It is a struggle to instil a sense of cultural pride and celebrate national holidays with kids. Especially when it comes to imparting the spirit of patriotism. Republic Day serves as a reminder of the country's democratic ethos and unity in diversity. Your kids living abroad may lose the essence of this event if not taught well.
As Republic Day 2024 is almost here, the opportunity arises to impart the significance of this day and teach your kids better. These dishes not only reflect the colours of the Indian flag but also tell stories of diverse regional cuisines. Bonus point: they are easy to prep, too!
Parents, through these ideas, can introduce their children to the joys of celebrating patriotism, cultural exchange, and the shared sense of identity. This will help the kids understand their heritage and culture and they will devour the tasty food too. Try out these ideas to celebrate Republic day with your children.
5 Creative Yet Easy Indian lunch Ideas
1. Flag-inspired Fruit Chaat
This is the easiest way to make a delicious lunch inspired by tricolour, which is healthy too. Fruit Chaat has a lot of sweet and tangy flavours. It has orange, mango and papaya, with apples and bananas, including kiwi and grapes. You can add chaat masala for a hint of spice, elevating the overall taste. This fruit chaat has perfect taste and matches the Indian flag, reciprocating the theme. One can also garnish it with mint leaves and spiced honey. This dish is incredibly easy to prepare, requiring only a few minutes of chopping and mixing, and it is perfect for school tiffins, too.
2. Tri-Coloured Pasta Salad
This pasta salad is very easy to make, and prepping it is a perfect choice for busy celebratory days. The ingredients come together effortlessly and offer a wholesome and flavorful side dish for lunch that your kids will love. Tri-Coloured Pasta Salad is a refreshing and light dish with lots of dressing and butter. The tricolour pasta has cherry tomatoes for orange, fresh spinach for green, and feta cheese for white. The dressing can be of your choice, and you can also add other vegetables like a bell pepper to match the colours to the tri colour too. You can top the salad with black pepper, pine nuts, and fresh basil leaves for an elevated taste.
3. Tri-layered Parathas
Do you want something truly unique but from your everyday list? Try tri-layered Parathas. Each layer of the paratha will represent the colour of the flag, offering the best buttery taste. Add spinach for freshness and a green layer, then paneer stuffing for a second white layer, and a pinch of turmeric with potato for saffron colour at the last layer. These are very easy to make. These parathas require regular dough with easy vegetables to access. The layering can be achieved through a simple rolling and folding technique, making it an enjoyable lunch. You can serve it with some pickle or sabji of your choice.
4. Tri-color Veggie Wrap
Make something your kids love, that's right, make them a Frankie! These wraps can be made quickly. It is an ideal option for a hassle-free and enjoyable lunch. Tri-color Veggie Wrap is best with crunchy vegetables and sauces of choice. The flaky wraps with julienned carrots for orange with some cucumber and lettuce for green, and grated paneer or feta for white with some salt and lemon juice is perfect. You can have lots of mint, saffron, and tomato chutneys on the side to match the same. You can also beat an egg, dip one side of the wrap, and cook it in oil to make it an egg frankie.
5. Tri-color Rice Balls
These Tri-color Rice Balls are surprisingly simple to make. These rice balls require separate preparations for each coloured layer. But, once shaped, they can be easily arranged on a platter. Tri-color Rice Balls have the best texture, with saffron-infused rice, spinach-infused rice, and plain rice with butter. You can serve the rice balls with a side of yoghurt-based mint sauce and soy sauce.
Now that you have some of the most creative ideas to inspire your kids with these lunches which are easy to make. Make sure to celebrate the best of Republic Day as the true Indian you are!