Onam's traditional feast, Sadhya, given a new twist in its cultural legacy
Modern Twists on Traditional Onam Dishes Delight Diners Across India
As the festival of Onam approaches, chefs across the country are reimagining traditional Kerala dishes to cater to a growing trend of presenting regional desserts in plated formats while staying connected to the festive heritage.
Onam, celebrated in Kerala to mark the end of the rice harvest season and commemorate the return of King Mahabali from the underworld, traditionally features an all-vegetarian meal called Sadhya, served on a banana leaf with over 20 dishes. The Sadhya meal includes matta or red rice, sambar, prippu (a type of dal eaten with ghee), rasam (a tomato and tamarind curry), avial (mixed vegetables with coconut), thoran (stir-fried vegetables with coconut), and several pachadis (similar to a raita with vegetables or fruits). Other items like ginger pickle (Puli Inji) and banana chips (Sarkaravaratti) are also part of the Sadhya meal.
One chef leading the charge in modernising traditional dishes is Executive Chef Suresh Rajan Pillai of the Marriott Executive Apartments Hyderabad. He is serving up a modern take on the Payasam dessert, using palm jaggery instead of refined sugar, creating a richer, deeper, and earthier taste in his palm jaggery caramel pudding.
Elsewhere, Chef Bhushan Hargane has transformed avial into ragi waffle canapés. The ragi waffles are made with ginger, coconut, curry leaves, and buttermilk, and are topped with an avial-inspired foam.
At Eve Santacruz, the Pazham Pori has been reimagined, with banana fritters served alongside a rich jackfruit curry made with roasted coconut (varutharacha).
Chef Sandeep Shreedharan serves a White Asparagus Olan, a contemporary reinterpretation of the traditional mild-flavored curry made from pumpkin, black-eyed peas, and thin coconut milk.
In Kerala, the Inji Puli Thullal at Gateway Bekal is a modern take on the pickle, presented as a beverage. The Inji Puli Thullal mocktail celebrates Kerala's culinary heritage while reimagining it in a modern form.
Some chefs are trying to give the traditional Sadhya a modern twist by creating new dishes. For example, Chef Paul Kinny's Drum 'n' Peel Taco features a banana flower, moringa seed, coconut, spices, and inji puli, cradled in a ragi dosa shell. The Drum 'n' Peel Taco combines flavors associated with the southern parts of India.
However, the search results do not provide specific names of chefs creating new versions of traditional Sadhya dishes in various hotels in India. Despite this, it is clear that the innovation in Onam cuisine is alive and well, with chefs across the country reimagining traditional dishes to delight diners during the festive season.
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