Traditional Onam Recipes to Make at Home: 10 Recipes That Will Make the Full Onam Sadya (2019)

Olan is a curry recipe that is usually made with vegetables such as pumpkin, ash gourd, yam, and plantain. The unique feature of the olan recipe is that it is made with coconut milk.

Ingredients
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 2 sprigs curry leaves
• 6-7 slit green chilies
• 300 grams diced ash gourd/white pumpkin
• ¼ cup cooked black-eyed pea
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup second pressed coconut milk
• ½ cup first pressed coconut milk

Cooking procedure

Step – 1: Heat coconut oil in a pan and add in the curry leaves and slit green chilies until they are fried.
Step – 2: Clean and dice the ash gourd. Then discard the seeds and the skin.
Step – 3: Add the diced ash gourd to the pan. Add in a cup of second pressed coconut milk.
Step – 4: Let the vegetable and coconut milk simmer for 10 minutes.
Step – 5: Add in the boiled and drained black-eyed peas to the mixture.
Step – 6: Add in half a cup of first pressed coconut milk. After adding the milk, simmer for just a minute.

A traditional dish that is made with a bunch of assorted vegetables such as drumsticks, yams, carrots and much more.

Ingredients
• 2 cups - Mixed Vegetables cut into 3 inch long strips
• 2 to 3 cups - Water
• 1/2 tsp. - Turmeric powder
• Salt

To grind to a paste:
• 1/2 cup - Grated coconut
• 1/4 cup - Yogurt
• 1/2 tsp. - Cumin seeds
• or 3 - Green Thai chilies

For garnish:
• 10 Curry leaves
• 2 tsp. - Coconut Oil

Cooking procedure

Step – 1: Cut mixed vegetables such as drumsticks, yam, carrots, green beans, ash gourd, and yellow pumpkin into long rectangular pieces.
Step – 2: Add water in a pan and boil the chopped vegetables until they are soft.
Step – 3: Add turmeric, curry leaves, slit chilies and salt along with the cooked vegetables.
Step – 4: Add the coconut paste into the pan and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
Step – 5: Finally add curd, oil, cumin seeds to the mix and simmer it for 2 to 3 minutes.

A traditional Keralite dish made of yogurt, coconut, and tuber vegetables like yam and raw plantain.

Ingredients
• 1 Raw Plantain/Banana /Pachakkaya
• ½ cup Tender Yam
• 2 cups/1/2 ltr Thick Sour Yogurt
• 1 tsp. Turmeric Powder
• ½ tsp. Red Chilli Powder
• 1 tsp. Black Pepper Powder
• ½ tsp. Roasted Fenugreek Seeds powder
• 1 tsp. Ghee
• A sprig Curry Leaves
• Salt to taste

To Grind To a Paste
• ½ cup Grated Coconut
• ½ tsp. Cumin Seeds
• 4-5 nos Green Chillies

For Seasoning
• 1 tsp. Mustard Seeds
• 3 Whole Dry Red Chillies
• 1 tsp. Coconut Oil
• Few Curry leaves

Cooking procedure

Step – 1: Cook yam and plantain in buttermilk with turmeric powder till they get soft.
Step - 2: Add salt, a grated paste of coconut to it and cook for few minutes.
Step – 3: Heat the coconut oil. Add mustard seeds and curry leaves to it and stir for a few minutes.
Step – 4: Add the buttermilk mixture to this along with the black pepper and fenugreek seeds.
Step – 5: Garnish with mustard seeds and curry leaves.

A Kerala delicacy made from shallots that are slowly cooked in a coconut-based gravy.

Ingredients
For the Masala:
• 5-6 Tbsp. Sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp. Fenugreek seeds
• 1/2 tsp. Cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp. Whole black pepper
• 1 tsp. Coriander seeds
• 1 bowl Fresh ground coconut
• 5-6 Whole red chilies
• 1/2 tsp. Turmeric powder

For the Ulli Theeyal:
• 1/4 bowl Sesame oil
• 1 Whole red chili
• 1/4 tsp. Mustard seeds
• 1/4 tsp. Fenugreek seeds
• 5-6 Curry leaves
• 1 bowl Whole shallots
• 3 Tbsp. Ground masala
• 4-6 Tbsp. Tamarind extract
• A pinch of Asafoetida
• 1 Tbsp. Jaggery
• 1 tsp. Garlic paste
• Salt

Cooking Method

Step – 1: Heat oil in a pan. Afterward, add cumin seeds, whole black pepper, and coriander seeds and roast them till brown.
Step – 2: Add the coconut and roast again till the coconut turns dark brown.
Step – 3: Add the red chilies, stir and add the turmeric powder.
Step – 4: Cool the mixture and grind it to a fine paste.
Step – 5: Heat oil in a pan. Add the red chilies, mustard, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves and the shallots to the oil.
Step – 6: Mix in the ground masala and tamarind extract.
Step – 7: Add asafoetida, jaggery, and salt to the curry.

Another Kerala delicacy that is made with fresh vegetable, chilies, and freshly grated coconut.

Ingredients
4 grated cabbage
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon powdered turmeric
1 green chili
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
3 tablespoon grated coconut
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 handful of curry leaves
2 teaspoon coconut oil
2 teaspoon water

Cooking Method

Step – 1: First grind together jeera, garlic, coconut, turmeric powder, chili powder and green chilies in a mixer.
Step – 2: Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and curry leaves.
Step – 3: Add the grated cabbage and sauté them in oil and add the ground spices.
Step – 4: Finally add some salt and water to it. Let the cabbage cook until it is done.

A yogurt-based curry that is cooked with spices and yogurt paste that is served with rice.

Ingredients
• 2 cups Sambar Cucumber
• 2 cups Plain Yogurt
• 3 Slit Green Chillies
• 1 tsp. Turmeric Powder
• 1 cup Water
• Salt to taste
• For seasoning
• 6 Finely sliced Shallots – 5 or 6
• 4 Dried Red Chillies – 3 or 4
• A sprig Curry Leaves – A sprig
• 1 tsp. Finely Minced Ginger – 2 tsp.
• 1 tsp. Turmeric
• A pinch of Fenugreek
• 1/4 tsp. Jeera (Cumin) Seeds or Powder
• 2 tbsp. Oil
• 1/2 tsp. Mustard

Cooking Method

Step – 1: Cook the cucumber pieces with salt, turmeric powder, slit green chilies and little water.
Step – 2: Blend yogurt with water, turmeric, and salt.
Step – 3: Pour the yogurt mix into the cooked cucumber.
Step – 4: Heat oil, add the mustard seeds, shallots, red chilies, curry leaves, ginger, turmeric, cumin, and fenugreek seeds.
Step – 5: Add the seasoning to the yogurt mixture and serve with rice.

Pachadi or Raitha is made with yogurt, blended with coconut and tempered.

Ingredients
• 1 cup Fresh Coconut Chopped
• 3-4 Green Chillies
• 1 tsp. Cumin Seeds
• 2 cups Curd
• 3 tbsp. Vegetable Oil
• 1 tsp. Mustard Seeds
• 1 tsp. Urad Dal
• 1 tsp. Chana Dal
• 2 Dry Red Chillies
• 200 g Okra Chopped
• Salt to taste
• 1/4 tsp. Hing
• 1/2 tsp. Turmeric Powder

Cooking Method

Step – 1: Grind coconut, green chilies and cumin seeds to make a smooth paste.
Step – 2: Whisk yogurt and add the coconut paste in it and mix well.
Step – 3: Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, red chilies and curry leaves.
Step – 4: Add ladysfinger, salt, asafoetida, and turmeric powder.
Step – 5: Finally, add the yogurt, coconut mixture and garnish with coriander leaves.

A famous South Indian dish made with toor dal and fresh vegetables such as carrots, drumstick, and brinjal.

Ingredients
• 1/2 cup Split Toor Dal
• 2 cups of mixed vegetables
• 1 diced Tomato
• 10 Shallots1-1/2 cup Tamarind Water
• 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder
• 2 Green Chillies
• 1 sprig Curry leaves
• 5 sprig Coriander Leaves
• Salt

Ingredients for Sambar Powder
• 1/2 cup Fresh coconut
• 3 teaspoon Coriander Seeds
• 4 Dry red chilies
• 1 teaspoon Black Urad Dal
• 1 teaspoon Chana dal
• 1/4 teaspoon Fenugreek Seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon Asafoetida
• 1 Curry leaves
• 1 teaspoon Coconut Oil

Ingredients for Seasoning
• 2 teaspoons Coconut Oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Mustard seeds
• 2 Shallots
• 2 Dry red chilies
• 1 sprig Curry leaves

Cooking Method

Step – 1: Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and add fenugreek seeds. Add in the split urad dal, chana dal, and roast until they turn golden brown.
Step – 2: Add the asafoetida, roast the coriander seeds, dry red chilies, grated coconut, and curry leaves. Grind all the ingredients into a coarse powder-like texture.
Step – 3: In a pressure cooker add in the tamarind water, turmeric powder, and salt and chopped vegetables for two whistles.
Step – 4: In a large saucepan, combine the lentils, the cooked vegetables in tamarind water and the sambar powder. Simmer for few minutes and get the seasoning ready.
Step – 5: Heat coconut oil in a small pan; add in the mustard seeds. Add finely sliced pearl onions and sauté them.
Step – 6: Add the dry red chilies and curry leaves and fry for a few seconds until the red chilies are roasted.
Step – 7: Pour the seasoning over the sambar and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

A delicious rice-based dish that is made with milk, sugar and dry fruits.

Ingredients
• 50 Gram Rice
• 1 Litre Milk
• 5 Gram Cardamom powder
• 100 Gram Sugar
• 50 ml Ghee
• 50 Gram Cashew nuts
• 25 Gram Raisins

Cooking Method

Step – 1: Begin by washing the rice and soak it in water for 30 minutes.
Step – 2: Add rice to the boiling milk and cook until its mushy.
Step - 3: Add cardamom powder, sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
Step – 4: Heat ghee in a pan and add the cashew nuts and raisins.
Step – 5: Garnish the dry fruits and pour it over the rice mixture.

Pradhaman is a sweet dish made with ripe mangoes, jaggery, and coconut milk.

Ingredients
• 3 nos. Sweet Ripe Mangoes
• 2 cups Mango pulp
• Powdered Jaggery
• 1/4 tsp. Dried ginger powder
• 1 tsp. Cardamom powder
• 2 cups Thin Coconut milk
• 1/2 cup Thick Coconut Milk
• 15 Cashews
• A handful Raisins
• 3 to 4 tbsp. Ghee
• 1 cup Water

Cooking Method

Step – 1: Boil jaggery in 1 cup of water to make a thick syrup.
Step – 2: Heat 2 tbsp. ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan and sauté the mango pieces until they are soft.
Step – 3: Slowly add the mango pulp to the pan and continue sautéing for 5-7 minutes.
Step – 4: Add the jaggery syrup to the pan and keep on stirring until it thickens.
Step – 5: Reduce heat and add thin coconut milk to the pan, stirring continuously.
Step – 6: Add the dried ginger powder and cardamom powder and mix well.
Step – 7: Add thick coconut milk and simmer for a few minutes.
Step – 8: Garnish with roasted dry fruits and pour it over the pradhaman.