New Delhi [India]: No celebration in India is complete without special delicacies. And when it comes to commemorating a special day dedicated to the country -- Republic Day, an elaborate spread of special dishes is the most appropriate way to reunite people for the occasion.
January 26 calls for a special celebration as this date marks the day when the Constitution of India came into effect in 1950.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, cultural programs, cleanliness drives, donation drives and more took the front seat for celebrating Republic Day with great enthusiasm. But after the crisis, the celebrations took a new direction.
One thing that has not changed as per the tradition is waking up early and enjoying the Republic Day parade on the television sets.
So while you enjoy the special day at home amid the pandemic, there is no better way to pay homage to the country's diverse culture by trying your hands at some tri-colour recipes that we have listed below:
1. Tri-colour Idli:
Idli is one of the most popular savoury rice cake dishes that hail from Southern India. For giving a tri-colour touch to the dish, prepare a batter of idli and then mix the puree of spinach and carrot into two parts separately to make red and green coloured idli.
If you do not like the taste of carrots, you can also use food colours to the batter separately. Follow the same process for baking the idlis. Serve the dish by placing the red/saffron colour idli first followed by white then green in the end.
2. Tri-colour Pasta:
If you want to gorge on Italian cuisine with an Indian twist, then this tri-colour pasta recipe is sure to satiate your taste buds. To prepare this, divide the cooked pasta into three portions in three different bowls. Add Penne tomato pasta sauce to the first portion followed by Alfredo sauce to the second and Pesto sauce to the third portion. Garnish the white sauce pasta with olives in a circular shape.
3. Tri-colour Fruit Sundae:
Any festival celebration is incomplete without a dessert. For this healthy yet easy to make recipe, take four ingredients -- Kiwi fruit, orange fruit, a banana and fruit cream.
The best thing about this recipe is it will be made from all the three seasonal fruits which you can easily buy from the market or fruit vendor.
In a glass tumbler or a mug, place chopped kiwi first, then put chopped banana mixed with fruit cream followed by peeled oranges on the top. You can also use fruit yoghurt instead of cream for the white layer. Garnish your sundae with chopped dry fruits.
4. Tri-colour Pulao/ Biryani:
Level up your cooking skills by adding a pinch of creativity and colour to one of the common yet famous dishes of India -- Pulao or Biryani.
The main difference between Biryani and Pulao is how they are cooked. Biryani is made using the draining method of cooking, while Pulao is made through the absorption method. Whatever you choose to cook, follow the mentioned method to give it a tri-colour twist.
Divide the cooked rice into three parts. Add red/saffron food colour to the first part and place it in the serving dish. Mix curd to the second part and place it in the dish followed by the red part. Prepare coriander chutney, drain the water and mix it with the third part. Place the third part in the dish followed by the second part. Garnish the middle portion with roasted cumin or a clove. Serve hot.
5. Tri-colour Paneer Tikka skewers
Here comes the recipe for the foodies who cannot miss having their favourite paneer on special occasions. People on diet can also have this dish, as it will not be spicy and oily, unlike the usual paneer tikka recipe.
The dish will look as good as you marinate it. Grill the paneer pieces in a non-stick pan or in a microwave. Take three different bowls for marinating. For orange marinating, mix red chilli powder, saffron food colour and garam masala in the hung curd.
For white colour, mix red chilli powder and garam masala in hung curd. For green marinating, add mint-coriander chutney (drained water), garam masala in hung curd.
Mix funnel powder to all three pastes. Now take one piece of paneer from each bowl and fix it in a screwer. Grill for a few seconds. Add grilled carrot with orange coloured paneer, grilled onion with coloured paneer and grilled bell pepper (capsicum) or broccoli with green marinated paneer. Top up with white cream if you want.
Traditions are important, and delicious food can definitely add more fervour to them. So while you enjoy a patriotic movie or parade on your TV sets, relish your taste buds with these mouth-watering Indian flag-themed recipes. (ANI)
