India will celebrate its 70th year of being an independent republic on 26th January 2020! This gazetted holiday is a huge deal in India and is often marked with flag hoisting ceremonies, parades held by school children in multiple parts of the country, and of course, with the preparation of lip-smacking delicacies!
So, while you are watching the large military parade being held in New Delhi, you can dive into these amazing tricolour dishes for Republic Day, that will set the tone for the festivities and also make the foodie in you exalted!
Without further ado, let’s start!
Tricolour Rice
This dish can be put together in less than 30 minutes, and is super appetising! Let’s have a look at the recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 cup of cooked rice
For orange rice
- 1 small onion (chopped)
- Tomato puree (1.5 cups)
- Red chilly powder
- Garam masala
- Mustard seeds
- Ghee
For white rice
- Ghee
- Mustard seeds
- 1 tbsp of urad dal
- 1 tbsp of chana dal
- ½ cup of grated coconut
For green rice
- 4 sprigs of coriander leaves or cilantro
- 2 green chillies
- 1 tbsp of cashew nuts
- 1 tsp of urad dal
- ½ tsp of mustard seeds
- Ghee
Recipes
Orange rice
- Heat the ghee in a big pan and add the mustard seeds.
- Once the seeds splutter, throw in the onions and saute for a minute or two.
- Add the tomato puree and stir for a while.
- Add salt, red chilly powder, and garam masala.
- Cook till the ghee is released and starts floating to the surface.
- Add the cooked rice and mix with the masala.
- Check the salt and other spices.
White rice
- Heat the ghee and throw in the mustard seeds till they start spluttering.
- Add the urad and chana dal. Fry till they turn slightly brown.
- Then, throw in the grated coconut and roast for about 2 minutes.
- Add the salt, cooked rice and mix very well.
- Cover the rice and keep it aside to serve later.
Green rice
- Grind the green chillies, coriander leaves (or cilantro) and cashew nuts in a mixer grinder (with water) till they turn into a thick paste.
- Heat the ghee and throw in the mustard seeds till they splutter.
- Throw in the urad dal, fry till it turns golden brown.
- Then, add the green paste and mix well.
- Saute till the raw smell is gone.
- Add the remaining cooked rice, salt and mix well.
- Lastly, arrange the three types of rice according to the national flag of India and serve hot!
Tiranga Dhokla
A famous breakfast food, dhokla has been a personal favourite ever since my childhood days! To stay in line with the upcoming 70th Republic Day, I experimented with a tricolour dhokla recipe, which came out very well.
Ingredients
For the semolina batter
- 2 cups of semolina
- 1 cup of curd
- 2 cups of water
For the saffron layer
- ½ tsp of salt
- ½ tsp of baking soda
- 3 pinches of saffron
- ½ tsp of sugar
- ⅛ cup of water
For the white layer
- ½ tsp of water
- ⅛ cup of water
- ½ tsp of baking soda
- ½ tsp of sugar
For the green layer
- ½ tsp of salt
- ⅛ cup of water
- ½ tsp of baking soda
- 2 pinches of food colour (green)
- ½ tsp of sugar
Recipe
- To start off with the basic batter, mix the semolina, water, and curd in a mixing bowl. After having mixed well, keep this batter aside for at least 30 minutes.
- Divide this latter into three equal portions.
- Take one portion in a bowl and combine all ingredients listed under ‘For the green layer’.
- Take a dhokla plate and grease it with olive oil or vegetable oil.
- Pour the green batter into it and let it steam for about 12 minutes.
- Start preparing the white layer by mixing the ingredients listed under ‘For the white layer’ with a second portion of the basic batter.
- Pour the white batter onto the green one and steam for another 10 minutes.
- Lastly, combine all ingredients listed under ‘For the saffron layer’ and pour it onto the white layer. Let it steam for the next 10 minutes.
- Turn the flame off and let it sit for a while.
- Once the dhokla is cool enough, take it out on a plate and temper with mustard seeds and curry leaves!
- Serve with mint or coriander chutney.
Layered Sandwich
A layered sandwich is so easy to put together, it makes a regular appearance in my children’s lunch boxes! Making this tricolour dish this Republic Day will be kind of poetic, don’t you think?
Ingredients
- 6 white bread slices
- Unsalted butter
For the green layer
- 2 tbsp of mint chutney
- ½ cup of grated cottage cheese (paneer)
- A pinch of salt
For the orange layer
- 1 small sized carrot (washed and grated)
- 2 tbsp of mayonnaise
- Salt (to taste)
Recipe
- Start with buttering the slices of bread and keep them aside once done.
- Let’s begin with the green layer. For that, you’ll need to mix the mint chutney, salt, and paneer in a separate bowl and keep it aside for later.
- For orange, take the grated carrot, mayonnaise, and salt in a bowl and keep it aside for later.
- Put one buttered bread slice on a clean surface and spread the green mix evenly on its top.
- Place another bread slice on it with the buttered side facing downwards.
- Next, spread the orange mix evenly and cover it with a buttered slice of bread.
- Repeat these steps (from step 2 to step 5) to make another layered sandwich.
- Cut each sandwich in half and serve with tomato ketchup!
Tricolour Tacos
A wholesome plate of Tacos can pretty much be a satisfying cure to your hunger pangs! Let’s take a look at the tricolour version of this famous Mexican delicacy.
Ingredients
- 6 Taco shells (store-bought)
- 125 gms of tofu or cottage cheese cubes
- 50 gms of red bell pepper (cubes)
- 50 gms of yellow bell pepper (cubes)
- 150 gms of cheese dip
- 50 gms of sliced jalapenos
- 50 gms of lettuce
- Salt (to taste)
- 5 gms of white pepper powder
- Taco seasoning
- 50 gms of Chunky Salsa Dip
Preparation for the Taco filling
- Marinate the tofu/paneer cubes with white pepper powder, salt, olive oil. Keep it aside for at least 15 minutes for later.
- Grill the paneer cubes on a griller until it’s cooked thoroughly.
Recipe
- Arrange the shells on the Taco boat.
- Line the shells with lettuce and place the filling – seasoned bell pepper cubes and paneer cubes.
- Spread out the cheese dip evenly on the top.
- Sprinkle some Taco seasoning.
- Enjoy the tricolour Taco with my favourite Chunky Salsa Dip.
Tri-Rific Pasta
What do you get when you take a wholesome pasta dish and add some colours to it? A tricoloured pasta!!! Let’s take a look at the recipe.
Ingredients
- 50 gms of penne pasta
- 300 gms of spinach (for green sauce)
- 10 ml of olive oil
- 5 gms of garlic (minced)
- Tomatoes (for the red sauce)
- 100 ml of milk
- Refined flour
- Unsalted butter
- Nutmeg (a pinch)
- Salt (to taste)
- 20 gms of Parmesan cheese (optional)
- 5 gms of celery
- 1 bay leaf
Recipe
- Take butter in a flat non-stick pan and heat it up! Add the flour and the milk in it while stirring continuously. Add some salt and set aside. You’re preparing the white sauce.
- For the tomato sauce, blanch the tomatoes, cool them down, remove the skin and grind into a paste.
- Heat some more butter in a pan. Throw in the celery, garlic, onion, bay leaf and stir for a while. Then, add the tomato paste in it and cook till it’s done! This is your red sauce.
- For the green sauce, boil the spinach and let it cool down. Grind it into a smooth paste and add salt.
- Boil the pasta in the next step and rinse thoroughly with cold water.
- In a pan, heat the butter and throw in the tomato concasse along with some fresh cream. Throw in the boiled pasta and add some Parmesan cheese.
- In a separate pan, saute the minced garlic. Add the white sauce and cook for a while. Throw in the boiled pasta along with some oregano and cheese.
- In another pan, heat the butter and saute the spinach along with minced garlic. Add the boiled pasta in the next step. Top it off with Parmesan cheese.
- Finally, arrange the tricolour pasta so that it resembles the national flag and serve!
Try these amazing, delectable tricolour dishes for Republic day and let me know which one really hit the spots!
