Sadya is not the name of one dish, it’s a grant feast with many vegetarian dishes served on a banana leaf. It is the popular vegetarian meal of Kerala served during Onam and special occasions.
Sadya is served on plantain or banana leaf, which could be also called as Kerala’s organic plate. While having sadya people mostly sit on the floor with crossed legs and it is eaten using the right hand and fingers, the natural spoon, which greatly enhances the taste of the sadya and helps to combine all the dishes.
Sadya can have up to 30 lip-smacking vegetarian dishes. If you’re planning to make Sadya, you have to go on a vegetable shopping spree. In this post, I’m going to list the most common dishes & the vegetables & ingredients required for making those dishes. Some ingredients are common for most of the dishes.
Well, without coconut & yogurt, it’s impossible to make Sadya.
👉How To Make Sadya Or Kerala’s Flavorful Veggie Palette- 31 Vegetarian Dishes, click here
Ingredients required for most dishes
- Grated coconut
- Yogurt
- Cumin seeds
- Green chilies
- Curry leaves
- Turmeric powder
- Tempering: Coconut oil, mustard seeds, dried red chilies, curry leaves
Banana leaves: All the dishes are served on banana leaves.
Rice
- Kerala rosematta rice- this is the kind of rice served in Sadya. If you can’t get hold of matta rice, you can serve sona masoori rice.
Sambar
- Toor dal
- Carrot
- Potatoes
- Eggplant or Brinjal
- Drumsticks or Moringa
- Cucumber
- Shallots or small onions
- Sambar Masala: homemade version- coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds & asafoetida
- Tamarind extract
- Tempering ingredients: coconut oil, mustard seeds, dried red chilies, curry leaves
Parippu-lentil curry
- Moong dal
- Grated coconut
- Tempering ingredients: coconut oil, mustard seeds, dried red chilies, curry leaves
Avial
- Carrot
- Raw plantain
- Eggplant
- Cucumber
- Ash gourd or winter melon or kumbalanga
- Drumsticks or Moringa
- Green chilies
- Curry leaves
- Grated coconut
- Yogurt (or raw mango can be added)
Thoran
- Can be made with veggies like carrot, cabbage, okra-lady’s finger, green beans or add mixed veggies.
- Grated coconut
- Tempering ingredients: coconut oil, mustard seeds, dried red chilies, curry leaves, chana dal & urad dal
Pulissery or pachadi
A few kinds of pulissery are served in Sadya- beetroot pulissery, mango pulissery, pineapple pulissery, cucumber pulissery.
Pulissery & pachadi have the same ingredients, the only difference is pulissery has a curry consistency & pachadi has a thick consistency.
- Beetroot
- Ripe mango
- Ripe pineapple
- Cucumber
- Grated coconut
- Yogurt
- Tempering ingredients: coconut oil, mustard seeds, dried red chilies, curry leaves
Kichadi (Easiest recipe)
For making kichadi coconut is not added, can be made with cucumber & raw mango as well- have to be cooked and towards the end, yogurt is added.
- Okra or lady’s finger
- Yogurt
Kalan
- Plantain
- Ash gourd or winter melon or kumbalanga
- Grated coconut
- Yogurt
- Tempering ingredients:
- coconut oil, mustard seeds, dried red chilies, curry leaves, fenugreek seeds
Olan
- Black-eyed beans
- Ash gourd or winter melon or kumbalanga
- Coconut milk
- Tempering ingredients: coconut oil, mustard seeds, dried red chilies, curry leaves
Erissery
- Pumpkin, diced- 1 cup
- Red beans or red cowpeas
- Grated coconut (has to be roasted)
- Tempering ingredients: coconut oil, mustard seeds, dried red chilies, curry leaves
Vada kootu curry (not a common dish)
- Urad dal (for making medu vada/dumplings)
- Potatoes
- Coconut milk
- Tempering ingredients: coconut oil, mustard seeds, dried red chilies, curry leaves
Kootu curry
- Black chickpeas or kadala
- Ash gourd or winter melon or kumbalanga
- Grated coconut
- Tempering ingredients: coconut oil, mustard seeds, dried red chilies, curry leaves
Rasam
- Shallots
- Whole black peppercorns
- Cumin seeds
- Green chilies
- Curry leaves
- Tamarind extract
Moru or Spiced Buttermilk
- Yogurt
- Green chilies
- Curry leaves
Ingi (ginger) curry or Puli inji
- Ginger
- Dried red chilies
- Coriander seeds
- Tamarind extract
- Asafoetida
- Jaggery or palm sugar
- Tempering ingredients: coconut oil, mustard seeds, dried red chilies, curry leaves
Pickles
Mango, lemon, gooseberry
Desserts
Semiya-vermicelli payasam
- Vermicelli
- Milk
- Sugar
- Cardamom powder
- Cashew nuts
- Raisins
- Ghee
Pradhaman
There are a few kinds of pradhamans: with kadalaparippu (chana dal), Ada (rice pasta or flakes)
- Chana dal or rice pasta
- Coconut milk
- Jaggery
- Cardamom powder
- Ghee
Other side dishes
- Plantain chips
- Upperi- fried plantain coated with jaggery
- Banana
- Pappadam
Happy Onam & enjoy Sadya!
