As Dubai is home to many people from the state of Kerala in India, there are numerous Kerala cuisine restaurants in the city. There are very few good restaurants, and among the good Kerala restaurants in the city is Aappa Kadai.
Aappa Kadai has been my go-to restaurant for Appams and Puttu, but yesterday for the very first time, I visited them for Onam Sadhya. In fact it was my first Onam Sadhya experience in a Dubai restaurant. Naturally I was excited and couldn’t wait for the feast.
Appa Kadai is an Indian restaurant specializing in cuisine from the state of Kerala. They have three outlets in Dubai, and I visited their Karama outlet. The restaurant is simple and spacious, don’t expect fancy decor. But what you can expect is amazing food.
Onam is a harvest festival in Kerala. This year, Onam festival was on September 4. The most awaited part of Onam festival is the traditional Sadhya.
Sadhya means banquet in Malayalam, the language spoken by Keralites. Sadhya is a variety of dishes traditionally served on a banana leaf. Onam Sadhya features 24 dishes. It’s a vegetarian meal served during lunch time.
In Kerala the Sadhya is served on the banana leaf, while sitting on the floor. And eaten with hands without cutlery.
In Aappa Kadai, the Sadhya was served on a banana leaf on our table. We loved the festive spirit in the restaurant. Most of the diners were wearing their traditional outfit and the flower decoration and lamp at the entrance looked fabulous.
Here’s the list of the dishes that were served in the Onam Sadhya:
There were 2 kinds of pickle, paapad, banana chips, cabbage Thoran(sautéed cabbage with coconut), Rasam, Sambar, Parippu(moong dal) curry, Avial(mixed veggies in coconut curry), cooked buttermilk based Pulissery, coconut milk based Olan curry, spicy and sour yam curry known as Kaalan, yogurt based beetroot Pachadi.
Many other amazing and authentic vegetarian dishes were also served along with rice. There were two desserts- Semiaya Payasam and Parippu Payasam. The Parippu Payasam was so delicious that I had to ask for a second helping.
I really enjoyed the lavish feast. Loved the sheer variety of dishes that were rich in taste, flavor and color. Each and every dish was excellent and unique.
What an unforgettable lunch it was. And can’t believe it was only AED 35 per person inclusive of spicy Buttermilk. Aappa Kadai serves great food indeed, no wonder I keep going back to that restaurant.
Phone: 04 354 8080 (for deliveries)
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