Sadhya- the meal that satisfies your soul.

When I was thinking of a title for this particular article I couldn't think of a better title. it indeed was a meal for the soul because it was so fulfilling. I felt so nourished and my body felt so naturally happy after a meal. I wasn't a big fan of vegetarian food since I have been a nonvegetarian my whole life and like all nonvegetarians, I was stereotyping vegetarian food. But I was wrong on so many levels. This meal was not only fulfilling but was so sumptuous and at the end of it I wasn't even feeling disgusted after eating so much.

There's something about this meal that is so fulfilling as a whole. even after consuming so many desserts I still didn't feel the sugar rush. Time and again we all need that one meal to keep us going, and this meal was that for me.

To give you all a little history and context about what exactly Kerala Sadhya is- Quite literally to tell you all it is an elaborate vegetarian meal from the south Indian state called Kerala. and as it looks in the photographs, it is rich in flavor and nutrients. they typically serve various dishes from pickle to papad to payasam ( will explain further what all of these dishes are). they use a lot of aromatic spices and definitely smell delicious. You know how they say, you eat with your eyes first.. this meal was that for me. I mean look at how colorful my serving is. It is as you can all see served on a banana leaf. it is not an everyday meal but an occasional meal. you get to have this meal the most on Onam, the harvest festival of the state.

What do you get to have for a sadhya?

• It is wholly a vegetarian meal and has various plant-based dishes.
• It is served on a banana leaf. it is now called sustainable, but it was used because it is said to have enhanced the flavor of the food.
• It is a rice-centric meal. it is the heart of the meal and is served in the middle of the banana leaf. it is parboiled rice.
• The sadhya meal is known for the variety of dishes that are served. I had around 16 dishes served to me. from curries to vegetable stews to vegetable dishes to payasam.
  -Sambar and Rasam are the best for me. As a South Indian myself I love drinking rasam when my mother makes it.
  What is sambar?
  It is a tomato-based or tamarind-based curry or stew that has the main ingredients as vegetables like brinjal, carrot, drumsticks, potato, etc. It also includes lentils too (toor dal)
  What is rasam?
  Tangy and spicy soup. It is made with a base of tamarind juice or tomato pulp.
  Flavored with spices like black pepper, cumin, and mustard seeds. It often includes lentils, garlic, and vegetables.
  

-Payasam!!!!: My favorite part of the meal. it is a coconut milk-based dessert and is literally the yummiest dessert in the world. having it on a banana leaf is a different kind of joy for a South Indian. getting your hands all messy is a part of the process and definitely is fun! there are varieties of payasam with ingredients like jaggery, coconut milk, and rice. I had four types of paysam on this very day! how crazy is that?!! i still didn't feel any sugarbush at all!!!!

-Sadhya is a mix of aromatic spices that just make the curries stews and dishes so flavourful. they used spices like curry leaves, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, and various other spices to give the meal its yummy flavor profile.

• It is a well-balanced meal in my opinion. from spicy to tangy to sweet, it has it all!

• Sadhya is often served on festivals and grand occasions and is a way to bring communities and families together as one. it is definitely a culinary heritage.
  
  -It is eaten with your hands and no fancy jazz, that's what I love the most. getting my hands all messy and having this scrumptious meal was healing.
  
  Kerla sadhya isn't just a meal or any other people that you have every day but is a cultural experience for those of us who need to experience the culture of Kerala. it is just a gist of what Kerala has to offer as a state. I
  definitely want to go back and have this meal again.