Probably the only time (apart from Onam), one gets to have a full fledged Kerala sadya on a banana leaf, is Vishu. The festival is the celebration of the Malayali new year in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Mahe. As per tradition, people wear new clothes on Vishu and elders give a small amount to children known as Kaineettam. But an integral part of the festival is the sadya which typically has between 20 to 30 dishes. As people in Kerala prepare for yet another new year, Bengaluru has its own chunk of proud Malayalis who look forward to this particular festival as an excuse to head out and ‘belt’ a traditional meal. If you are not heading to Kerala to celebrate the new year, the city has ample options for you to indulge in. One such spot is the Sarovar Portico Outer Ring Road Bengaluru and we decided to preview it for you.
The excitement began as soon as the banana leaf was laid in front of us. Now you wait till all the dishes are served to you one by one, if you can. First up was a pinch of salt, followed by Pazham (banana), Pappadam (fried Kerala papad), Kaayaa Upperi (deep fried plantain chips), Sarkara Upperi (plantain chips made with jaggery and spices), Mulagu Kondaattam (salt marinated sun-dried chilli), Pavakka Kondaattam (salt marinated sun-dried bitter gourd), Inji Puli (sweet and spicy ginger pickle), Manga Achaar (mango pickle), Puli Naaranga (lemon pickle), Vellarikkaa Pachadi (cucumber cooked in mustard flavoured tempered yoghurt), Beetroot Kichadi (beetroot cooked in coconut with tempered yoghurt), Madhura Curry (mixed fruits in mustard flavoured tempered yoghurt), Koottu Curry (vegetable and lentil cooked in tempered coconut), Olan (ash gourd and black eye gram cooked in spiced coconut milk), Kaalan (raw banana cooked in spiced yoghurt), Varutha Errusseri (red pumpkin and beans cooked with roasted coconut and spices), Ulli Theeyal (shallots cooked in tangy roasted coconut and tamarind), Cabbage Thoran (tempered vegetable with coconut), Avial (vegetables cooked with coconut and spices), Matta Ari Choru (boiled red rice) and Parippu with Ghee (tempered dal curry).
We mixed the parippu along with the rice and ghee and it was an absolute delight. Then with each handful of rice, we mixed one each of the above mentioned dishes and it was a burst of flavours every single time. Then came the second serving of rice. This time, it was served with sambar. The Kerala sambar, with the strong flavour of tamarind, hits differently. The third serving of rice was with rasam and the last one was along with Pacha Moru (spiced buttermilk).
You can take a guess at how full we were by then and the four varieties of payasam didn’t help our cause at all. First, we sampled the Ada Pradhaman (rice flakes cooked in coconut milk and jaggery). We took a small bite of the banana that was served in the beginning and mixed it with this dessert and we were instantly transported to another universe of flavour. The dessert was over in the blink of an eye then. They also served Paal Payasam, Paal Ada Payasam and Pineapple Payasam, which were also all on point! Need we tell you why you need to do this sadya, again?
Meal for two: INR 1,850 onwards. April 14, 11.30 am. At Brunchilly, Outer Ring Road, Doddanekundi.
Email: alwin@newindianexpress.com
X: @al_ben_so
