HYDERABAD: Women in white, gold-bordered kasavu sarees and men donning mundus (panche). A vibrant pookalam (flower design) bursting with yellows, oranges, reds, pinks and the festive greeting: Onam Ashamsakal (Happy Onam). But it was only when we sat down in front of the big banana leaves for the sumptuous sadhya (traditional Onam lunch) at Malabari’s The Kerala Kitchen in Gachibowli did we understand why the ‘Happy’ precedes Onam.
.. We took koruchu vellam (a little water), as the Malayalees say, and gently slathered it over the vaazhayila (leaf) to clean it.
Something about being served on the vaazhayila felt so homely and comforting. A little salt, a tiny banana, some Maanga Aachar (yes, you guessed it, mango pickle) and some Ingi Aachar (ginger pickle) plopped on the leaf. The ingi was an explosion of sweet, sour and bitter rolled into one.
A very, very generous serving of Matta Rice (red rice) mimicked a miniature mountain; the key was to make a tiny opening in the centre with your index finger and then launch a full-fledged gravy attack on the matta. So, we were served some Kootu Curry, a rich gravy with pumpkin pieces and kadalas (black chickpeas), which made for a satisfying chew in each bite. And if rains had lashed Hyderabad that day, this dish would be the star, with second place going to the Saambar.
And the Rasam, though flavourful, made us crave more of that tang factor. Next, a favourite stew of both Malayalees and Tamilians, Aviyal, graced our leaves. A m.