, potato, drumstick, etc.), coconut, yogurt, curry leaves, green chilies, and cumin seeds.

Preparation:

1. Cut vegetables into uniform pieces and steam until tender.
2. Grind coconut, green chilies, and cumin seeds into a coarse paste.
3. Mix the coconut paste with the steamed vegetables.
4. Add yogurt and curry leaves.
5. Cook until the mixture thickens and blends well.

Sambar

Ingredients: Toor dal (pigeon peas), mixed vegetables (carrot, potato, beans), tamarind, sambar powder, mustard seeds, curry leaves, dried red chilies.

Preparation:

1. Cook toor dal until soft.
2. Cook the chopped veggies till they become soft.
3. Prepare a tamarind extract and add to the mixture.
4. Stir in sambar powder and simmer.
5. Temper with mustard seeds, curry leaves, and dried red chilies in oil.

Parippu Payasam

Ingredients: Moong dal (green gram), jaggery, coconut, cardamom, ghee, cashews, raisins.

Preparation:

1. Cook moong dal in water until soft.
2. Melt jaggery in a separate pan and add it to the cooked dal.
3. Stir in grated coconut and cardamom.
4. In a separate pan, heat ghee and fry cashews and raisins.
5. Add the fried cashews and raisins to the payasam.

Pachadi

Ingredients: Cucumber or pineapple, yogurt, coconut, green chilies, mustard seeds, curry leaves.

Preparation:

1. Cut the cucumber or pineapple into small pieces.
2. Prepare a coconut paste with green chilies.
3. Mix the coconut paste with the fruit and yogurt.
4. Temper with mustard seeds and curry leaves in oil.
5. These traditional recipes are integral to the Onam Sadya, representing the rich culinary heritage of Kerala and making the festival a memorable experience for all.

Pulissery

Ingredients: Yogurt, coconut, turmeric powder, green chilies, ginger, curry leaves, mustard seeds.

Preparation:

1. Blend coconut, green chilies, and ginger into a smooth paste.
2. Mix this paste with beaten yogurt.
3. Heat the mixture, stirring continuously, until it reaches a slightly thick consistency.
4. Temper with mustard seeds, curry leaves, and dried red chilies.