Kerala Sadya
🌼 What is a Sadya?
A Sadya is a traditional Kerala vegetarian meal served on a banana leaf, typically featuring 20 to 30 dishes. It represents the state’s culinary richness — a perfect balance of flavors: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and spicy.
🍌 Banana Leaf Arrangement (Traditional Order)
Sadya is always served on a banana leaf, with each dish placed in a specific spot.
From the top left to right, you’ll find:
Upper left: Pickles, banana chips, pappadam
Center: Rice with curries (sambar, rasam, etc.)
Bottom left: Banana or payasam (dessert)
🫕 Key Dishes in a Traditional Kerala Sadya
1. Matta Rice (Red Parboiled Rice)
The base of Sadya — cooked soft and fluffy.
To prepare:
Wash and cook Kerala matta rice with water (1:3 ratio) until tender.
Drain excess water if needed.
2. Sambar (Vegetable Lentil Curry)
A thick, tangy curry made with toor dal, tamarind, and mixed vegetables like drumstick, pumpkin, and okra.
To make:
Cook toor dal till soft.
Add boiled vegetables, sambar powder, tamarind pulp, salt.
Simmer and finish with a mustard seed, curry leaf, and dry red chili tempering in coconut oil.
3. Avial (Mixed Vegetable Coconut Curry)
A signature dish of Sadya — mildly spiced, coconut-based mixed vegetable curry.
To make:
Cook vegetables (raw banana, yam, beans, carrot) with salt and a bit of turmeric.
Grind coconut, green chili, and cumin into a coarse paste.
Mix with vegetables, add curd, and drizzle with coconut oil and curry leaves.
4. Olan (Ash Gourd and Black-eyed Beans Curry)
A light, fragrant dish cooked in coconut milk.
To make:
Cook ash gourd and cowpeas until soft.
Add thin coconut milk, salt, and green chilies.
Finish with thick coconut milk and coconut oil.
5. Thoran (Vegetable Stir-Fry with Coconut)
Dry dish — cabbage, beans, or carrot sautéed with grated coconut.
To make:
Stir-fry chopped veggies with mustard seeds, curry leaves, and green chilies.
Add grated coconut and turmeric; cook till dry.
6. Kaalan (Yam and Raw Banana Curry with Yogurt)
A tangy, thick curry made with curd, coconut, and pepper.
To make:
Cook yam and raw banana in water with turmeric and pepper.
Add ground coconut-cumin paste and thick curd.
Simmer till thick; temper with mustard, methi seeds, and curry leaves.
7. Erissery (Pumpkin and Black-eyed Pea Curry)
Sweet-spicy dish — pumpkin mashed with beans and coconut paste.
8. Rasam (Spiced Tamarind Soup)
A thin, spicy broth made with tamarind, tomatoes, and rasam powder — served toward the end for digestion.
9. Kichadi & Pachadi
Yogurt-based side dishes:
Pineapple Pachadi – sweet and tangy with grated coconut.
Cucumber or Beetroot Kichadi – cooling yogurt side with mustard seasoning.
10. Payasam (Dessert)
Every Sadya ends on a sweet note — often with two types:
Palada Payasam – made with milk, ada (rice flakes), and sugar.
Parippu Payasam – made with moong dal, jaggery, and coconut milk.
11. Accompaniments
Pappadam – crispy fried lentil wafers
Upperi (Banana chips) – sweet and salty versions
Inji Puli (Ginger Tamarind Pickle) – spicy-sweet
Kaalan / Moru Curry – yogurt curry poured over rice
Banana – eaten at the end or with payasam
🍽️ Serving Order
Serve all side dishes first on the banana leaf.
Then add rice in the center.
Pour parippu curry first, followed by sambar, and later rasam.
End with payasam and a small banana.
🌿 Tips for Authentic Kerala Sadya
Use fresh coconut for all dishes.
Cook in coconut oil only.
Serve on banana leaves with the narrow end pointing to the left.
Sadya is traditionally eaten by hand, sitting cross-legged on the floor.