Simple Onam Sadya Recipes – Mini Onam Sadya Recipes

Published : | Last updated : August 10, 2026 | By
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simple onam sadya recipes

As Onam is nearing, I see lot of posts featuring Kerala onam sadya recipes in blogosphere. After trying the Andhra lunch thali successfully, I wanted to try a simple and easy Kerala lunch menu keeping onam festival in mind. When I was thinking about it, my neighbour showed me “Vanitha” magazine which was flooded with onam special recipes of “Pazhayidam Mohanan Namboothiri”. There were many ideas for onam sadya dishes including payasam. As the recipes were given by a popular chef, I tried everything confidently. 

My neighbour Mrs. Prema read all the recipes and translated everything patiently. Many Thanks to her. Among those recipes, I picked some easy to make, simple Onam sadya dishes and prepared it. I reduced the given quantity as per my need and tried them. So I have mentioned the quantity what I used. We had a great onam lunch. Now after having my preparation, I really want to taste the authentic Onam sadya in Kerala. Wish I could get a chance. When you want to prepare onam special dishes, the choices are endless. My neighbour told they serve nearly 60 side dishes. Wow..!!.I started drooling!!..

Do check out my Onam sadya menu – 2 

mini onam sadya recipes

I wanted to fill the banana leaf but I couldn’t. I should have kept Pazham, pappadam and nendhran chips which are the highlight in their menu. I was not able to do it. As this is my first Onam sadya post, I am not aware of the serving order. So I kept the dishes as I wished. Please excuse me. I dint prepare Avial as we used to make it regularly. U can see the recipe here. I wanted to try popular dishes which are new to me.They were really awesome in taste.. We loved it. 

Coconut oil and coconut are used as the main ingredients in their food. Even then the food was easily digestible .Yesterday my kitchen was filled with nice aroma of coconut oil. I have bookmarked some more recipes from that book. I’ll try everything and post it soon.
Coming to the recipes ,let me start with the sweet dishes.

What is a Mini Onam Sadhya?

An authentic Kerala Onam Sadhya traditionally features up to 26 to 60 dishes served on a fresh banana leaf. While grand, making a full spread can feel overwhelming—especially if you are cooking solo, living abroad, or preparing Onam lunch for a small family.

A Mini Onam Sadhya keeps the core flavors, colors, and traditional experience intact using 10 to 12 quick, high-impact dishes that can be prepared in under 2 hours.

When I first started blogging in 2009, this was my very first attempt at cooking a Kerala feast. Over the years, I have refined these recipes so any beginner can recreate an authentic, delicious, and stress-free Sadhya at home.

Simple Mini Onam Sadhya Menu Checklist

Here is the perfect balanced menu featuring all 6 tastes (Shadrasa):

CategoryDishes Included
Rice & DalKerala Matta Rice / White Rice, Parippu Curry with Ghee
Main GraviesKerala Sambar, Moru Curry / Kalan, Kerala Rasam
Vegetable SidesMixed Veg Thoran, Mezhukkupuratti (Stir-fry), Erissery
Condiments & PicklesPuli Inji (Ginger-Tamarind Chutney), Ash Gourd Pachadi
Pappadam & CrunchNendran Banana Chips, Sharkara Upperi, Pappadam
DessertSemiya Payasam or Elaneer (Tender Coconut) Payasam

How to Serve Mini Sadhya on a Banana Leaf (Authentic Serving Order)

In Kerala tradition, the narrow end of the banana leaf points to the left of the diner. Dishes are placed systematically to balance taste and reach:

  1. Top Left Corner: Start with Salt, followed by Puli Inji and Pickles.
  2. Top Middle to Right: Place Pachadi/Khichadi, Veg Thoran, Mezhukkupuratti and Erissery in a row.
  3. Bottom Left: Place Nendran Chips, Sharkara Upperi, small Yellow Banana (Pazham), and Pappadam.
  4. Bottom Center: Serve hot Kerala Matta Rice or White rice.
  5. Flow of Gravies (Poured over Rice in Courses):
    • Course 1: Parippu Curry + Ghee (First serving)
    • Course 2: Kerala Sambar
    • Course 3: Kalan / Moru Curry
    • Course 4: Rasam (Cleanses the palate)
    • Course 5: Payasam (Served on the leaf or in a small bowl)
    • Course 6: Sambharam (Spiced Butter-milk) to finish digestion

2-Day Meal Prep Plan for Beginners

To ensure you aren’t overwhelmed on Onam day, follow this smart prep schedule:

1 Day Before Onam:

  • Grate Coconut: Grate 2 full coconuts and store in an airtight container and refrigerate it and extract coconut milk ahead, keep in refrigerator.
  • Chop Veggies: Chop vegetables for Sambar, Thoran and Stir-fry. Store in zip-lock bags.
  • Make Puli Inji: Puli Inji tastes best when made a day in advance as the flavors deepen.

Morning of Onam (1.5 to 2 Hours Total):

  1. Pressure Cooker 1: Cook Dal for Parippu Curry and Sambar.
  2. Pressure Cooker 2: Cook Kerala Matta Rice or white rice.
  3. Stovetop Burner 1: Prepare Kerala Sambar, Rasam, and Parippu Curry.
  4. Stovetop Burner 2: Toss Thoran, Mezhukkupuratti, and Pachadi.
  5. Final 20 Mins: Fry Pappadam and make your preferred Payasam.

Step-by-Step Mini Onam Sadhya Recipes

1. Kerala Parippu Curry (Lentil Curry with Coconut)

A mild, creamy moong dal dish served first with a drizzle of ghee.

  • Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 15 mins | Servings: 4
  • Ingredients:
  • Yellow Moong Dal (1/2 cup)
  • Grated coconut (3 tbsp)
  • Cumin seeds (1/2 tsp)
  • Green chilli (1)
  • Turmeric powder (1/4 tsp)
  • Coconut oil (1 tbsp)
  • Mustard seeds
  • Curry leaves.
  • Method:
    1. Dry roast moong dal till fragrant. Pressure cook with turmeric and 1.5 cups water for 3 whistles.
    2. Grind coconut, cumin and green chilli into a smooth paste with little water.
    3. Add the paste and salt to the cooked dal, simmer for 3–5 minutes.
    4. Temper mustard seeds, dry red chilli, and curry leaves in hot coconut oil and pour over the dal.

2. Puli Inji (Spicy Ginger Tamarind Chutney)

The heart of any Sadhya—a sweet, sour, and spicy digestive accompaniment.

  • Ingredients: Chopped ginger (1/2 cup), Tamarind (gooseberry size), Jaggery (2 tbsp), Chilli powder (1 tsp), Turmeric powder (1/4 tsp), Fenugreek powder (a pinch), Coconut oil (1.5 tbsp), Mustard seeds, Curry leaves.
  • Method:
    1. Soak tamarind in warm water and extract thick juice.
    2. Heat coconut oil, fry finely chopped ginger until golden brown and crispy.
    3. Add tamarind extract, jaggery, red chilli powder, turmeric and salt. Simmer until it thickens to a shiny chutney consistency.
    4. Finish with roasted fenugreek powder and a mustard seed temper.

3. Mixed Vegetable Thoran (Dry Veg Stir-Fry with Coconut)

  • Ingredients: Finely chopped Cabbage & Carrots (2 cups), Grated coconut (1/2 cup), Green chillies (2), Cumin seeds (1/2 tsp), Turmeric powder (1/4 tsp), Mustard seeds, Coconut oil.
  • Method:
    1. Coarsely pulse coconut, green chillies, cumin seeds, and turmeric powder in a blender without water.
    2. Heat coconut oil, temper mustard seeds, urad dal, and curry leaves.
    3. Add chopped vegetables and salt. Cover and steam on low heat for 5-7 minutes.
    4. Stir in the pulsed coconut mixture, mix well for 2 minutes on medium heat, and switch off.

Kerala Sambar | Mixed Veg Sambar Recipe

  • Toor dal – 1/2 cup
  • Potato – 1no
  • Big onion – 1 /2 no
  • Lady’s finger – 1/4 cup
  • Drum stick – 1 no
  • Turmeric powder – 1 / 4 tsp
  • Chilli powder – 1.5 tsp
  • Coriander seeds powder – 2 tsp
  • Salt –  as needed
  • Tamarind –  Small lemon size
  • Dry roasted methi seeds powder – 1/2 tsp

To temper

  • Coconut oil – 1 tbsp
  • Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
  • Pinched red chilly – 1 no
  • coriander leaves – to garnish

METHOD

Pressure cook dal and potato. Set aside.. Reserve the dal water for making rasam..
Soak tamarind in water and take the extract.
In a kadai , heat coconut oil and saute the lady’s finger and drum stick pieces.
Add all the powders.Saute quickly without burning.
Immediately add tamarind extract, Cover and cook well.
After the veggies are cooked
add the cooked dal and boil well for few mins.
Finally temper the items and add the methi powder. switch off the flame.
Garnish with coriander leaves. In the serving bowl, place a banana leaf and pour the sambar. Close for sometime and then serve.
This is the additional tip given in the book

KERALA RASAM

INGREDIENTS

Cooked toor dal water – 1 cup
Tamarind extract – 1 tsp
Chilli powder – 1/2 tsp
Hing – 1/4 tsp
Water – 1/4 cup
Jeera – 1/4 tsp
Methi seeds –1 / 4 tsp
Tomato – 2
Curry leaves – few
To dry roast and powder:
Dhania – 1 tsp
Pepper corns – 1 tsp
To temper:
Coconut oil – 1 tbsp
Pinched red chilli – 1
Coriander leaves – to garnish

METHOD

In a kadai , dry roast dhania and pepper corns & powder them.
Take the tamarind extract, chilli powder, 1 tomato ( crushed) , jeera , hing and methi seeds along with little water.
Boil everything till it reduces to half.
Then add the dal water, remaining 1 tomato (finely chopped), rasam powder and the required salt.
Boil for few minutes.
Remove and temper with mustard seeds and pinched red chillies.
Garnish with coriander leaves.

ERISSERY

 Erissery is a semi dry, rice accompaniment which has lots of coconut. Adding more coconut gives a nice flavour for this dish. 


INGREDIENTS

Yam/ Chena – 1/4 cup
Raw banana – 1/4 cup
Pepper powder – 1 / 2 tsp
Chilli powder – 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Salt & water – as needed.
To grind :
Grated coconut – 1/4 cup
Jeera – 1 / 2 tsp
To temper:
Coconut oil – 1 tbsp
Urad dal –1/2 tsp
Jeera – 1/2 tsp
Grated coconut – 1/2 cup
Curry leaves – few

Please note I have put grated coconut twice here. Use accordingly..

METHOD

Chop & cook the yam and banana pieces separately.
Heat oil in a a kadai and shallow fry the cooked vegetables.
Grind the items given above with little water to make a paste.
After shallow frying the veggies , add the ground paste followed by chilli, pepper and turmeric powders.
Mix well and allow it to boil sometime. In a kadai , heat coconut oil and temper with urad dal, jeera , curry leaves and grated coconut.
Roast them well and add it to the boiling mixture. Mix well and switch off the flame..Enjoy !

ASH GOURD KHICHDI / POOSANIKAI THAYIR PACHADI

Ashgourd pachadi simple and tasty accompaniment for dal rice.

INGREDIENTS

Ash gourd – 1/ 4 cup ( chop finely)
Salt & water  – as needed
Thick fresh curd – 1/2 cup
To grind:
Grated coconut – 2 tsbp
Green chillies – 1
To temper:
Coconut oil – 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
Urad dal – 1/4 tsp
Hing – a pinch
Pinched red chilly – 1
Curry leaves – few

METHOD

Cook the ash gourd pieces with the required water and squeeze them well to remove its water content. Set aside.
Now in a kadai, temper all the items given above.
Grind the coconut & green chillies to make a paste.
In a bowl , take the ground coconut paste , tempered items, squeezed ash gourd pieces and the required salt.
Mix well .. add the fresh , thich curd just before serving. Enjoy with paruppu sadam.

KALAN

Kaalan tastes similar to mor kuzhambu. We mixed it in plain rice and enjoyed it.

INGREDIENTS

Sour curd – 1 cup
Pepper powder – 1 tsp
Yam – 1/4 cup ( chopped roughly)
Green chilli –2
Curry leaves – Few
Ghee – a tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
**Dry roasted methi powder – 1/2 tsp
Salt & water – as needed
To grind:
Grated coconut – 1/4 cup
Green chillies – 2
Jeera – 1/2 tsp
To temper:
Coconut oil – 1 tbsp
Pinched red chilly – 1 no

METHOD

In  a pressure cooker , add the yam pieces, pepper powder, green chilly pieces and a tsp of ghee. Cook well.After opening the cooker, add the whipped curd, turmeric powder and salt. Let it boil.In the mean time, grind the items under “ to grind” to make a paste by adding little water.When the mixture reduces to half, add the ground paste. Boil well.Temper the mentioned items and mix to kalan.Switch off the flame and add the methi powder finally. It would be in the consistency of kootu / aviyal.Mix well and close with a lid to retain the aroma.

MEZHUKKUPURATTI / MIXED VEG STIR FRY

Mezhukkupuratti is a simple stir fry which can be made in minutes yet tastes delicious.



INGREDIENTS

Yam – 1/4 cupPlantain / Raw banana – 1/ 4 cupCarrot – 1/4 cupTurmeric powder – 1Mustard seeds – 1/2 tspCurry leaves – fewRed chillies – 2 nosGreen chillies – 2nosSalt & water – As needed

METHOD

Cut all the veggies uniformly of small square shaped pieces.Cook yam in pressure cooker.cook plantain and carrot together.Make sure everything is not over cooked and mushy.Now in a kadai , take the coconut oil and add the mustard seeds , cut chillies and few curry leaves.Add the veggies finally and toss well by adding the required salt.

ELANEER PAYASAM / TENDER COCONUT PAYASAM

This elaneer should be watery in consistency. Usually the pulp of tender coconut should be grinded coarsely along with its water and prepared. But I just cut the pulp into small pieces as given in the book . I also added jaggery instead of sugar as mentioned in the book. But please add very less jaggery as we are adding condensed milk, honey and coconut milk at the end.

INGREDIENTS

Tender coconut –  2 nos ( take the pulp and water)Jaggery –  2-3 tbsp ( please add lesser quantity)Grated coconut – 1/2 cup ( to extract milk)Condensed milk – 2 tspHoney – 1 tsp (optional)  ( i added a tsp)Water – LittleCardamom powder – A pinch (optional)

METHOD

Take the jaggery and melt to make a syrup by adding water just to cover it.Strain and remove the impurities. After it starts to boil, add the pulp of tender coconut ( I cut into bite sized pieces.. U can also use by grinding it coarsely).. U can even cook the pulp separately and add to jaggery.Let it boil for sometime. In the mean time , grind the grated coconut with water to extract the first milk. Set aside.Similarly take the second and third milk.Now add the third milk to the boiling jaggery mixture.After few seconds, add the second milk. Give a boil.Switch off the flame and add the first thick coconut milk.Mix well and allow it to cool down completely.Finally add the condensed milk and honey. Mix well and enjoy..

Note:

The color of this payasam varies according to the jaggery color.Mine was white in color as my jaggery was light yellow in color.Always add jaggery in lesser quantity. If sweet is less, you can add more syrup later.Condensed milk and honey should be added after the mixture cools down completely.

Kerala Semiya Payasam

This Kerala style semiya payasam is very simple to make. The taste was excellent. My hubby who doesn’t like this payasam loved it a lot.. It can be served hot or cold. For variations, you can add badam powder at the end to give a kheer taste.

INGREDIENTS (1 cup – 250ml)

For 2- 3 peopleSemiya / Vermicelli – 1/4 cupSugar – 4 tbsp  ( adjust)Milk – 1/2 ltrWater – 1/2 cupCardamom powder – 1/4 tsp(optional)Ghee – 1 tbspCashews and dry grapes – few

METHOD

In a wide mouthed Kadai , add half tbsp of ghee and roast the vermicelli till it turns golden brown with a nice aroma. In a pressure cooker base , take the milk and water .Let it boil till it reduces to half in quantity.Then add the roasted vermicelli and close the cooker. Leave it for a whistle and the semiya gets cooked well. (Semiya should not be mushy)Open the lid and add the sugar. Mix well. Add more milk if its too thick.Check for taste and add more sugar if required.Finally add the cardamom powder.. Boil for sometime.In a small kadai , take the remaining ghee and roast the cashews and dry grapes. Add on top of the payasam and garnish !!Serve hot or cold !

NOTE:

Cardamom powder is optional. It is not given in the actual recipe but I used it.U can add saffron threads soaked in warm milk which gives a nice color too..My neighbour adds instant badam mix at the end which also tastes the best..
Avial recipe

Please click on the picture to see the recipe for avial.

Do check out my Onam sadya menu – 2 

Easy Chakka pradhaman recipe

Kerala Paal payasam recipe

HAPPY ONAM TO ALL MY BLOGGERS AND FRIENDS. DO TRY THESE RECIPES AND HAVE A GREAT CELEBRATION !!

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43 thoughts on “Simple Onam Sadya Recipes – Mini Onam Sadya Recipes”

  12. Amarendra

    What an awesome spread. All dishes are yum, but I loved the tender coconut payasam. Wishing you Happy Onam in Advance.

    Reply
  18. radha

    That is making me so hungry all over again. Glad it is well past my meal time and I have enough will power not to raid the fridge. So many delicious recipes!

    Reply
  22. Prathima Rao

    oh wow…that is one mouthwatering spread!!!Great job on presenting onam sadya so neatly & with well explained recipes!!
    Prathima Rao
    Prats Corner

    Reply
  29. Sweta (My Indian Dietitian)

    WOW-hats off to you!! It would probably take me 4 days to make all that :)Love,love,love it!!

    Reply
  31. Swati Sapna

    Happy Onam Chitra! Your Onasadhya Thali looks amazing – so colorful and vibrant! I was lucky to be in Chennai on Onam and went to this lovely Kerala restaurant for an Onam special meal. It was wonderful!! The best part was 4 different bowls of payasam at the end of the meal – rice, dal, jackfruit and i think jaggery! Yummmm!

    Reply
  38. www.mahaslovelyhome.com

    I cant believe dis.ur awesum..so many recipes vth a single hand….n presenting too.great..each n every recipe is very healthy n luks yumm too.
    Maha

    Reply
  39. deepthi

    that was a really good one .. very tempting !!:)

    but in kerala even in sambar they put coconut varthu arachitu(fried and made paste).

    Reply
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