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28 March 2024

Onam in Dubai: Where can you still get 'Onasadhya'

Published
By Sneha May Francis

Although Onam is officially over, expats in the UAE are still in the mood for more celebrations, with several restaurants gearing up to dish out a lavish ‘Onasadhya’ (traditional vegetarian meal) for resident Malayalis this coming weekend.

Talking to Emirates24|7, a staffer at Grand Hotel confirmed that they will be serving onasadhya on Saturday. “We have had a huge crowd over the last two days, and so we’ve decided to keep the Onam spirit alive, and continue with the celebrations on Saturday.”

He added that they had sold over 1,200 onasadhya parcels for lunch on Sunday. “There was a big crowd at the restaurant as well. We must’ve served over 1,000 customers at lunch yesterday,” he said, adding, “Even on Saturday we served over 900 onasadhyas.”

Calicut Paragon in Al Nahda also packed in a crowd on Sunday, with the staffer confirming that they sold nearly 3,000 onasadhyas for take-away.

So, if you’ve still not indulged in the onasadhya, you’ve got to book a table at one of our top 5 picks. 

1. Nalukettu

Dubai Grand Hotel,

Al Qusais

Call: 042615688 (reservation till 1pm)

Timing: 12noon to 3.30pm

Cost: Dh40 

2. Suja’s Kitchen

Sharjah

Call: 06538286/0507871241 (Only takeaway orders) Timing 11am onwards

Cost: Dh40

24 items, including two payasams 

3. Kerala Kitchen

Karama

Call: 800557

Timing 12:15pm to 3.30pm

Cost: Dh20 (Not a full-onasadhya but a mini-one)

20 items 

4. Kalavara

Nihal Hotel, Ground Level, Near Al Rigga Metro Station, Al Rigga, Dubai

Call: 042959140/0509149856

Timing: Noon to 4pm

Cost: Dh25 (Not a typical onasadhya, but will include 15 items) 

5. Kalpakavadi

Dubai Palm Hotel, Ground Level, Al Muteena

Call: 042722487, 0502969296

Timing: Noon to 3.30pm

Cost: Dh30

Will have nearly 16 authentic dishes 

Onam - history and tradition

Onam is the (mythical) homecoming of King Mahabali, who was once loved and respected for his just rule. Legend has it that despite being an Asura (demon), Mahabali kept his people happy through his judicious rule. Kerala flourished under his reign, causing unrest among the gods, who feared something amiss.

Then, Lord Vishnu took the form of a Brahmin named Vamana, and went to earth to ask Mahabali for a piece of land. Known to indulge the requests of his people, the generous king didn’t refuse and offered him as much land as he wished. Vamana responded with a peculiar request for land that would cover his three steps.

Just after Mahabali accepted this unusual request, Vamana began to grow gigantic, with his first step covering the entire earth. And, the second covered the skies.

Vamana then asked Mahabali where he should place his third step, to which the king humbly offered his head. Vamana crushed him, and sent him away, but because he was such a beloved ruler, Lord Vishnu granted him his only wish to return every year to visit his people.

So, every year, Malayalis across the world welcome their beloved king back into their lives, decorate their homes with the symbolic flower-carpet (pookalam), participate in the traditional dance (kaikotikali) and prepare the lavish feast (onasadhya) in a bid to give their king the impression that they are content.

What makes onasadhya so delectably famous?

Consisting of nearly 26 vegetarian dishes, the traditional onasadhya is served on a big, banana leaf and placed on the floor. Traditionally, people sit on the floor and eat the spread with the hands (the use of cutlery is a big no-no).

There’s even a science that governs the placement of each dish on the plantain leaf, with the spine of the leaf clearly dividing the majority of dishes, from where the rice is served.

The lunch includes three types of pickle, and a host of ‘kootans’ or curries (Erissery, Avial, Pachadi, Kichadi, Olan, Inji Thayir, Thoran, Koottukari) which are placed on the top part of the leaf. The rice is placed on the bottom half, where the watery dishes like dal, sambhar, rasam, and mooru curry are served with it in that particular order. Chips, pappad, banana are placed on the bottom left, while kaalan to the bottom right. At the end, three types of payasams (desserts) are served.