Are you planning to do something special for Independence Day this year? It is great fun to hold a Independence Day Party for your friends and colleagues. Check out our Top 5 Favorites this year to make for Independence Day eve.
1. Tricolour Dhokla Dhamaka
Ingredients
1.5 cups sour curds
salt to taste-about 1.5 tsps
1.5 cups fine semolina/suji/rawa
2 carrots, chopped and boiled
1 Tomato, chopped
A dash of chilli powder
2tbs grated coconut
1tsp ginger paste
1/2 cup prepared coriander/mint green chutney or paste
1.5 tsps Eno brand fruit salt
For the tadka
2 tbsp sesame oil
A pinch of asafoetida/hing
1tsp mustard seeds
2tsps sesame seeds
-2 Green chillies, slices, optional
A pinch of red chilli powder or paprika
Method
Whisk the curds well along with the salt and stir in the semolina. Set this mixture aside to soak for 30 mins.
Meanwhile puree the carrot and tomato together. You will need about 1/2 cup of this puree.
To make the 3 layers of the dhokla you will need 3 small equal-sized flat-bottom pans/trays (with about 2″high sides). We have used the separator pans that stack inside a pressure cooker. You could also use the traditional dhokla thalis. Line the pans with foil or parchment and grease them well to ensure a smooth release. Heat 2 cups of water in the matching steamer pot or pressure cooker.
Divide the soaked semolina mixture into 3 equal parts in 3 bowls.
For the saffron layer- Add about half cup of the carrot-tomato puree to one bowl along with a dash of red chilli powder and whisk until smooth.
For the white layer- Whisk in the ginger paste, grated coconut and 1/2 cup of water into the second bowl. Set aside.
For the green layer- Mix in the green chutney/paste into the last bowl of semolina.
Once the water in the pressure cooker/steamer comes to a boil, working quickly, add 1/2 tsp of Eno to one bowl of the dhokla mix, stir well and pour the batter into the prepared pan. Repeat this process with the other 2 layers. Cover the pan that will go on top with a plate. Stack the pans and steam the dhokla for about 15-20 mins on med-hi heat or until cooked and a knife inserted comes out clean.
Remove the pans from the steamer and allow the dhoklas to cool, uncovered for a few minutes in the pans.
While the dhokla is resting, make the tadka. Heat the oil in a small pan, add the mustard seeds, sesame seeds and a pinch of hing. Once the seeds pop, add the green chillies, if using and toss well. Add the chilli powder and take the pan off the heat.
To assemble, invert the green layer gently onto the serving plate. Sprinkle some of the tadka on it. Top with the white layer, add a little more of the spiced oil and then finally the saffron layer with the rest of the seasoning. Cut the dhokla into generous slices and serve with a side of chutney or thick mint- cucumber raita.
NOTE
You can also spread mint and/or garlic chutney between the layer of the dhoklas to sandwich them together.
2. Tirangi Kulfi
Ingredients
Large pinch of saffron
4 Cardamom pods
¼ Cup shelled pistachios
½ Can sweetened condensed milk
½ Can evaporated milk (or whole milk cooked down by half)
½ Cup heavy cream
½ Cup almonds, blanched and skinned
¼ to ½ Cup powdered sugar (adjust as per desired level of sweetness)
½ Cup Mango, orange fleshed, or pulp (approx)
Method
Lightly warm the saffron in a small pan and then powder it in a pestle and mortar. Set aside. Extract and powder the seeds of the cardamoms.
Blanch the pistachios in boiling water for 30 seconds. Run cold water on them, and then put them on a kitchen towel. Remove the skins by rubbing with the towel. Powder fine in a dry grinder.
Place the condensed milk, evaporated milk, cream, almonds, sugar and cardamom powder in a blender. Liquidize for 2-3 minutes until well-blended and the nuts are finely ground. This is the basic kulfi mix. Pour out one and a quarter cup each of the mixture into 2 bowls and refrigerate these while you make and freeze the first layer.
For the saffron layer – Into the remaining mixture in the blender, add the saffron and some of the mango. Blend until smooth. If the color is too light add more mango. Place the kulfi molds in a high-sided box to make them stand vertically. Pour the saffron mixture into the molds, filling them one-third of the way. Freeze until set.
For the white layer – Pour in the white layer using one bowl of the kulfi mix that was set aside earlier, again filling the molds a third of the way till the top. Freeze until set.
For the green layer – Add the powdered pistachios to the last bowl of the reserved kulfi mix and whisk until smooth. Pour over the frozen white layer and freeze until solid.
To unmold and serve, dip the kulfis briefly in a cup of warm water.
Note:
You can also make one large dish of kulfi by layering the mix in a flat-bottomed dish. Ensure that each layer is frozen solid before pouring on the next. Cut into slices and serve.
To make kulfi sticks, insert popsicle sticks into each mold at the time of pouring in the saffron layer. Pour the remaining layers around the sticks.
3. Tricolour Rava Cake
Ingredients
1 cup rava (semolina, suji)
5 cups sugar
4 cups milk
1 cup ghee
½ tsp cardamom powder
A pinch of green and orange edible food colour
½ tsp ghee for greasing the plate.
Method
1. Mix the rava, sugar, milk, ghee in a kadai and heat the same.
2. When the sugar melts completely, divide the mix into three equal parts. This is your base.
3. In a small mixing bowl, add 1 tsp milk or water and add the green colour and in another bowl, make the orange colour and keep aside.
GREEN LAYER
In a kadai, take out first portion of the base, add the green colour and heat the same. Add cardamom powder,cook the same till it starts leaving the sides of kadai. Transfer the same into the greased plate and spread evenly.
WHITE LAYER
Take out the second portion of the base, add cardamom powder, cook the same in a kadai till it starts leaving the sides of kadai and transfer them on the green layer evenly.
ORANGE LAYER
Now add the third portion of the base, add cardamom powder, orange colour, cook the same in a kadai till it starts leaving the sides of the kadai and transfer the same on to the white layer and spread evenly.
Ensure that it should not become hard. If it becomes hard, it will be difficult to cut.Allow to cool and cut into the desired shape. The tricolor rava cake is ready.
4. Tricolor Cocktail Idlis
Ingredients
3 cups Idli batter
2 tbsp Tomato chutney
2 tbsp green Coconut chutney
1/4 tsp Cooking soda*
oil,to grease the idli stand
for Tomato chutney:
2 ripen Tomatoes
2 tbsp grated fresh Coconut
4-5 Byadige Red chillies**(or regular Red chillies)
2 tbsp Chana dal
1 tsp Tamarind pulp
1 tsp Oil
Salt to taste
for Green Coconut chutney:
1 small bunch Coriander leaves
1/2 small bunch Mint leaves
1/3 cup grated fresh Coconut
4-5 Green chillies
1 tsp Tamarind pulp
Salt to taste
Method
Tomato Chutney:
Heat oil in a kadai and add chana dal and roast until red and add red chillies and roast them until red and remove them and keep aside.Cool it.
In the same pan add chopped tomatoes and fry until they become soft.Add tamarind pulp while it is still hot and switch off the flame.Cool it.
Grind all the roasted ingredients with mushy tomatoes,coconut and salt to a fine paste.Add little water if needed while grinding,keep the chutney thick.
Green Coconut Chutney:
Grind mint leaves,coriander leaves with grated coconut,green chillies,tamarind pulp and salt to a fine paste.Add little water while grinding,keep the chutney thick.
To make Tricolor Idlis:
Divide the Idli batter into 3 equal portions(1 cup each) into 3 different vessels.
Add 2 tbsp tomato chutney to one portion and 2 tbsp green coconut chutney to another portion and leave the 3rd portion as the plain idli batter.Do not add more chutney,but if you want slight more prominent color add little more but not much.
Mix the tomato chutney and green chutney nicely into their respective batters until you get uniform orange and green color as shown in pictures.
Before steaming add a pinch of cooking soda to each portion and mix nicely.This ensures that you get nice soft and fluffy idlis.
Grease the impressions of button idli stand with oil slightly.
Make your steamer/cooker(without whistle) ready and heat some water in it.
Take a spoon and scoop out 1 tsp of batter into each impression of idli stand.Repeat the process for all the colors.Use different spoons for different colored batters.
Place the stand in the steamer/cooker and steam for 10-12 mins.
Cool it for 5 mins.Run a sharp knife round the edges of idlis and remove them slowly.
Arrange them according to your wish or prick them to toothpicks as I did.
Serve them with the same tomato chutney/green coconut chutney or sambar.Check out various options for the side dishes of Idli here.
*Though the cooking soda is optional in the recipe.I recommend to add it to the batter.Sometimes Idlis turn flat and hard because of the addition of chutneys,hence to avoid that I prefer adding cooking soda to it.
**Byadige red chillies give nice bright red color chutney.Hence try using them,if you don’t get them use regular red chillies.
5. Tricolor Halva
Ingredients
1 cup Milk
2 cups Water
3 drops Orange Food Color
3 drops Green Food Color
1 cup Suji Or Semolina
⅔ cups Ghee (clarified Butter)
¼ cups Raisins Or Cashews (optional)
1-⅓ cup Sugar
Method
1. Mix the milk and water and divide the water/milk mixture into 3 parts. Color 2 of them orange and green respectively. Leave one plain. Keep the orange and green mixtures in wide pans, they will go on the stove later.
2. In a kadai (wok-shaped pan), over medium heat, dry roast the suji for about 5 minutes to bring out the flavor. Constantly stir throughout the halva process, otherwise it will burn.
3. Add the ghee, and let it brown, about 15 minutes.
4. Add in the raisins and cashews or whatever else you choose, cook for a minute.
5. Mix in the sugar and immediately divide into 3 parts. Add one each to the orange and green liquid containing pans. Add the plain water/milk mixture to the remaining part.
6. According to your desired order of layering, decide the order of semolina mixtures to be cooked. Since I intended to invert the pan later, I chose orange first.
7. Cook the orange mixture until it thickens and leaves the sides of the pan. Layer onto a prepared pan or ring mould while hot; it will be easier to handle.
8. Now cook the white mixture and then green mixture until ready, layer them both, packing well, and then invert the entire thing. The halva has enough ghee that it will come out easily, and if you pack it well enough, it won’t crumble either.
9. Serve warm.