kerala sadhya

The method of serving a sadya or meal is very precise. The leaves to be eaten from are always the end section of the plantain leaf. When it is laid on the table, the narrow part of the leaf must always be on the left side. Serving begins from the bottom left half of the leaf on which is placed a small yellow banana. Next to this are served jaggery coated banana chips plain banana chips and papad. Then beginning from the top left half of the leaf are placed lime curry, mango pickle, injipuli (a thick ginger tamarind curry), lime pickle, thoran (a dry mix of any vegetable with coconut), vegetable stew or olan (gourd is the main ingredient), aviyal (a thick mixture of vegetables in a coconut based gravy), Pachadi (raw mango and curd mixture) and khichdi. Only after all these are placed on the leaf, does the person begin eating. Thereafter the rice is served at the bottom center. The sambhar (a lentil based gravy that came to Kerala from neighboring Tamil Nadu) and kalan (a curry of yam and curd, spiced with pepper) is poured onto the rice. When the meal is over, pradaman (rice flour, coconut milk and jaggery) or pal payasam (sugar sweetened milk and rice) is served onto the leaf. After dessert, rasam (fiery pepper water) is poured into cupped hands to be drunk and then a little bit of curd to aid digestion.
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