Members of Calcutta Malayalee Samajam in traditional golden-bordered two-piece cotton saris in front of a Pookalam, the floral design on the floor, at a pre-Onam celebration in town

Where to go for an Onam feast?

Ammini

Where: 22/1C Manoharpukur Road, where it crosses Sarat Bose Road

When: September 7, lunch (12.30pm to 4.30pm)

What: Onam-special thali @ Rs 375-plus

Tamarind

Where: 177 Sarat Bose Road, near Deshapriya Park

When: September 5 to 7

What: Onam Sadya @ Rs 425-plus

Special non-veg thali @Rs 525-plus

Thyagaraja Hall

Where: P-530, Raja Basanta Roy Road

The Confederation of Calcutta Malayalee Associations, an initiate of M.K. Narayanan, former Bengal governor, will celebrate Onam with Onam Sadya (lunch) and cultural programmes on August 31, from 11am.

Calcutta Malayalee Samajam will celebrate Onam on September 6 at Thyagaraja Hall from 5pm. There will be no Onam Sadya, only refreshment and cultural programmes.

THE STORY BEHIND Onam

Onam is to Kerala what Durga Puja is to Bengal. The 10-day festival is what all Malayalees look forward to as they deck up in new clothes, have a grand feast and rejoice.

The mythological story behind Onam goes that once upon a time the gods became very jealous of Kerala, as it was getting more prosperous and beautiful than heaven, under the demon king Mahabali. So the gods requested lord Vishnu to get rid of Mahabali.

Vishnu, in the disguise of dwarf Vamana, went to Mahabali and asked for a donation — land, which Vamana could cover in three steps. The king agreed and Vamana immediately started growing into a giant figure. With his first step, he covered heaven and earth. With the second he covered the netherworld and there was no space left for his third step. Mahabali, to keep his word, offered his head for the third step!

Impressed, Vishnu in his Vamana avatar allowed Mahabali to come to Kerala once a year and this homecoming is celebrated as Onam. It is also celebrated as a harvest festival.

WHEN IS ONAM CELEBRATED?

Onam falls during the month of Chingam, the first month of the Malayalam calendar, usually in August-September. The celebrations begin within a fortnight of the month Chingam and go on for 10 days. The last day called the Thiruvonam is considered the most important. This year, Thiruvonam falls on September 7.

Onam lingo

Onappookalam is a multi-coloured floral decoration on the ground in front of a house. Onakkodi means new clothes worn on the day of Thiruvonam. Vallamkali refers to the snake boat race. Onasadya is a grand, elaborate feast.

Onam SADYA

The Onam Sadya or feast is a vital part of the celebrations. It is the elaborate vegetarian meal, traditionally served on a mat laid on the floor. The dishes are served on a plantain leaf. There could be 13 to 26 dishes on an Onam platter. One is supposed to fold the plantain leaf after finishing the meal.

Members of Calcutta Malayalee Samajam in traditional golden-bordered two-piece cotton saris in front of a Pookalam, the floral design on the floor, at a pre-Onam celebration in town

PLATTER CHATTER

Parippu (boiled pulses with ghee usually had at the start of the meal)

Thoran (mildly spiced dry vegetable preparation garnished with grated coconut)

Puliyinji (sweet and sour pickle made of ginger, green chillies, tamarind and jaggery)

Erissery (yam and raw banana cooked with roasted coconut)

Koottu curry (similar to Erissery but with more vegetables)

Kichadi (mustard, coconut and curd gravy with raw vegetables, often called the Kerala raita)

Pachadi (pineapple cooked in curd, coconut and mustard gravy)

Olan (white and yellow pumpkin cooked in coconut milk)

Kaalan (raw banana and yam in coconut-and-curd based gravy)

Parippu Pradhaman (moong dal payasam)

Palada Pradhaman (made with a rice cake called ada)

Avial from Tamarind

Ingredients

Carrot 50g

Beans 50g

Drumstick 50g

Raw banana, peeled and cut into 2inches (lengthways)

Yam 50g (cut into small cubes)

Oil 20ml

Curry leaf — a few

Salt to taste

Curd (beaten) 50g

Masala mix: cumin seeds 5g, grated coconut 60g, green chillies 2,

ginger 5g

Method

lPut all the diced vegetables in boiling water and blanch them.

lFor the masala mix, make a paste of all the ingredients and keep ready.

lHeat a pan and add oil and curry leaves. Then add the masala paste, the vegetables, beaten curd and salt. Cook until the gravy gets reduced to a thick consistency.

Moong Dal Payasam from Ammini

Ingredients

Moong dal 200g

Jaggery 400g

Coconut milk 800ml

Roasted jeera and dry ginger powder — 2g each and mixed

Coconut cut into small pieces — one handful

Ghee 25g

Method

First dry roast the moong dal until it turns light brown and you can smell its fragrance. Then pressure-cook it in one litre of water. Do not over-cook it. Then add the jaggery and ghee to the dal and stir for about 10 minutes. When it thickens and some of the water evaporates, add coconut milk and boil for five minutes. Finally, add the dry roasted jeera and dry ginger powder. Garnish with coconut pieces fried in ghee.

Text: Sibendu Das
Pictures: Rashbehari Das and Pabitra Das