Culinary experts from Kerala travel outside the state to serve Onasadya for the Malayali diaspora

This year Onam came early for members of the Malayali Association of Greater Chicago (MAGC). Culinary expert Pazhayidom Mohanan Namboothiry flew from Kerala to be their chief guest and served sadya for over 1,500 members of the Association. At the event held on August 24, Pazhayidom and team prepared a sumptuous feast (called a sadya) with 30 dishes and two payasams.

Malayali diaspora across the world celebrate Onam under the auspices of Malayali associations and cultural organisations in those countries. Onasadya is the pièce de resistance of the festival and the members go all out to make it a grand affair. That is why several sadya specialists from Kerala travel outside the state to prepare Onasadya for the Malayali population. While countries in West Asia is where most of them travel to, they are also invited by Malayali associations in US, UK, Australia, South Africa and Europe.

The celebrations are held after Onam because these cooks are usually busy during the festival season in Kerala. “I have been to countries in West Asia, and many places in US, UK, Australia and South Africa,” says Pazhayidom. Later this month, he has a trip scheduled to Salalah in Oman followed by programmes in UK and Bahrain. “This is my first visit to Salalah, whereas I have been serving sadya for members of Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam for 12 years now. Around 5,000 people are expected to turn up for the feast,” he adds.

Also, he was in UAE last month to train 80 chefs of the Lulu group, in preparation for the sale of packed sadya at its outlets. “This has been going on for the last three years. I train them to make the dishes in the Pazhayidom style. A sadya pack has 22 dishes and two payasams,” he says.

Sachin Vinayaka of Sree Vinayaka Caterers at Changanassery in Kottayam district is travelling to Muscat and Malaysia this year. “Last year, I went to Bahrain and Dubai. Usually we serve sadya for around 2,000 people,” says Sachin, adding that palada is the special in their sadya spread.

Vijayan Nadamangalath from Aranmula in Pathanamthitta is a connoisseur of Aranmula Vallasadya, the ritualistic feast served at the Sree Parthasarathy Temple at Aranmula. He has overseas bookings every year for his sadya. “My first trip was to Kuwait and I have been going to Bahrain for the last two years. I will be travelling again early next month to Bahrain. Around 3,000 people will have our sadya that has over 40 items with four types of payasams,” says 61-year-old Vijayan.

It is usually a team of three or five who travel to these countries. “Members of the association inviting us are always around to help us with cutting, chopping, and stirring the dishes,” says Sachin.

Meanwhile, there is a demand for these experts in other Indian states as well. Anil Brothers from Omallur in Pathanamthitta district has been preparing the sadya for the Nagar Haveli Malayalee Association at Silvassa, headquarters of the Union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, near Gujarat, since 2015.

“Silvassa has a sizeable population of Malayalis who belong to Omalloor. They invite us every year to serve the sadya. We couldn’t go during the floods and then the pandemic,” says Anish A (Sethu), whose father Anilkumar PG started the firm in 1950.

A six-member team will serve sadya to around 2,000 people on September 29. “We give the list of ingredients a month ahead and so everything is ready by the time we reach there on the eve of the sadya,” he adds. The spread has nine side-dishes, some of them specific to their brand. “Stew is one of our side-dishes. Our ginger pickle is not sweet; we have the wild lemon pickle that does not have red chilli,” Sethu explains.

There have been occasions when they had to carry some of the ingredients as well. “Since Ambazhanga (hog plum) pickle is integral to Vallasadya, last year I had to take the plum with me to Bahrain since it was unavailable there,” Vijayan says. Sachin adds, “I carried nurukku ari (broken rice) for the payasam once since they couldn’t arrange for the same.”

The biggest challenge for all of them, however, is the non-availability of the right type of vessels to cook the dishes for the sadya. “Since we don’t get the varppu (huge cauldron) we cook in whatever vessel we get, like the huge pots used to make biryani. The problem is that the food doesn’t get cooked the same way in such vessels,” Sethu says.

He remembers how they had just one huge vessel to cook rice when they went to Silvassa for the first time. “Our three-member team had to cook for 1,500 people and with just one pot, it went on from 6am to around 4pm,” Sethu mentions.

Pazhayidom adds that he has even shipped sadya-specific vessels to West Asia. “Although it is a challenge when we don’t get the right vessel, we try not to see it as a hurdle. We have to serve them the sadya. They are quite emotional and nostalgic about Onam and Onasadya and we can’t disappoint them,” says Pazhayidom.