What's on My Plate? A Homemade Kerala Sadya

Red parboiled Kerala rice
It sounds simple, but it's the canvas. Everything else on the plate exists to be eaten with this rice. ▶ 0:48

Nellikka achaar (gooseberry pickle)
Sour, a little bitter and sharp enough to wake up every taste bud. You have the pickle first, as a signal that the feast has begun. Usually made with mango; I used fresh gooseberries. ▶ 1:00

Parippu (moong dal)
A simple curry of split yellow lentils, traditionally the very first thing served on the rice. I added spinach for extra nutrition. Best with a touch of ghee. ▶ 1:26

Nellikka pachadi
The same gooseberry, totally transformed: ground with coconut, ginger and cumin, mixed with yogurt and tempered with mustard seeds and curry leaves. From Palakkad, cooling and creamy, and one of my favourites. ▶ 1:53

Kaalan
Raw plantain cooked soft with cumin, black pepper and coconut in a slightly sour yogurt base. That intentional sourness makes it rich and deeply satisfying. ▶ 2:24

Cabbage thoran
The dry dish, which you need because everything else is saucy. Finely shredded cabbage with onions, a pinch of garlic (Trivandrum style), grated coconut, cumin and turmeric. About 10 minutes to make. ▶ 3:00

Aviyal
Every vegetable you can find, cooked in a coconut and yogurt base and finished with coconut oil and curry leaves. The vegetables should keep a little crunch, and the final drizzle of raw coconut oil is the soul of the dish. ▶ 3:28

Sambar
A lentil and vegetable stew with tamarind, tomatoes and a spice blend every family makes slightly differently. Mine has drumstick and onions. ▶ 3:52

Ishtu
Kerala's stew: potatoes and onions in a delicate coconut milk broth, barely spiced with ginger and green chillies. Usually eaten with appam; in a sadya it's the soft, milky contrast to the bold flavours. ▶ 4:24

Paalada
Dessert, where every proper sadya ends: rice flakes slow-cooked in sweetened milk until it turns slightly pink and thickens. South India's answer to rice pudding. ▶ 5:02