On 26th January 2024, India will mark its 75th Republic Day. To celebrate this occasion, the entire country is brimming with a spirit of joy, fervour, and enthusiasm. Offices are awash with Republic Day banners and celebrations, flags are being sold on the roads, and school students are preparing Republic Day skits as well as gearing up for activities, such as flag hoisting. Some people are even taking the festivities to another level by bringing tricolour-themed foods in their tiffin to their respective schools or offices.
India is a privileged country in the sense that it has access to myriad fresh and colourful food items. Foods, such as spinach, peas, and capsicum add green to the country’s cuisine, whereas pumpkin, carrots, and saffron can be used to endow local dishes with an orange hue. Thanks to this mix of vibrant ingredients, Republic Day provides budding chefs the opportunity to tap into their creative juices to dream up exciting and visually appealing tricolour recipes, many of which make ideal tiffin ideas.
Take a look at some tricolour recipes that serve as perfect tiffin ideas to commemorate the occasion of Republic Day.
Tricolour Sandwich
First up is one of the most basic, beloved, and easy to execute foods, the timeless sandwich. Use white bread as the base of your sandwich and ensure that this sandwich has three layers. Use green coriander chutney in one layer and sautéed carrots to fill another layer, which will make up the saffron element of the dish. Cheese slices can be added to each layer to imbue the sandwich with a white element and ensure that the sandwich resembles the tricolour flag.
Tricolour Dhokla
Despite originally being from Gujarat, dhokla is a classic food that is cherished throughout the nation. Being a favourite of kids and adults alike, it makes for a good tiffin idea. To give the dhoklas a tricolour effect, it is recommended to use ingredients, such as spinach puree and kesar water. The puree will lend the dish a green colour while the kesar water, rich in hints of saffron, will provide the saffron element.
Tricolour Salad
Like the sandwich, salad is a basic food that is quick to whip up. There is scope to make this dish really healthy as well as beautiful to look at through the use of fresh, multi-coloured vegetables. Assemble your salad in three distinct sections. Load the first section with orange veggies, such as carrots and pumpkin. The middle white section can be populated with foods, such as cauliflower or even cheese. Lastly, use rich greens like peas, broccoli, and lettuce to make up the third green section of the salad.
Tricolour Dosa Bites
Being a dry and filling food, the South Indian classic, the dosa, serves as an excellent tiffin idea. How can one make tricolour dosas? It is quite simple really. The dosa batter needs to be mixed with colourful foods, such as pumpkin and spinach puree to give the dish shades of saffron and green, respectively. The tricolour dosa can then be cut up into tiny pieces, which will make it easy and hassle-free to carry in the tiffin. Condiments, including chutney and sambar will further heighten the tricolour effect of this dish.
Tricolour Poha
Poha is a Maharashtrian staple that is an extremely popular breakfast item. In fact, many school children as well as office-going professionals carry this dish in their tiffin to consume in the morning. For poha too, it is preferable to use tried and tested food items to provide this dish with hints of the tricolour. These items include spinach for the green colour and pumpkin puree for the saffron colour. Carrots and capsicum can also be chopped and sprinkled on the dish to add additional notes of the tricolour.
Tricolour Pulao
Rice, in any form, whether biryani, pulao, or simply dal-rice, is a filling option, making it a suitable tiffin idea. What’s more, pulao also makes for a healthy meal. To make tricolour pulao, use tomato puree to give the dish shades of saffron and spinach puree for green. Assemble the dish in such a way that plain white rice is positioned in the middle to give the effect of the tricolour flag.