5 Traditional Onam Sadhya Recipes You Must Try at Home

5 Traditional Onam Sadhya Recipes You Must Try at Home

Onam 2025 begins on August 27 and will be celebrated with grandeur across Kerala and beyond. This harvest festival honours the return of King Mahabali and is marked by vibrant rituals, floral carpets, and a majestic feast known as the Onam Sadhya. Served on a banana leaf, this multi-course vegetarian meal includes a variety of Onam traditional food ranging from spicy curries to sweet payasams.  

If you're planning to celebrate at home, here are 5 must-try Onam Sadhya recipes that bring festive joy and authentic flavour to your table. 

5 must-try Onam Sadhya recipes 

1. Parippu Curry 

A comforting and symbolic start to the Onam recipes, Parippu curry is a simple moong dal preparation, lightly spiced and enriched with coconut paste and ghee. 

Ingredients 

  • Yellow moong dal - ½ cup  

  • ¼ tsp turmeric 

  • ¼ cup grated coconut 

  • Green chillies - 2 

  • cumin seeds - ½ tsp 

  • Salt to taste 

  • Ghee for serving 

How to Make 

  1. Dry roast moong dal on low flame until golden and aromatic. 

  1. Rinse thoroughly and pressure cook with 1½ cups water and turmeric for 3-4 whistles or until soft. 

  1. Grind grated coconut, green chillies, and cumin seeds into a smooth paste using little water in mixer and grinder. 

  1. Once cooked, mash the dal lightly with a spoon. 

  1. Add the ground coconut paste and mix well. 

  1. Simmer the mixture on low flame for 4- 5 minutes. 

  1. Add salt and adjust consistency with warm water if needed. 

  1. Serve hot with ghee over steamed rice. 

2. Avial 

Avial is a quintessential part of Onam traditional food, combining a variety of vegetables in a curd and coconut mixture, finished with coconut oil and curry leaves. 

Ingredients 

  • 1 cup chopped vegetables (carrot, beans, yam, raw banana) 

  • ½ cup grated coconut 

  • 2 green chillies 

  • 1 tsp cumin seeds 

  • ½ cup curd (slightly sour) 

  • Coconut oil, curry leaves, salt 

  • A pinch of turmeric powder 

How to Make 

  1. Peel and cut vegetables into uniform 2-inch strips for even cooking. 

  1. Add them to a deep pan with ½ cup water, turmeric, and salt. 

  1. Cover and cook on medium flame until soft but not mushy. 

  1. Coarsely grind coconut, green chillies, and cumin with minimal water. 

  1. Add the paste to cooked vegetables and mix gently. 

  1. Simmer for 2- 3 minutes to blend flavours. 

  1. Beat curd until smooth and stir in once the flame is off or very low. 

  1. Finish with coconut oil and curry leaves. Keep covered before serving. 

3. Olan 

Olan is a coconut milk-based stew made with ash gourd and red cowpeas. This is one of the Onam Sadhya recipes known for its gentle flavour. 

Ingredients 

  • 1 cup ash gourd (cubed) 

  • ½ cup cooked red cowpeas (vanpayar) 

  • 2 green chillies, slit 

  • 1 cup coconut milk (½ cup thin + ½ cup thick) 

  • Salt to taste 

  • Coconut oil and curry leaves 

How to Make 

  1. Pressure cook red cowpeas with enough water and a pinch of salt until soft but not mushy. Drain and keep aside. 

  1. In another pan, cook cubed ash gourd with slit green chillies and a little salt using minimal water. 

  1. Cover and cook until the ash gourd turns soft and translucent. 

  1. Add the cooked cowpeas to the ash gourd and mix gently. 

  1. Pour in thin coconut milk and simmer for 2- 3 minutes. 

  1. Add thick coconut milk and switch off the flame. 

  1. Finish with coconut oil and curry leaves. Keep covered before serving. 

4. Kalan 

Kalan is a thick, yoghurt-based curry that uses raw banana and yam. It’s tangy, peppery, and adds depth to the collection of Onam food items. 

Ingredients 

  • 1 raw banana, 100g yam (cubed) 

  • ½ tsp turmeric powder 

  • ½ tsp black pepper powder 

  • ½ cup grated coconut 

  • 2 green chillies 

  • ½ tsp cumin seeds 

  • ½ cup thick curd 

  • Salt to taste 

  • Coconut oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves 

How to Make 

  1. Peel and cut raw banana and yam into medium-sized cubes. 

  1. Cook them with water, turmeric, and salt until soft yet firm. Drain excess water. 

  1. Grind grated coconut, green chillies, and cumin into a smooth paste using a little water. 

  1. Add the paste to the cooked vegetables and simmer on a low flame for 3- 4 minutes. 

  1. Whisk curd until smooth and stir it in gradually, cooking until the mixture thickens. 

  1. Sprinkle black pepper and stir gently without boiling. 

  1. Heat coconut oil, splutter mustard seeds, add curry leaves, and pour over the kalan. 

5. Ada Pradhaman 

The showstopper of all Onam Sadhya recipes, Ada Pradhaman is a traditional payasam made with rice flakes, jaggery, and coconut milk. 

Ingredients 

  • 1 cup rice ada 

  • ¾ cup grated jaggery 

  • 1 cup thin coconut milk 

  • 1 cup thick coconut milk 

  • 1 tbsp ghee 

  • Cashews, raisins, cardamom powder 

How to Make 

  1. Boil rice ada in water until soft. Rinse under cold water and drain. 

  1. Dissolve jaggery in water, strain to remove impurities, and bring to a boil. 

  1. Add cooked ada to the jaggery syrup. Stir and let it absorb the sweetness. 

  1. Pour in thin coconut milk and simmer for 5- 7 minutes. Stir continuously. 

  1. Add thick coconut milk and turn off the flame before it begins to boil. 

  1. Fry cashews and raisins in ghee, sprinkle cardamom, and add to the payasam. 

Onam Recipes with Wipro Appliances 

Festive cooking doesn’t have to mean chaos in the kitchen. With Wipro kitchen appliances, preparing your Onam special food becomes simpler and more joyful.  

The Wipro Elato 1000W Mixer Grinder comes with four versatile jars to handle everything from grinding coconut to making chutneys and spice pastes. Its powerful, pure copper motor ensures consistent performance, while DFB technology speeds up grinding. Pair it with the Wipro 1.5L Multi Cooker Kettle, ideal for boiling, steaming, simmering and pressure cooking, especially useful when prepping multiple dishes. Together, these appliances take the hassle out of traditional cooking, so you can focus on celebrating the spirit of Onam with your loved ones. 

Conclusion 

Bringing the joy of Onam Sadhya recipes into your home is a heartwarming way to honour tradition and create festive memories. With authentic ingredients, a few time-saving appliances, and a touch of love, your Onam traditional food spread can shine just as brightly as the celebrations around it. 

FAQ

  1. Can I prepare a full Onam Sadhya at home without too many appliances? 

    Yes, you can. However, using appliances like the Wipro Elato Mixer Grinder and Multi Cooker Kettle can reduce prep time and ensure consistency across dishes. 

  2. What are the must-have dishes in a beginner’s Onam Sadhya menu? 

    Start with rice, parippu, sambar, avial, thoran, olan, pachadi, and ada pradhaman. 

  3. Can I make payasam without using coconut milk? 

    You can replace it with regular milk, but it will change the flavour. Traditional Onam recipes call for coconut milk for authenticity. 

  4. How many dishes are there in a traditional Sadhya? 

    A full Onam Sadhya typically features 20- 26 items, but a simplified version can include 8- 10 core dishes. 

Prev
Next
Categories
Latest Blogs
Recipes
Product
Latest Trends
Tips & Tricks
Related blogs
Latest blogs
Prev
Next
Back to blog

Featured Products

Prev
Next

Best Selling Categories