Ring In The Republic Day With The Delish Breakfast Of Tricolour Masala Idli
Image Credit: Better Butter

Republic Day celebrations have always been a special affair at home. While we rarely ever go to Rajpath to watch the parade live, we do make it a point to wake up early and watch it on TV while munching on something lip-smacking. These breakfasts have been such a memorable legacy at my place, that you have no choice but to up your game on every Republic Day. The first time I ever had Pav bhaji, was on a Republic Day holiday, similarly, on one of the Republic Days, we even tried our hands at making Puran Poli. It was quite a ride for a Bengali family to not just relish, but also cook a Maharashtrian delicacy from scratch, and if that is not the best way to ring in the national holiday at home, we don’t know what is. 

India will be celebrating its 73rd Republic Day on Wednesday. It was on this day in the year 1950, that India rolled out its very own constitution. While there are umpteen ways in which you can make the celebrations worth remembering, a hearty breakfast is surely the best way to kickstart the special day.  

There are options galore to pick from, but why not stick to classics, and give it an R-Day spin. If you are a fan of something as simple as idli, even that could be worked around with this Republic Day. These tricolour Masala Idlis are ideal for those who do not want to sweat it out in the kitchen for hours. These idlis are instant, and since they are made with a suji batter, they are much healthier too. With the help of curd, you can make this batter in a matter of minutes, as opposed to traditional batters that take hours to ferment. To make it ‘tricolour’, you would be requiring orange and green edible food colour, so make sure you go for trusted brands.  

Here are a few additional tips to keep in mind:

  1. When you mix semolina, salt and curd, let it rest for 10 minutes at least. That is the least amount of time required by curd to activate.  
  2. Meanwhile set your cooker, add water, and leave it on high flame with lid on.
  3. When you come back to the batter, make sure you add eno, or similar fruit salt, after the batter is rested.
  4. Then divide the batter into three parts, add orange colour in one part of the batter
  5. Add green in the second part of the batter.
  6. Let the third part be as it is, since it is suji, this idli would not be pearly white, but slightly off-white.
  7. Make sure the idli tray is well-greased before you pour the batters in the moulds.
  8. Steam the idlis for ten minutes. Prick a toothpick inside the idlis to check if they are cooked from within. If the toothpick comes out clean, your idlis are cooked.
  9. To make the masalas, take a pan, heat some oil, fry some onions on low heat.  
  10. Once the onions are golden brown add salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and tomato ketchup. Mix everything well.
  11. Add the tricolour idlis, toss it up with the masala and serve hot.  

And you are done, here is the complete recipe of Masala Idli that you have been looking for, Happy Republic Day Everyone.