For Malayali families and associations abroad, Onam is the one day when everyone wants the full banana-leaf sadya, yet finding the ingredients, cooks and time is hard. Shops, caterers and community groups that plan early can serve a proper sadya without a week of cooking. Here is a practical way to plan it.
What a sadya usually includes
A traditional sadya is vegetarian and served in a fixed order on a banana leaf. Exact dishes vary between south, central and north Kerala, but most associations plan for a core list like this:
- Rice, with parippu and ghee, then sambar, then rasam and buttermilk.
- Thoran, avial, olan, kalan and a pachadi or kichadi.
- Pickles (mango, lemon), puliyinchi and banana chips with sharkara upperi.
- Payasam, usually one or two kinds, to finish.
Pickles, puliyinchi and chips are small items that are easy to forget but missing them is the first thing guests notice.
Three ways to serve a sadya abroad
- Cook everything fresh. Best taste, but needs a large volunteer team, many ingredients that are hard to source and a long preparation day.
- Mix: cook rice and a few dishes, buy the rest ready-made. This is the most common choice for associations, because the time-consuming curries and payasam come ready.
- Fully ready-to-eat. Retort pouch sadya packs are simply warmed and served, useful for small families, shops selling Onam hampers and caterers with limited kitchen space.
How much to plan per guest
Because sadya has many small portions, plan by item, not by total weight. A rough starting point many organisers use is one serving of each curry per person, with payasam as a small cup. Always add a margin of about 10 percent for second helpings, and count children separately. Write the guest number down early, because the pack count follows from it.
Ready-to-eat sadya from Kerala
Our export range of retort pouch products includes an Onam sadya pack with rice and 20 items for four people, along with complete meals, payasam, and over 100 Kerala, North Indian and Indo-Chinese dishes. The pouches have an 18-month shelf life and need no refrigeration until opened, so a shop or association can store them and sell or serve through the season. You can read the details in our retort pouch storage guide for importers.
Add pickles and breakfast for the full table
Shops preparing Onam hampers often add vegetarian Kerala pickles (mango, lemon, puliyinchi) beside the sadya packs. For the days around Onam, a frozen Kerala breakfast range such as idiyappam and appam is a natural companion for community events.
Serving tips for the day
Warm pouches in hot water or a pan as the pack instructs, plate the dry items first and the wet curries last, and keep payasam for the end. Set out pickles, puliyinchi and chips in small bowls so every leaf gets a spoonful. If you are serving a large group, assign one volunteer to each course so the order of serving stays traditional.
Order early, and plan the label
- Share your destination country, so labelling and documents are planned correctly.
- Decide whether you want our label or your own brand.
- Give an approximate quantity for each pack type, and the month you want the stock in your shop.
- Allow time for sample approval if you are a new buyer.
Enquire for next Onam
Enquiries are open for importers, ethnic grocery chains and caterers. See the ready-to-eat retort curries range, and send the pack types, destination country and approximate quantities on WhatsApp +91 82899 93000 or through the enquiry form. Farmour Ventures is ISO 22000:2018 certified, holds an FSSAI Central licence and an active IEC.