With Onam approaching, preparing for the grand Onam Sadya feast is both exciting and demanding. To ensure you have everything needed for a traditional and delicious vegetarian feast, we’ve put together a comprehensive grocery checklist. This guide covers all the essential vegetables, spices, and ingredients required to create a memorable Onam Sadya, including everything from avial to payasam.
Vegetables for Sadya Dishes:
- Raw Plantain (Pacha Kaya)
- Elephant Foot Yam (Chena)
- Cucumber (Vellarikka)
- Pumpkin (Mathanga)
- Ash Gourd (Kumbalanga)
- Drumsticks (Muringakka)
- Snake Gourd (Padavalanga)
- Bitter Gourd (Pavakka)
- Carrots
- Okra
- French Beans (optional, for sambar and avial)
- Cabbage
- Long Beans (Achinga or Payar)
- Tomato
- Raw Mango (optional, for Pachadi or Pulissery)
- Red Onion
- Shallots
- Chickpeas
- Red Cowpeas
- Pineapple (for Madhurakkari)
- Grapes (for Madhurakkari)
- Njali Poovan or Palayankodan Pazham
Ingredients for Special Dishes: 23. Fresh Ginger (for Inji Curry and Inji Thairu) 24. Curd
Spices and Other Ingredients:
- Turmeric Powder (Manjal Podi)
- Red Chilli Powder
- Coriander Powder (Malli Podi)
- Fenugreek Seeds (Uluva)
- Asafoetida (Kayam or Hing)
- Cumin Seeds (Jeerakam)
- Mustard Seeds (Kaduku)
- Dry Red Chillies
- Green Chillies
- Curry Leaves
- Grated Coconut
- Coconut Oil
- Tamarind (Puli)
- Jaggery (Sharkkara)
- Salt
- Ginger (Inji)
- Garlic (optional)
- Dried Ginger Powder
- Black Pepper
- Rice Flour (optional, for Ada or Payasam)
Crunchies and Extras:
- Pappadam
- Banana Chips
- Sarakara Varatti Chips
This checklist covers the ingredients needed for a variety of dishes including Sambar, Avial, Olan, Thoran, Pachadi, Kootu Curry, Pulissery, and Payasam. Also, don’t forget to get banana leaves for serving the traditional meal.
