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    Home » Thali Collection | Indian Entree » Onam Sadya Thali | Kerala Sadya Recipes

    Onam Sadya Thali | Kerala Sadya Recipes

    Posted on March 18, 2018 · Last Updated on December 7, 2021 · By Srividhya G · 36 Comments

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    Onam Sadya Thali, Kerala Sadya Recipes, collage with text overlay

    Onam Sadya Thali – a rich and royal feast, an insanely delicious thali, nobody can say “No” to. With a wide variety of dishes loaded with veggies and coconut, it is a must-try Thali. 

    Onam Sadya Thali, Kerala Sadya Recipes

    The Onam sadya dishes vary region-wise within Kerala. I did not follow any specific region and prepared the ones that my family loves instead. Check out the post for the individual recipes and how I prepared them.

    Jump to:
    • Onam Festival
    • Ona Sadya
    • Onam Sadya Thali 1st Group
    • Onam Sadya Thali 2nd Group
    • Onam Sadya Thali 3rd Group
    • Onam Sadya Recipe Roundup-
    • Enjoying Onam Sadya Thali? You’ll love these, too:

    Onam Sadya Thali

    I always wanted to prepare an elaborate Onam sadya. I know it is doable but not quite easy though. When Valli announced the March themes and when I saw “Thali” in that, I made up my mind to prepare the sadya feast. My in-laws are here and MIL was excited too.

    So last week, MIL and I decided to cook the feast. She helped me with chopping all the veggies and made her signature Avial and took care of Rhino. I made the rest and clicked all the pictures without a hurry. That’s a big thing these days. :-)

    Onam Festival

    We all know that Onam is the annual Hindu festival celebrated in Kerala. The festival commemorates the Vamana avatar of Lord Vishnu and the homecoming of the emperor Mahabali. Mahabali is the grandson of Kind Prahalada. King Mahabali, who is also a devotee of Lord Vishnu comes to powder by defeating the Devas.

    When they approached Lord Vishnu for help, Vishnu decides to test Mahabali’s devotion instead of raising the weapon against him to get the lands back for Devas.

    Vishnu takes the avatar of a dwarf boy, Vamana, and comes to King Bali. When the King does yajna (homa), Vamana approaches him and asks for property right over a piece of land that measures “three paces”. Mahabali agrees. Vamana grew big and covers the entire land ruled by King Bali in just two paces leaving him with nothing.

    Finally, the king offers himself for the third pace. Lord Vishnu reveals himself and grants him a boon that he can visit the land he ruled every year. This revisit of King Mahabali marks the festival of Onam, and this delicious vegetarian feast called Onam Sadya celebrates the last day of his stay.

    Onam Sadya Thali served in a green tray

    Ona Sadya

    Ona Sadya is traditionally prepared with seasonal veggies and it mainly includes Yam, Raw Plantain, Ash gourd, Pumpkin, Cucumbers, Nendram banana variety, etc. I prepared everything except one item – upperi. Upperi is chips that can either sweet or salty.

    The popular one is Sarkara Upperi which is nendram chips with jaggery.  I got the nendram only at the last moment so I skipped making upperi with it. So I served it as is in the Thali instead. :-)

    I have to post quite a few from my Onam Sadya Thali, Kerala Sadya Recipes list, so stay tuned for the updates. And today as part of the Thali, I posted the Beetroot Kichadi recipe. :-) The other recipes that are on my blog are linked below.

    Nendram and Matta Rice with a banana in the background

    Onam Sadya Thali 1st Group

    • Ada Pradhaman – A delicious coconut milk kheer prepared with jaggery and rice noodles called Ada.
    • Matta Rice with Ghee – An earthy red parboiled rice native to Kerala.
    • Kerala Style Tomato Rasam – A bit spicy but a comforting rasam with garlic, pepper, and tomato flavor.
    • Cabbage Thoran – Kerala style cabbage stir fry with coconut. I prepared it like my Jackfruit seed thoran but without shallots.

    Ada Pradhaman on a green tray

    • Olan – Kerala Sadya special recipe Olan  – the rich, mild and creamy coconut milk stew with the goodness of black-eyed peas/cowpeas, red and white pumpkin.
    • Eriserry –  A medley of yam and plantain in coconut and pepper gravy.  There are different eriserry varieties. The red pumpkin one is quite popular. But this yam and plantain version is equally popular as well which is more like Kalan but not Kalan. :-)

    Onam Sadya Thali Kerala Recipes: tomato rasam, kalan, olan and eriserry

    Onam Sadya Thali 2nd Group

    • Avial – Yet another medley of vegetables in a simple coconut yogurt gravy.
    • Beetroot Kichadi – A vibrant, healthy, and easy to make Kerala style Kichadi / Mildly sweet yogurt relish with beets.
    • Cucumber Pachadi – A cool cucumber relish with mustard seed flavor.
    • Theeyal – Usually, Sambar is prepared during the feast. But theeyal is also popular in some parts of Kerala. So I went with this delicious shallots theeyal.

    Onam Sadya Thali Kerala Recipes: beetroot kichadi, cabbage thoran, sambaram and other

    Onam Sadya Thali 3rd Group

    • Kalan  – Kalan is prepared with yam or plantain or with both. Delicious gravy simmered in the coconut-yogurt sauce.
    • Puli Milagai –  This version of puli milagai might not be an authentic one that they prepare in Kerala. But it is adapted from the puli inji recipe.  I learned this from my mom and ours usually has more chilies than ginger.
    • Parippu Curry – Kerala style moong dal tadka with coconut and shallots.
    • Pacha Manga Oorugai / Instant Mango Pickle – Instant cut mango pickle

    Onam Sadya Thali: cutmango pickle, puli milagai, theeyal and other

    • Sambharam / Spiced Buttermilk – seasoned buttermilk with the ginger and curry leaves
    • Pappadam
    • Nendram banana

    Onam Sadya Recipe Roundup-

    Instant Pot Kerala Parippu Curry
    Kerala Parippu Curry - A delicious and a simple dal prepared in the instant pot with small yellow lentils or the moong dal and with the fresh ground coconut-cumin paste.
    Check out this recipe
    Instant Pot Kerala Parippu Curry - Closeup on One of the Bowls with Chili Pepper on the Side
    Avial | Instant Pot Avial Recipe | Mixed Vegetable Curry in Yogurt Sauce
    Avial or Aviyal is a delicious mixed vegetable curry/stew with coconut and yogurt. Here is my mom's easy avial recipe that I made in Instant Pot!
    Check out this recipe
    top angle shot of avial placed on two serving bowls on top of a mat with some green chilies on the side
    Kerala Style Rasam | Instant Rasam without Rasam Powder
    A warm and comforting rasam/spicy soup recipe under 30 minutes without any rasam powder.
    Check out this recipe
    Beetroot Kichadi | Onam Sadya Recipe
    Beetroot Kichadi - A vibrant, healthy and easy to make Kerala style Kichadi / Mildly sweet yogurt relish with beets.
    Check out this recipe
    BeetrootKichadiRecipe
    Instant Pot Olan | Onam Sadya Recipe
    Kerala Sadya special recipe Olan  - the rich, mild and creamy coconut milk stew with the goodness of black-eyed peas/cowpeas, red and white pumpkin. 
    Check out this recipe
    olan feature
    Plantain-Yam Erissery|Yeriseri
    A popular recipe from Kerala and it is one of the recipes prepared for the onam sadya. It is a gravy curry prepared with yam and plantain.
    Check out this recipe
    Neer Mor | Spiced Buttermilk
    Neer Mor - A mildly spiced and refreshing buttermilk drink to beat that summer heat. A popular South Indian summer coolant.
    Check out this recipe
    neer mor in clay tumbler and with four small clay tumblers around
    Instant Raw Mango Pickle | Kili Mooku Manga Pickle
    Delicious and Instant Mango pickle prepared with raw green mangoes and chili powder. A lip-smacking pickle recipe with minimal ingredients with hardly any soaking time.
    Check out this recipe

    One more thali to come. Keep guessing until tomorrow. :-)

    Enjoying Onam Sadya Thali? You’ll love these, too:

    • Brinji Rice | Instant Pot Vegetable Brinji Rice
    • Ulutham Paruppu Sadham | Black Urad Dal Pulav
    • Coconut Water Kheer | Elaneer Payasam
    • Thalassery Veg Biryani | Malabar Biryani
    • Vegan Red Kidney Beans Curry | Konkani Style Rajma Curry

    P.S. Sending this to Blogging Marathon #86. Check out the recipes shared by the other bloggers here.

    Onam Sadya Thali, Kerala Sadya Recipes, collage with text overlay
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    Filed Under: Blogging Marathon, Festivals, Onam, Thali Collection | Indian Entree Tagged With: bloggin marathon, indian entree, kerala delicacy, Kerala Recipes, kerala sadya recipes, Kerala Sadya Thali, Kerala Special, onam, onam recipes, onam sadya, onam sadya recipes, Onam Sadya special, onam sadya thali, Onam special, onasadya, Thali collection, thali series

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Onam says

      May 24, 2018 at 3:45 am

      Nice Recipe

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        May 24, 2018 at 7:21 pm

        Thanks

        Reply
    2. Suja Ram says

      April 05, 2018 at 3:24 am

      What an elaborate spread!! Absolutely divine! Cant take off eyes from your drool-worthy pics!

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        April 05, 2018 at 10:12 am

        Thanks pa.

        Reply
    3. Priya Srinivasan says

      April 02, 2018 at 9:17 am

      Wow vidhya what a spread!!! Totally mahabali!! I would love to enjoy a sadhya meal, but not lucky yet!!!

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        April 02, 2018 at 10:02 am

        Just let me know when you are coming. Will prepare it for sure. Thank you. :-)

        Reply
    4. Jayashree says

      March 30, 2018 at 8:09 pm

      Onam is one of my favorite festivals and I miss the banana leaf sadyas we have back home, though I do make a sadya every year here. Everything looks delicious. Btw, despite its religious connotations, Onam is the one of the festivals that is celebrated by everyone in Kerala, no matter what their religious faith.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        April 02, 2018 at 7:00 am

        Very true. I read about that as well. :-) Thanks Jayashree.

        Reply
    5. Suma Gandlur says

      March 29, 2018 at 8:11 pm

      What a colorful and mouthwatering spread, Vidya. Drooling here. :)

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        March 30, 2018 at 8:30 am

        Thanks a lot, Suma.

        Reply
    6. jayadevka says

      March 28, 2018 at 11:45 am

      sadhya is always a major weakness :D

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        March 28, 2018 at 3:07 pm

        :-) :-) I can clearly understand why…

        Reply
        • jayadevka says

          March 28, 2018 at 9:19 pm

          Haha yea ;) hey, if you have the time, do give my blog a read :D

          Reply
        • jayadevka says

          March 29, 2018 at 4:19 am

          haha :D do check out my blog sometime :D

          Reply
          • Srividhya G says

            March 29, 2018 at 10:27 am

            Sure. Will do. Thanks

            Reply
            • jayadevka says

              March 29, 2018 at 9:01 pm

              Thank you :)

    7. cookingwithsapana says

      March 27, 2018 at 1:11 pm

      You are rocking with your amazing thalis Srividhya. I only wish to make Onam Sadya but don’t know if that day would ever come.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        March 28, 2018 at 3:14 pm

        Thanks much Sapana. Sure you can definitely do it. :-)

        Reply
    8. Jyoti Babel says

      March 23, 2018 at 6:39 am

      Such an elaborate spread. I am surely it must have taken a lot of effort on your part to prepare everything! kudos!

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        March 24, 2018 at 6:54 pm

        Thanks, Jyoti. :-) MIL did help with few dishes.

        Reply
    9. Priya Suresh says

      March 22, 2018 at 8:17 am

      Omg, what a lovely array of delightful dishes, Cant take my eyes from your spread Vidhya. All those foods are seriously tempting and prefect to enjoy them without any fuss. Kudos to you to come up with loads of delicious sadya dishes.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        March 22, 2018 at 1:35 pm

        Thanks a ton, Priya.

        Reply
    10. Sharmila - The Happie Friends Potpourri Corner says

      March 22, 2018 at 6:10 am

      Love this to the core.. Kerala food is always a bliss.. Last onam i cooked and clicked a sadhya .. Looking forward for next onam .. Visual treat!!

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        March 22, 2018 at 7:24 am

        Bliss is the word. I agree :-) Will go check out your Thali as well da.

        Reply
    11. vaishalisabnani says

      March 22, 2018 at 1:44 am

      Sadya ! One meal I love ! I can see all the effort going in there . The amount of hard work . Absolutely astonishing and commendable Vidhya .
      I still remember my daughter helping me with the preparation of the Sadya I prepared , it was tough for a North Indian to make these new dishes , but we all loved the meal . Olan was one of the high rankers .

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        March 22, 2018 at 7:42 am

        I love Olan too. :-) Thanks much for your kind and appreciating words Vaishali.

        Reply
    12. usha says

      March 21, 2018 at 7:37 pm

      Wow, drooling over the spread. The writeup about onam sadya refreshed my memory. That plate is so cool and a good one to use when one can’t find the fresh leaf.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        March 22, 2018 at 7:50 am

        Thanks a lot, Usha. Yeah, I was looking for leaf shaped plate itself but found only this. But no complaints though.

        Reply
    13. manjulabharathkumar2016 says

      March 20, 2018 at 9:54 am

      omg am awestruck vidya :) hats off to your efforts, you have made an inviting elaborate thali there .. I make a point to make ona sadya every onam at home but never got a chance to try them with traditional matta rice .. This spread is a virtual treat for a thali lover like me .. Your beetroot kichadi looks so simply delicious .. Kudos the efforts and a droolworthy thali :)

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        March 21, 2018 at 9:13 am

        Thanks a lot for your appreciating words Manjula.

        Reply
    14. Harini says

      March 20, 2018 at 6:13 am

      OMG! Such a wonderful spread. Love the tray resembling the banana leaf. I am already full :)

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        March 20, 2018 at 9:03 am

        Thanks, Harini. I couldn’t get the fresh ones here.

        Reply
    15. Srivalli Jetti says

      March 19, 2018 at 11:38 pm

      I love Sadya dishes and drooling over this spread you got here!..If you plan well ahead, this is quite easy to assemble right..so satisfying in the end!

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        March 20, 2018 at 8:34 am

        Agree, Valli. Planning is the key here and that satisfaction is immense. :-) Thanks much

        Reply
    16. Anu Yalo says

      March 19, 2018 at 12:24 am

      Delicious!!

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        March 19, 2018 at 8:52 am

        Thanks Anu.

        Reply

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