For Kerala's Malayali community, Onam is a celebration closely associated with family, community and food.
At Krishna Vilas, the tradition has been part of the restaurant's Onam celebrations since 2023. This year, more than 150 guests attended the Sadya, prepared by specialist chefs brought in for the occasion. Owners Sai Pattem and Sai Arpita also took part in serving the guests.
A traditional Onam feast, known as a Sadya, is served on a banana leaf and consists of a wide variety of vegetarian dishes. Before the first bite, the banana leaf sets the tone for the meal. The leaf becomes the setting with the different preparations arranged around rice at the centre.
The feast begins with Upperi, or banana chips, alongside Sharkara Varatti, banana chips coated in jaggery, and crisp pappadam. Kerala Matta rice, a distinctive red rice from the region, is served with Parippu Curry and ghee or clarified butter.
The lentil curry is traditionally mixed with the rice as one of the first courses of the Sadya.
The Sadya is traditionally eaten by hand, allowing diners to mix the rice and curries as they go. But if you prefer cutlery, no one is going to judge.
Among the dishes that followed were Sambar, a spiced lentil and vegetable stew, Kaalan, a thick and tangy yoghurt-based curry, and Olan, a mild preparation of vegetables and beans in coconut milk. Aviyal combines mixed vegetables with coconut and yoghurt, while Erissery brings pumpkin, legumes and coconut to the leaf.
Cabbage Thoran, finely chopped cabbage cooked with coconut and mild spices, adds another layer of crunch.
What makes a Sadya distinctive is the contrast between its dishes. Some are creamy and coconut-based, others are tangy, spicy or slightly sweet. The flavours are not intended to be experienced in isolation: rice is mixed with different curries and accompaniments throughout the meal, allowing diners to create different combinations from the same spread.
The sweeter and tangier side of the meal comes through in Pineapple Pachadi and Mambazha Pachadi, while Injipuli combines ginger and tamarind for a sweet, sour and spicy note. Achaar or pickle adds another hit of acidity and spice.
Towards the end comes Sambaram, a lightly spiced buttermilk that offers a refreshing pause after the many flavours of the meal. The meal finishes with Ada Pradhaman, a traditional Kerala dessert made with ada and jaggery, followed by a banana.
The Sadya is more than an assortment of dishes. It is closely tied to the celebration of Onam, Kerala's major harvest festival.
The feast is traditionally associated with family and community, coming together to celebrate with a communal meal.
For Luxembourg's Malayali community, celebrations such as these offer a way to maintain a connection with traditions from home while sharing them with a wider audience.
"Even though we are celebrating thousands of kilometres from Kerala, Onam is still about the same things: food, community and bringing people together. We wanted to create that feeling here in Luxembourg", says the owner Sai Pattem.
At Krishna Vilas, the Onam meal offered a chance to experience this old tradition in a Luxembourg setting.
For those who missed the Onam Sadya at Krishna Vilas, the Dakshin Indian Kitchen will be serving Onam meals during the weekend of 5 and 6 September.
For those who grew up with it, the meal is about more than the food, it is a familiar and memorable part of Onam celebrations, bringing people together around the same banana leaf, wherever they may be.
