Onam Recipes: Dishes to Prepare on Onam
Onam is around the corner and Malayalees around the world are all set for the 10-days festival. It is an occasion to celebrate plenitude and togetherness and if you are too in the Onam spirit or a newbie and just want to try a few of the scrumptious dishes served in an authentic way, check out these easy Onam recipes here for some inspiration.
Pal Payasam
To make pal payasam, wash and soak rice for half an hour. Now cook the rice in milk until soft. Then add cardamom powder, sugar and mix well until the sugar gets dissolved. Sprinkle lightly roasted cashew nuts and raisins. The pal payasam is ready to be served.
Unniyappam
To prepare unniappam, rinse and soak 1 cup rice (any short-grained rice) for 3 to 4 hours. (or can even soak overnight). Drain out all the water, and add the soaked rice in a grinder jar, along with ¾ cup of chopped overripe bananas, ½ cup jaggery powder or grated jaggery (as per requirement, depending upon the bananas sweetness) and cardamoms. Then add cup water as required to it and grind till you get a fine semolina like consistency in the rice grains i.e., semi-fine consistency in the batter. Pour the batter in a bowl and keep aside.
Now, heat ½ tablespoon coconut oil or ghee in a small pan. Add 3 tablespoons of chopped, small coconut pieces and fry. In the batter, add the fried coconut pieces along with the remaining oil or ghee. Then add 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, ½ teaspoon cumin powder, ½ teaspoon dry ginger powder, and a pinch of salt. Mix well.
Now, heat the unniappam pan in low flame, add ½ to 1 teaspoon coconut oil or ghee in each mould. When the oil becomes hot, pour the unniyappam batter with a spoon in the moulds. Fill till ¾ of the mould. Cook on a low to medium-low flame, till the base is golden and crisp, then turn over each unniyapam. Once golden and crisp from all sides, take them out and place them on kitchen paper towels. The unniyappams are ready to be served warm, or at room temperature as a sweet snack.
Ulli Theeyal
To prepare the masala for ulli theeyal, heat oil in a pan and add fenugreek, cumin seeds, whole black pepper and coriander seeds and roast them till brown. Now, add coconut and roast again till the coconut turns dark brown. Also, add red chillies along while it is roasting, and add turmeric powder to it. Once the mixture comes to room temperature, grind it.
Now, to prepare the ulli theeyal, heat oil in a pan add mustard, red chillies, wait till they splutter. Add fenugreek seeds, curry leaves and shallots to it and stir.
Now, mix in the grinded masala, tamarind extract along with asafoetida, jaggery, garlic and salt. For a couple of minutes, stir it all together and the ulli theeyal is ready to be served.
Cucumber Pachadi
To make cucumber pachadi, grind ¼ cup coconut, ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds, ½ teaspoon mustard seeds and 1 green chili. Add a few tablespoons of water and grind till smooth, and keep this coconut paste aside.
Now, rinse, peel and chop 1 cup of cucumber. Add the cucumber with ¼ cup water in a pan. Cook the cucumber on a low-medium flame, till most of the water evaporates from the pan (5-6 minutes). Do make sure to stir at intervals.
Then, add the coconut paste to it, along with salt as per requirement. When the cucumber and coconut mixture cools down add curd to it, after whisking the curd till smooth.
Now, in a pan heat oil and splutter some mustard. Add red chillies, green chillies, curry leaves and ginger to it. Fry for a few seconds, then pour the tempering in the pachadi mixture and mix well. The cucumber pachadi is ready to be served.
Paruppu Payasam
To prepare paruppu payasam, rinse ½ cup of moong dal and pressure cook it in 1.5 cup of water till 5 to 6 whistles on medium flame. When the pressure settles down on its own, check the dal to see whether it is cooked well and mash it further with a spoon.
Now, add ½ cup thin coconut milk, ¾ cup jaggery powder or melted jaggery, ½ teaspoon cardamom powder and stir well, while keeping it on low flame. Then add 1 cup thick coconut milk. Mix well and gently heat only for a minute or two. Do not overheat or boil as the coconut milk can curdle. Switch off the flame and keep aside.
Now in a pan, heat 2 tablespoons coconut oil or ghee. Add 12 to 15 cashews and fry till the cashews begin to get golden and add raisins, fry till they swell. Now pour it in paruppu payasam and mix well. Serve pasi paruppu payasam hot or warm.
