With Onam around the corner, you might be gearing up for a grand feast with dear ones and family members. Getting everything perfect for preparing the traditional Onam sadya feast is a joyous yet meticulous task. To help you gather all the essentials for this grand vegetarian meal, we've created the ultimate grocery shopping checklist. From a variety of fresh vegetables to aromatic spices, this guide ensures that your kitchen is stocked with everything needed to serve an authentic and flavourful Onam sadya, a feast worthy of the celebration!
Here's a list of vegetables and spices you should shop for to make an authentic Onam Sadya:
Vegetables:
For avial, thoran, olan, kalan, pachadi and koottu curry
- 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 (for sambar and avial, optional))
- 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
Inji curry and inji thairu - Fresh ginger
- Curd
Spices and 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 (essential for Kerala cuisine)
- Tamarind (Puli)
- Jaggery (Sharkkara)
- Salt
- Ginger (Inji)
- Garlic (optional)
- Dried ginger powder
- Black pepper
- Rice flour (optional, for making Ada or Payasam)
Crunchies
- Pappadam
- Banana chips
- Sarakara varatti chips
These ingredients are used in dishes like Sambar, Avial, Olan, Thoran, Pachadi, Kootu Curry, Pulissery, and various types of Payasam (desserts). Don’t forget banana leaves for serving the meal!