There is something about Republic Day and Independence Day that even after so many years, every Indian feels the same patriotic feeling in their heart, each time prouder of their nation. Both of these days have always been celebrated with a lot of zeal in the country from cultural events in schools and colleges to a grand national parade and flag hoisting that is telecasted on the national television.
With Covid being in the picture from the last two years, the celebrations might have been a little simpler but the excitement and patriotism of the citizens is just the same. And what is better than putting this feeling in your food? Got confused?
Indian national flag has three colours- deep saffron (kesari) on top which depicts strength and courage of the country; white in middle representing peace and dark green at the bottom which shows fertility, auspiciousness and growth of the land.
Here's a list of some delish tri-colour foods you can relish this Republic Day.
1. Idli with Chutney
Warm idlis on a cold, winter day- there cannot be a better definition of comfort. It is time you whip up some idli batter and enjoy hot piping idlis with green and red chutney. The green chutney can be made with coriander, curd, green chillies and spices while for red, you can try this quick and easy tomato garlic chutney.
2. Sandwich
Sandwiches are the most versatile and easy-to-assemble food to exist on this planet and we should make the most of it in every possible way. When we talk about tricolour sandwiches, there are so many way to achieve that- using mayonnaise in different flavours is the easiest one. Layer tandoori or peri peri mayonnaise between two slices of bread and mint mayo in between the next two, and voila you got the easy-peasy sandwich.
If you want to amp things up a bit, make pesto using fresh basil leaves, olive oil and premium walnuts from Tassyam for the green colour and for the orange layer you can make a paneer filling with peri peri seasoning.
3. Pasta
If the exciting shapes of pasta were not enough for you, then worry not, because you can try flavouring your pasta with varied flavours from authentic Italian to desi Indian. And not just flavours, you get to add vibrant colours to them too.
Make red sauce pasta to replicate saffron colour, white sauce pasta to represent peace of the national flag and pesto sauce or spinach leaves to get green colour.
4. Dahi Bhalle
We know the weather is pretty cold up in North, but, can we Indians ever say no to street food? You can never go wrong with dahi bhalle, it has the perfect balance of sweet from the imli chutney, sour from the curd and spicy from the masala and green chutney. Even better that it has got all three colours in one (aka perfect insta-worthy picture).
Try this recipe for Dahi bhalle and serve with red chilli powder, dahi bhalla masala and roasted cumin powder from Tassyam.com.
5. Paneer Tikka
Paneer takes up any flavour and colour really quickly making it a perfect ingredient to be used on Republic Day. Make paneer tikka in three different flavours- malai, achaari and haryali paneer tikka.
Shop for all the masalas from turmeric powder to coriander powder from Tassyam.com.
6. Tricolour Dumplings
If you are feeling super fancy and have got a lot of time on your hands, then put on your aprons and make dumplings. Add blanched and blended spinach to make your dumplings green and if you want to get a nice, orange colour, then add some carrot pulp maybe. You can go wild with the fillings- paneer, vegetables, mushroom, chicken, mutton, anything that you like and are comfortable cooking.
7. Tricolour Kheer
Is it even a food listicle if it does not end with the mention of dessert? Definitely not. Kheer is one of the best desserts to celebrate Republic Day. You can use food colour to achieve saffron and green colour or if you want all natural colour, then go for saffron strands to get slight orange colour and lauki (bottle gourd) to get the green colour. Add in your favourite nuts, dry fruits and seeds from the gourmet brand Tassyam.