Gastronomy On a Banana Leaf
RESHMA
I’m a huge foodie, thanks to the Malayali blood running through my veins. I guess most of us Malayalis are foodies, and no wonder one of the most famous idioms here is “kaanam vittum onam unnanam”. Loosely translates to something along the lines of, it is a must to eat the Onam Sadhya even at the expense of selling one’s belongings.
So I have this itch to write about Sadhya and about the gastronomy of Kerala. Am I the right person to do so? Probably or definitely not, since I myself know very little on the topic. But then I am at a position where I will not be able to relish the Onam Sadhya this year and it leads to another idiom roughly translated to – you do not understand the value of your eyes until u loose vision.
So the importance of the Sadhya is screaming at me and talking with my Non-Malayali friends about it, explaining it to them, somehow made me believe I have enough to write on the topic. (Big fish in small pond.)
They hung onto each word I said and is all set to make the Ona-Sadhya this Onam which gave such a boost to my ego, that here I am writing about a topic I love but have little knowledge about.
Food anyway is an emotion before facts, to me, so maybe I will be able to pull it off. Growing up in Saudi, Onam was almost always just after we returned from the summer vacation at Kerala. So my experience and knowledge is actually very minimal even though my interest is at a maximum.
Talking to my friends about the health benefits of the Sadhya, took me to the old golden age and healthy systems of my ancestors.
The day began early in the morning, rising even before the sun rise. A dip in the icy cold pond was a necessity. Brushing the teeth was either with activated charcoal or the yellow leaves from the mango tree by the pond. Tongue cleaning was organic with the biodegradable stem of the coconut leaf blade divided into two.
Breakfast could be anything from idli (traditionally steamed in jackfruit leaves ) to puttu to appam but the healthiest breakfast, now proven to be the most healthiest food ever was the vellachor aka pazham kanji. The left over rice from the day before is soaked in water and left to ferment overnight in a clay pot with a pinch of fenugreek and eaten the next morning with curd, shallots birds eye chilli.
Drinking water is either stored in copper jars with vetiver or a herbal mix of barks seeds and roots are boiled with water and served warm, known as the karingali vellam.
Every aspect of the ‘Keralean’ nutrition is heavily rooted in ayurveda. Ayurveda says heat is removed by heat and thus this lukewarm water is had throughout the summer months too.
There are a verity of water in itself- from karingali to chukku to jeerakavellam to mallivelam to uluva vellam etc., each with a different purpose.
Milk thistle boiled water is said to be a cure for kidney stones. Coconut shell boiled water for cholesterol, guava leaves for vitamins etc. Yes! We are pretty old to the whole induced water, detox water fad.
Food was either cooked in earthenware , soapstone, cast iron or copper and sometimes even a brass alloy.
Of course each one had it’s own health benefit. And food was always made over wooden fires. After the embers would die, the ash would be taken to be used as a dishwasher. The coir or the outer husk of the coconut was used as the scrubber.
Pretty neat isn’t it?
Dinner almost always was rice porridge with a legume/pulse served with a makeshift jackfruit leaf spoon that is rich in antioxidants and also imparts a special flavour to the gruel.
Okay I guess all these are beginning to get boring so we shall move onto the Sadhya now.
Sadhya differs for everything – birthdays, death, onam, marriage etc.
A very interesting fact is that the 20+ dishes comprising the Sadhya is purely vegetarian, all locally grown vegetables. And none of the regular day to day items such as mulakushyam or pulincurry makes it to the Sadhya.
The green leafy part of the Sadhya begins and ends with the banana leaf on which the sadhya is served. No other green/leafy vegetables makes it onto the leaf, except cabbage now a days, which barged in along with the new easily available non local vegetables like carrots potatoes etc.
The most important type of sadhya is of course the ona-sadhya.
Onam is incomplete without the Malayali’s superfood-plantains. Traditionally ona-sadhya preparations and celebrations began from Atham.
Ripe and unripe bunches of plantains and small bananas are hung from the ceiling. Breakfast will always include steamed plantain with papadam for at least the 10 days of onam celebrations.
As a culinary teacher, I can say that it’s one of the best combinations for breakfast – sweet, salty, soft crunchy. Flavours and textures really compliment each other and it’s filling enough . Plantain is a superfood very rich in potassium and sodium amongst other vital nutrients and steaming them just makes it easier for the body to absorb them.
Raw plantains would be peeled and made into banana chips, nuruk uperi– a thicker quartered cut cousin of the normal banana chips and the sweet spicy gingery thick, difficult to eat sharkara upperi– all in copious amounts of coconut oil.
The jugaad in the desi is awakened and the nutrient rich plantain skin is used to make a tasty stir fry.
Each day a new dish to be served at the ona-sadhya is prepared, like the ingippuli – a sweet tamarind relish, vadukapuli naranga curry- instant wild lemon pickle which is slightly bitter, manga curry- instant mango pickle etc.
A nuclear family would prepare a sadhya with the basic necessities of around 10 dishes maybe, but a normal Sadhya has 20+ dishes while an extravagant one can have upto 60 dishes or over.
I am in awe when I think about how such a grand idea was thought and executed to perfection.
For every element on the banana leaf, the leaf itself has a role to play.
All this using very little spices and also only vegetables and coconut sans onion or garlic making it even Jain friendly. The Kerala Sadhya isn’t considered the healthiest banquet for no reason after all.
Those who came up with the sadhya truly deserves high ranks in heaven.
Yes, coconut oil is a very acquired taste but all over the years, I have not found one non-malayali who hasn’t fallen in love with the sadhya. Every element on the sadhya has coconut or coconut oil in it. And coconut which is high in MCT and lactic acid is the best as it directly goes from the digestive tract to the liver for ketone production and thus won’t end up being stored as fat.
No wonder some westerners start their day with a spoonful of extra virgin coconut oil or coconut oil mixed into their coffee.
Let’s move on to the elements of the Sadhya now:
A banana leaf, preferably the tip is placed in front of you, on the floor, once you are seated, the wider end towards the right. Of course you need to eat it with your hands, sitting down cross legged so that the chakras are in full alignment and you have a soulful experience.
There is a place for each item and a system as to what should be served after what.
A little water maybe given to wash the leaf for the paranoid in you. The sadhya is served on the banana leaf not only because it is plentiful in Kerala, but when hot food is in contact with it, it releases oils that are antioxidant rich.
The sadhya starts with a pinch of salt- because no cook is arrogant enough to consider their seasoning is perfect for all.
The chips, achar relish etc are served one after the other, leaving rice for the last. Of course by this time the appetisers like the chips are polished off and the digestive system gets a kickstart.
Usually, you make a well in the middle of the hot rice for the runny curries. All other dishes will already be there on your leaf.
First morsel of rice is had with unseasoned dal and ghee. A piece of papadam can be added to make up for the salt. The ‘Keralean’ papadam is different from the papad found throughout India for this papadam is very light delicate and puffs up a lot more and has maybe double the amount of salt. The papadam used to be usually toasted and getting a chance for an oil bath only during Onam makes it a delicacy.
The dal or parippu served, varies depending upon the region. In the south a parippu curry is poured over the rice while in the mid-Kerala, only a spoonful of thick unseasoned dal is served.
You can mix match the rice and curries to your preference. The injippuli, gets your salivary glands go into an overdrive. When the flavour of one dish overpowers the other, a piece of olan– ash gourd cooked in coconut milk acts as a palate cleanser.
All the side dishes are made with minimal flavours, letting the vegetables take the main stage and it unabashedly shines- vegetables do not need much to shine.
Kalan, olan, aviyal, kichadi, pachadi, erissery ….on goes the list..
Each region has its own name and different ingredients for each dish.
Kalan usually is made two to three days earlier with elephant yams and raw plantains in a thick curd sauce and letting it sit, ups the probiotic factor while the alkaline vegetables used, do good to your body.
Aviyal is a medley of vegetables cooked in a course coconut base which is almost everyone’s favourite and is unsurprisingly a powerhouse of nutrients.
Mezhuku perati, literally translates to greased, is a simple stir fry while thoran is the stir fry with grated coconut.
Pachadi is the raw raita while kichadi is the cooked kind and not the North Indian rice dal dish. After the dal, a serving of hot pulissery– buttermilk based curry is served, followed by the mighty sambar.
All this while the sides keep getting refilled.
Unlike most cuisines, dessert for the Malayali traditionally comes right in the middle of the meal to help the body digest it well.
Dessert is always payasam, whether it is one or four or more.
Milk based paalada is a crowd pleaser, made with rice pasta simmered in milk until it has reduced and turns pink. Other milk based payasam such as semiya (vermicelli) or Panjara payasam- the Malayali’s rice pudding maybe served.
Paalpayasam or milk based payasam is sometimes mixed with papadam for texture and flavour contrast. The jaggery and coconut milk based payasam which is high in iron, is served after the milky version.
It could be nutrient rich moongdal, chana dal, rice or wheat or pasta aka ada or even fruit jams like plantains or jackfruit. The poovan pazham or the small banana is mashed and mixed along with this jaggery payasam. New varieties such as the carrot payasam, tender coconut payasam, pineapple payasam, Aval payasam etc may also make an entrance. Of course even the liquid payasam is served on the banana leaf and eaten with the hands- a bit of practice is needed to learn how to grab it and cup the fingers without losing it on the way to the mouth.
There is something special about the sweet flavours of the payasam mixing with the banana leaf smell and the tiny bits left over from the savoury courses. After the dessert, before your eyelids begin to get heavy, another serving of rice comes your way and some rasam is poured into your cupped fingers to reawaken the digestive system with a spicy kickstart. The rasam gets the digestive juices flowing again and also takes away any lingering sweet taste in the mouth.
A helping of spiced buttermilk is poured over the rice to mark the end of the grand feast which settles down the stomach. The leaf is folded, indicating you ate done.
Water served along with sadhya is always chukku vellam which is dry ginger water and helps with digestion again.
The meal isn’t over yet!
You get up, and after you are done washing, there will be a platter full of beetle leaves, lime and Areca nut. You make your own paan which acts as a palate cleanser, mouth freshener and also the last bit aiding in digestion.
If the Sadhya is eaten in the systematic way, you do not feel full or want to sleep away like a python which almost always happens with the other tasty food like biryani.
All in all, Sadhya is a true wonder and I am so proud of being born into the land of sadhya and being able to make one from scratch. Unlike to the popular belief, it isn’t as difficult as one imagined it to be. Yes a lot of prep is required when it comes to cutting the vegetables in different shapes for different dishes, scraping the coconut and extracting the coconut milk.
But a little planning takes you a long way.
If you haven’t yet tried making the Sadhya, I encourage you to do so. You will not regret the decision and the joy of preparing and serving your own Sadhya knows no bounds for food to me gives more happiness when I see the smile of my labours on another’s face in the form of a happy satiated smile.
Reshma is a culinary teacher, writer, and energy healer who loves food, cooking it, presenting it with care, and enjoying every bite.
The illustration is created using AI Tools.
themarinadejournal.com 