It’s Onam Tomorrow, and I’m Making Olan

It’s Onam Tomorrow, and I’m Making Olan

Back in 2009, I couldn’t even make Maggi without consulting youtube or cooking websites or at least setting off some minor smoke alarm drama, but by 2011 I was somehow in charge of cooking olan for an Onam potluck.

Instead of asking anyone at home, I turned to my lifeline back then; endless GTalk chats with my friends Devika and Kalashree because even the recipe websites weren’t making any sense to me. Kalashree was in the UK at the time, and through another Malayali friend Anju, she managed to get me the recipe over email, because that’s how we did things back then of course, It took 5 emails, 2 hours of Gtalk chats and some cryptic notes. I still have it in my inbox, like a dusty little treasure map to culinary glory.

That email is still sitting in my inbox, a little time capsule of my early cooking days. And funnily enough, ever since then, olan has become my dish for Onam the one thing I make, year after year, only on this day. Tomorrow, as I peel pumpkin, simmer beans, and stir in that extra thick coconut milk, I’ll be thinking of those not so ancient moments of GTalk threads, that distant email, and the little Onam potluck that shaped a tradition I still keep.

At the end of the day, Olan is just Kumblanga, beans, coconut milk, and a pinch of spice. But somehow, the simplest things end up meaning the most if we actually pay attention

For me, Olan isn’t just a dish… it’s friendships, memories, and the comforting yet simple joy of keeping a tradition alive. The only time I ever get away with stirring coconut milk while pretending to know what I’m doing.