FOOD AND PATRIOTISM

Freedom

Freedom from fear is the freedom
I claim for you my motherland!
Freedom from the burden of the ages, bending your head,
breaking your back, blinding your eyes to the beckoning
call of the future;
Freedom from the shackles of slumber wherewith
you fasten yourself in night’s stillness,
mistrusting the star that speaks of truth’s adventurous paths;
freedom from the anarchy of destiny
whole sails are weakly yielded to the blind uncertain winds,
and the helm to a hand ever rigid and cold as death.
Freedom from the insult of dwelling in a puppet’s world,
where movements are started through brainless wires,
repeated through mindless habits,
where figures wait with patience and obedience for the
master of show,
to be stirred into a mimicry of life.

Rabindranath Tagore.

 Poem Courtesy: Zee News Online

I am very fond of Independence Day Celebrations. With my heart reverberating to the drumbeats of freedom, I couldn’t help but make an Independence Day Special on my menu.

After pondering over many choices like Tricolour Pasta, Tricolour mojito, Granito etc Our humble Idlis won my choice. Our Tricolour Idlis are going to have three colours. Green, white and Saffron (Kesari ) representing the colours of our National Flag.

The Idli Batter Preparation.
(Makes 20 to 25 idlis)
 

 • 3 cups idli rice/parboiled rice

• ½ cup Urad dal (black lentils)

Soak them separately for 6 hours. Use a mixer grinder or a stone grinder to grind the lentils thick and soft while adding small amounts of water. Now grind the rice in the same way. Don’t make the batter watery. Mix them and add salt. Keep for fermenting overnight or for 6 to 8 hours. Now the batter is ready for use.

For Green Colour:

Blanch Spinach leaves and makes a thick paste without adding any water. We need one cup of green paste.

For Saffron Colour :

Take two carrots, cube and steam till they are tender. Make a thick paste of carrots. Add a pinch of turmeric.

Take the batter in three separate bowls. Mix green paste to one bowl, and mix the carrot paste to the second bowl. Oil the idli moulds. Spread one tablespoon of saffron and one tablespoon of green batter on either side. Pour one tablespoon of white batter into the centre. Steam for eight to minutes.  Remove the idlis carefully from the moulds and serve with white coconut chutney.

These Idlis are made in layers in a steamer. 

I have greased the katoris with oil, and first poured one tablespoon of green batter. Steamed for three minutes. The reapeated the process with white and safforon batter. 

White Coconut Chutney
 

INGREDIENTS

1 Cup  of grated fresh coconut

2 Green chillies

1 small piece of ginger

1 small piece of tamarind

A spoonful of roasted groundnuts Or roasted Chana dal

Salt to taste

Grind everything together with half a cup of water to a fine paste.

Tempering

Heat two teaspoons of coconut oil in a Kadai. Add mustard seeds. Allow to splutter. Add one or two dry red chillies, one finely chopped shallot, and curry leaves. Pour the tempering over the chutney.

Our humble Idli has come a long way!

TRICOLOUR WELCOME DRINK.
 

After relishing the nutritious Idlis we can go for a Tricolour drink.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of Khus Syrup

Juice of two sweet limes

Juice of two Oranges.

Sugar

2 teaspoons of lime juice

Ice cubes.

  First, add sugar to the glass. Fill the glass with ice cubes. Add layers of Khus syrup ( green ) Sweet lime juice (white ) and top with orange juice. Add some sparkling water too. Now you can invite your guests for a  Tricolour welcome drink.

Jai Sri Hari 🙂 

Happy Independence Day to everyone.  Jai Hind!