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The planning for an Onam feast has started much earlier this time. This is my second Onam in Melbourne and last year I had only ‘Bread Omlette’ to stave off my hunger pangs. However, this time we had come up with plans to make a good Onam feast – each one has taken the ownership to take responsibilites. Hence the menu got finalized.
Kaalan, Aviyal, Sambar, Parippu curry, Cabbage Thoran, Koottucurry, Rasam, Pappadam & Payasam. And Kayu varuthathu (banana chips) we thought of buying it, pickles as well.
We took the ownership seriously, had started surfing Onam recipes and that’s the time I really knew that a google search for an ‘Onam recipe’ will retrieve you thousands of pages. I did save all the recipes as html pages, which has got images for each recipe. So the ‘Expected Output’ has been defined for each individual item. Now let’s wait some more time for the Actual Output.
On Saturday morning, we had gone to Victoria market to buy vegetables. We knew that banana leaves are available there. We had taken a whole round on the market and could not spot a stall which sells any banana leaf. A Malayali can’t even imagine Onam feast in ceramic plate. I still remember the good old memoirs in my childhood days. All of us in Kerala will have a plantain in their own backyard. That was me who cuts leaves from the plantains and I had to be alert to take the bigger leaf before my sisters grab it, when we are called for lunch. Gone are those days – and now I am going to buy banana leaves from market, that too for dollars. Since we could not find any leaves, we started asking people in stalls “Can I get banana leaf here?” Most of us told that there is no such shop here which sells banana leaves. Even though we did not stop asking for it and atlast one guy directed us to a Chinese shop and it was really happy to hear that it’s available in the market– So we are going to get banana leaves soon. We rushed to the stall as per he directed, Bad luck. The stock was over. No other option – we have to take Onam feast in ceramic plates. But we didn’t turn back, we had asked one of our friends who has got a mallu restaurant in Melbourne. From him, we knew that we get frozen banana leaves in Vic market. So the next aim is set. Sunday morning, go to Vic market again and get the frozen leaves.
And we got the frozen banana leaves, 15 or more banana leaves for $14 (AUD). Don’t you feel like achieved something when you tide over such small hurdles? It doesn’t matter for, if these are big or small things. Really felt cheerful for a simple thiing.
Kaalan, Aviyal, Sambar, Parippu curry, Cabbage Thoran, Koottucurry, Rasam, Pappadam & Payasam. And Kayu varuthathu (banana chips) we thought of buying it, pickles as well.
We took the ownership seriously, had started surfing Onam recipes and that’s the time I really knew that a google search for an ‘Onam recipe’ will retrieve you thousands of pages. I did save all the recipes as html pages, which has got images for each recipe. So the ‘Expected Output’ has been defined for each individual item. Now let’s wait some more time for the Actual Output.
On Saturday morning, we had gone to Victoria market to buy vegetables. We knew that banana leaves are available there. We had taken a whole round on the market and could not spot a stall which sells any banana leaf. A Malayali can’t even imagine Onam feast in ceramic plate. I still remember the good old memoirs in my childhood days. All of us in Kerala will have a plantain in their own backyard. That was me who cuts leaves from the plantains and I had to be alert to take the bigger leaf before my sisters grab it, when we are called for lunch. Gone are those days – and now I am going to buy banana leaves from market, that too for dollars. Since we could not find any leaves, we started asking people in stalls “Can I get banana leaf here?” Most of us told that there is no such shop here which sells banana leaves. Even though we did not stop asking for it and atlast one guy directed us to a Chinese shop and it was really happy to hear that it’s available in the market– So we are going to get banana leaves soon. We rushed to the stall as per he directed, Bad luck. The stock was over. No other option – we have to take Onam feast in ceramic plates. But we didn’t turn back, we had asked one of our friends who has got a mallu restaurant in Melbourne. From him, we knew that we get frozen banana leaves in Vic market. So the next aim is set. Sunday morning, go to Vic market again and get the frozen leaves.
And we got the frozen banana leaves, 15 or more banana leaves for $14 (AUD). Don’t you feel like achieved something when you tide over such small hurdles? It doesn’t matter for, if these are big or small things. Really felt cheerful for a simple thiing.
Hence we started cooking, had made sambar first, we do make sambar frequently. Kootu curry was made with pumpkin, chick peas and coconut powder mixed in. It turned really nice. And I did not even have any idea before even on it's ingredients. Because this dish, we usually have only in festivals or in hindu marriages.Hence we had to start preparing payasam (Paal Ada). It is important that you have to stir milk and ada for a long time. And you need to add milk and sugar several times in between. And that was for the first time anyone of us making payasam. It was really tasty, rich with cardamom, cashew and other dry fruits.
In another 2 hours, we had prepared all the other items from menu. Kaalan, which is made of yoghurt, Aviyal, mixed vegetables, Rasam - made of tomato and tamarind, Pineapple pachadi - made of yoghurt & pineapple, Pappadom and 2 pickles.
It was Gaye who made cabbage thoran. She had taken the recipe from internet and prepared it very well. And that too the cabbages from her farm. Liz had brought parippu curry which was pretty good – dal fried with cumin seeds.
As a token, the genuine thanks goes to
Gaye: Cabbage thoran
Liz: Parippu curry
Rajesh & Shehnaz: Kaalan, Aviyal, Sambar, Kootucury & Pachadi
Shihas: Payasam
Adil: for the marathon run for arranging all the vegetables & banana leaves. Even it was a hard job to clean and make the banana leaves into a good condition since the leaves were frozen, folded and packed.
Tindu: external support, arranged all the necessary stuffs to kitchen. It is notable that for Onam feast we don’t take any Non-veg dishes. Otherwise, Tindu would have been on the main chef role.
&
Myself: Rasam
Ona sadya turned really great. It was real fun while surfing recipes, calling home for recipes, and while cooking those recipes. It was the first time for Gaye having a feast served in banana leaf and eating food with no spoons or forks. She had really enjoyed the food. And all of us too....
And here comes the Actual Output:
I wish for next Onam, we will have the feast and go for a boat race in Yarra river !!!(Hmm…. Buddha said: Desire is the root cause of all suffering)
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