Pune: Kerala eateries and delivery kitchens across Pune are busy prepping for the traditional sadhya, an elaborate vegetarian meal served on a banana leaf, as the city’s Malayali community observes Thiruvonam today. For the community in Pune, Onam is as much about the feast as it is about the festival with families finding their own ways to bring the feast to the table.For some, cooking turns into a family affair. Arun Nair, a resident of Fatimanagar, said his family follows a potluck tradition in which every member prepares a dish. “All the men in my family are self-proclaimed good cooks. Everyone cooks a dish at their homes, and we have a potluck feast at mine. There have been years when we have had more than 27 or 28 dishes,” he said.For Preethi KP, who has lived in Pune for 40 years, the day will begin with a temple visit with her family in festive clothing and ordering in to make the feast easy to enjoy. “This is the start of the festive season. Since Onam falls on a Thursday, we will order at home so it will not be tiring,” the Sadashiv Peth resident said.Smaller cloud kitchens serving Malayali cuisine are also in high demand. Ajay Warrier said his Kondhwa cloud kitchen has sold out its Onam orders until the upcoming weekend.“The sadya, which can include avial, thoran, olan, sambar, pickles, pappadam, banana chips and several varieties of payasam, is increasingly being enjoyed by Pune residents without preparing it themselves. For families juggling work and festivities, ordering a ready spread has become a convenient alternative to spending much of the day in kitchens,” he said.To add to the festivities, pets can join in too. Petfeast has introduced its first Onam sadya for dogs, with a full-spread meal box and bento boxes, including a chicken option.“The response has been very good. We are getting quite a few orders, even though it is available only for two days,” said Sonal Zalkikar of Petfeast. She said several customers specifically wanted the unusual festive option.The idea came from home. Last year, Zalkikar served her own dog Rio a meal on a banana leaf while the family ate their Onam-style feast. “He loved it, and I thought, why not make it commercially so other pets can also have their own kind of sadhya and celebrate the festival?” she said.
