Onam is here and so is a grand vegetarian feast you most definitely shouldn’t miss out on
Happy Onam! The season of harvest has finally dawned upon the Kerala community and what better way to celebrate it other than eating 28 dishes on a banana leaf.
The 10-day harvest is celebrated with music, dance and food, and Veena Jan spoke to us on what makes Onam extra special for her. She said: “I usually prepare my meals at home and I make all of it because one dish less can make the entire meal feel completely different.”
Don’t compromise on the payasam (pudding or kheer). Even if you can’t make it, buy it… you get it in bulk. So call your friends and have a happy – and filling – Onam
Like Veena, several Kerala-based expatriates try to make their dishes at home. Well, maybe most of them. Those living alone can find it quite difficult to make the entire spread in one go and so Veena recommends: “A banana leaf, a spoonful of rice, a few easy-to-make side dishes, pickle and pappadam (fried flatbread) – that would be just fine. Also don’t compromise on the payasam (pudding or kheer). Even if you can’t make it, buy it… you get it in bulk. So call your friends and have a happy – and filling – Onam.”
Before you bask in the merriment of a traditional Kerala feast, here’s a short story on how Onam truly came to be…
Legend has it in Hindu mythology that there was once a generous and benevolent ruler named King Mahabali. He was loved by his courtiers and countrymen, which made him one of the kindest rulers of the time. All was good, except for one thing – he was an asura (demon).
While his people overlooked this fact, the deities (suras) weren’t so pleased with what they saw and were envious of him. After all, he was an asura. But what the suras did find out was that King Mahabali was a devoted follower of the Hindu deity Vishnu. And so they sought Vishnu’s help, who then disguised himself as Vamana (a Brahmin dwarf) and approached King Mahabali for his help.
Vamana then asked the king to allot him the area of land he could cover in three steps. Generous as he was, King Mahabali promptly agreed. Vamana transformed into a massive giant on Mahabali’s acceptance of this condition and ended up taking one step, which covered the entire earth and a second step which covered the sky. But before Vamana took the third step, King Mahabali realised he could destroy everything and requested him to place it on his head.
Impressed by his sacrifice, Vamana offered him a blessing. This led to King Mahabali requesting the deity Vishnu to give him an opportunity to return to earth every year to visit his kingdom and people for a day. Once Vishnu granted him this blessing, he also assured King Mahabali that he would be cherished and honoured for his act of selflessness and sacrifice.
And so Onam or harvest festival marks the return of King Mahabali every year to celebrate with his subjects.
If you’re still feeling hungry after this story, here’s UAE top blogger Veena Jan’s three must-try recipes for Onam…
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