This Independence Day awaken the spirit of national pride and bring home the sweetness of freedom by creating this layered dessert that incorporates the various saccharine delights that had originated in different parts of our country. This dessert is as vibrant and diverse as our beloved country and the tricolour fusion of sweet flavours celebrates the tiranga, the symbol of our freedom. Without further ado, let’s get on with the recipe for this unique dish.
Top Layer: Motichoor ke Boondi
Motichoor ke Laddoo is a nation-wide favourite but for the purposes of this recipe, we don’t actually have to shape it into laddoos. We just need to prepare the boondi and use it for our top layer of this dessert.
Ingredients:
For the Sugar Syrup:
• 1½ cup water
• 2 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp of green cardamom powder
• 8-10 threads of saffron
For the Boondi:
• 2 cups besan (roasted chickpea flour)
• 1½ cup water
• ¼ tbsp of baking soda
• 4-5 drops of edible orange food colouring
• 2 cups of ghee, for deep frying
Method:
Preparing the Sugar Syrup:
• Add sugar, saffron threads, and water in a pan and put it on medium heat.
• Cook the sugar solution till it reaches one thread consistency, then add the cardamom powder and swirl it in the hot syrup till its incorporated and switch off the flame.
• The sugar solution should be sufficiently hot when the boondi is added to it, so that it can soak up the sugar syrup.
• If the sugar syrup starts crystallizing, add 3-4 tbsp of water and heat up the syrup again till it reaches a one thread consistency.
Making the Boondi:
• Make a smooth flowing batter with besan and water. The batter should neither be thick nor too thin in consistency and must be lump-free.
• Add the orange food colouring and baking soda once you’re content with the consistency.
• Heat the ghee in a kadai. Put it on medium heat as it has to be moderately hot.
• Take a perforated ladle/spoon. Position it above the ghee and add a large spoonful of the besan batter on the perforated side so that it drops down in the form of little besan droplets or boondi.
• When the ghee stops sizzling, and the boondis have taken on a golden colour, that is the indication to remove the boondis from hot ghee. About a minute is enough to get the correct texture in the boondi.
• Use a spyder to remove the fried boondis onto a paper towel. And before the next batch of fried boondis come out, drop them in the sugar syrup. Repeat it till the batter is fried and made into motichoor boondi.
Middle Layer: Kheer
Kheer is a dessert that is considered auspicious and it is prepared during celebrations or birthdays at home. A wholesome comfort food that lifts up our mood when we’re down and sets our sails up when we’re out to achieve something. Kheer is a foolproof recipe but many households have their own variations on it which makes it unique, and for this layered dessert, the kheer will sit in the middle for its white colour.
Ingredients:
• ½ cup short grained rice
• 1 litre full fat milk
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ cup condensed milk
• 3 crushed green cardamom pods
Method:
• Wash and soak the rice for 2 hours.
• Add milk in a heavy bottom pan and bring it to boil, stirring it continuously.
• When the milk starts to bubble, add the soaked rice gains to it.
• Allow it to boil in medium flame till the rice gets partly cooked. Then add the condensed milk and sugar.
• After 30 minutes of stirring the pot, when the milk has thickened and the rice grains have become soft but still retains its shape, that means it is nearing its end of preparation.
• Add crushed cardamom for the last 5 minutes of cooking time and then, remove it from the heat entirely.
Bottom Layer: Lauki Halwa
The bottom layer of our layered dessert consists of doodhi ka halwa or lauki halwa. Made out of peeled, deseeded, grated bottle gourd, this halwa is truly sensational and a favourite amongst many Indians. If anybody hadn’t tried it already, this is the perfect way to get introduced to this amazing dessert.
Ingredients:
• 4 tbsp ghee
• 2 cups grated lauki
• 2 cups full-fat milk
• 8 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp rose water
• 6 green cardamom pods
• 4 drops of edible green food colouring
Method:
• Heat ghee in a kadhai on medium-low flame.
• Add the grated lauki and turn the heat on to medium. Saute the grated lauki with the ghee.
• Once lauki has released all its moisture and is almost dry, add the whole milk bit by bit and stirring constantly.
• Cook continuously on medium-low flame till the milk comes to a bubble.
• Once the milk has reduced considerably and incorporated with the lauki, add the sugar, food colouring and rose water one after the other, mixing them well with the contents in the pan.
• The halwa will thicken after the addition of sugar. Once it releases ghee from the sides, switch off the heat and put it aside to chill.
Assembling the tricolour layered-dessert:
Garnishes:
• Chopped pistachios
• Chopped cashews
• Slivered almonds
Method:
• In a wide glass, one that can be used to serve drinks old-fashioned, add the green layer of lauki halwa up till 1/3rd of the glass and press it in evenly. Make sure not to stain the sides of the glass and if some part of it does stain the sides, take a wet paper towel and clean it.
• Add the chopped pistachios on its sides around the glass and slivered almonds in the centre, in an even layer. The chopped nuts were not added during the preparation of any of these desserts so that it doesn’t take on the colour of the food colouring or get soft and soggy while cooking and then cooling.
• Then add the middle layer of creamy, white kheer and garnish the top with chopped cashews. Make sure the layers are distributed evenly, both from the top and from the sides.
• Add the motichoor ke boondi to cap off the top layer and your layered tricolour dessert is ready!