Your ultimate sadya grocery checklist: Everything you need to shop this Onam

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

1. Raw plantain (Pacha Kaya)
2. Elephant foot yam (Chena)
3. Cucumber (Vellarikka)
4. Pumpkin (Mathanga)
5. Ash gourd (Kumbalanga)
6. Drumsticks (Muringakka)
7. Snake gourd (Padavalanga)
8. Bitter gourd (Pavakka)
9. Carrots
10. Okra
11. French beans (for sambar and avial, optional))
12. Cabbage
13. Long beans (Achinga or Payar)
14. Tomato
15. Raw mango (optional, for Pachadi or Pulissery)
16. Red onion
17. Shallots
18. Chickpeas
19. Red cowpeas
20. Pineapple (For madhurakkari)
21. Grapes (For madhurakkari)
22. Njali poovan or palayankodan pazham
    Inji curry and inji thairu
23. Fresh ginger
24. Curd

Spices and ingredients:

1. Turmeric powder (Manjal podi)
2. Red chilli powder
3. Coriander powder (Malli podi)
4. Fenugreek seeds (Uluva)
5. Asafoetida (Kayam or Hing)
6. Cumin seeds (Jeerakam)
7. Mustard seeds (Kaduku)
8. Dry red chillies
9. Green chillies
10. Curry leaves
11. Grated coconut
12. Coconut oil (essential for Kerala cuisine)
13. Tamarind (Puli)
14. Jaggery (Sharkkara)
15. Salt
16. Ginger (Inji)
17. Garlic (optional)
18. Dried ginger powder
19. Black pepper
20. Rice flour (optional, for making Ada or Payasam)

Crunchies

1. Pappadam
2. Banana chips
3. 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!