Staff Reporter
Auckland, September 9, 2022
The spirit of Onam, the most important festival of Kerala, forms the third episode of the ‘Home Chefs’ Series on SevenzTV.
Kavitha Raj and her husband Raj Pushpagadan can be seen cooking ‘Beetroot Pachadi’ and ‘Mambazha Pulissery,’ two popular food items of Kerala, served as a part of an extensive ‘Onam Sadhya.’
Onam Sadhya is a feast comprising about 25 dishes, served on a banana leaf. The all-vegetarian meal is served to guests on ‘Thiruonam,’ celebrated as Onam in Kerala.
The first Onam Festival in Auckland this year was organised by OHM NZ on September 3, 2022, at Shri Shirdi Saibaba Sansthan, attended by about 800 people. The second Festival, scheduled to be held tomorrow (Saturday), September 10, 2022, by the Auckland Malayali Samajam will be attended by more than 1200 men, women and children and is a ‘Sold Out’ event at Mahatma Gandhi Centre, Auckland City.
Promoting the Malayali Heritage
While Kavitha and Raj trace their roots to Kerala (respectively Tripunithura and Kollam), they were raised and educated in the Western Indian State of Goa. They have preserved and promoted the culture, heritage and culinary art of their home state.
Coconut and yoghurt are the main common components of both the dishes cooked along with Beetroot and Mango, respectively.
Onam transcends caste, creed, religion and other human barriers. Millions of Keralites- be they Hindus, Muslims, Christians and of any other faith celebrate Onam with fervour and in the spirit of oneness all over the world.
“Celebrating Onam, the traditional way strengthens our Malayali cultural practice. These dishes can be cooked easily; they are simple, tasty, and healthy as well,” Kavitha said.
The multi-cultural cooking show, produced for SevenzTV by Sonu Kumar, his wife Shoba Sonu and their daughter Bharati Sonu
This episode is available on www.sevenztv.co.nz, SevenzTV Facebook, YouTube and on all INL platforms.
Be a winner with your recipe:
If you are a good ‘Home Chef’ and have a delicious home recipe which you wish to share on our SevenzTV Facebook page, email the photograph of your dish along with your picture to ss@sevenztv.co.nz. The chosen recipe would win a special food voucher.
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