is working against the clock

as they prepare 150,000 sadyas

for Kerala's harvest festival, Onam.

Every sadya is made of 20 distinct vegetarian dishes

and requires the team to prepare

at least a month in advance.

It is a huge task, and all the responsibility

for delivering it successfully falls on Chef Mahadevan.

Narrator: We visited Vinayaka Caterers in Kerala

to see how Chef Mahadevan and his team

prepare an Onam sadya in such big batches.

Among the 20 dishes they make,

one of their most popular is a dessert

called palada payasam.

Narrator: Making this dish is time-intensive

and begins with making rice flakes

out of a brown rice that is washed, dried, and crushed.

Coconut oil and sugar are then added into the rice,

and the mixture is placed inside a banana leaf,

where it is rolled, tied, and steamed.

Narrator: The resulting rice flakes

are pressed in the morning and set aside.

Also in the morning, 120 liters of milk

are poured into a large pot and boiled.

Narrator: Another popular dish in the Onam sadya is avial,

which has traditionally been made

with 13 different vegetables.

At Vinayaka, avial is made in batches

that can feed 500 to 600 people.

Narrator: Because there are so many vegetables,

everything is washed and chopped the day before cooking.

Narrator: In the morning, the vegetables are added

inside of the giant pots and cooked on low heat.

Narrator: At this stage, chefs also add coriander,

turmeric,

salt,

raw mango,

and sour curd.

Then they cover the pot and leave it to steam.

Narrator: Once all of the buttermilk has been drained,

the avial is ready for more spices.

Cumin paste,

green chili paste,

and curry leaves are all added and mixed inside.

Narrator: But achieving this flavor

is easier said than done.

Narrator: Another popular dish is sambar,

which also requires a day of prepping

before anything is cooked.

Heaps of lentils are washed, soaked, and then boiled.

Once the lentils have cooked,

a mix of spices is added to the pots,

including tamarind water,

coriander,

turmeric,

asafetida,

green chilies,

curry leaves,

and jaggery.

The sambar is brought to a boil,

and coconut oil is added along with chopped vegetables.

Narrator: But the most distinct flavor of the sambar

lies in its masala, which is a mix of coriander,

black gram, Bengal gram, long chilies,

chilies, curry leaves, and asafetida.

Narrator: Chef Mahadevan's company has been making

sadyas for 32 years.

It began cooking for groups of 50 to 100 people

and eventually grew into a daily operation,

serving thousands of meals every month.

Narrator: Today, Chef Mahadevan employs a crew

of 20 people at the height of Onam

to meet the demands of his customers.

Narrator: While feeding this many people is no easy feat,

Chef Mahadevan remains humble

about the art and craft of his work.

Narrator: When all of the dishes have been cooked,

they are packed and brought to a dining hall,

where they are served as elaborately as they are cooked.

Banana leaves are placed on tables and serve as plates.

At a traditional sadya, the banana-leaf tips

must always face to the left of the eater.

Once set, workers scoop the dishes

into exact positions from left to right,

and papadams, which are like spicy crackers,

are added as a final touch.

Narrator: The smallest portions

are also served on the left side,

and larger portions are closer to the right side.

Narrator: Onam is a 10-day harvest festival

that marks the first month of the Malayalam calendar

and commemorates the return of the mythical King Mahabali

from the underworld to his home in Kerala.

His return is celebrated with floral artwork,

traditional dances, boat races,

and the Onam sadya.

Vinayaka's Onam sadya costs around $3 per person,

and the amount of food you can eat is unlimited.

Throughout the meal, servers come around to tables,

refilling hot rice in the center of the banana leaf

and spooning out more dishes.

While many Hindu communities in Kerala

opt for a purely vegetarian meal,

other Hindu, Christian, and Muslim celebrants --

especially those in the northern part of the state --

enjoy their Onam feast with prawn curry or beef fry.

The meal concludes in the same way it begins,

with a variety of sweet payasam puddings

and a fragrant, digestive paan.