Happy Republic Day India!!!

Last week a very weird thing happened. Called Papa to just say Hi..and he asked me if we celebrate India's Republic Day in any way. Obviously, we don't and I said "No, we don't." He gave me examples of places like Dubai and Kuwait where apparently, the Indian community meets up and shows gratitude in some way. Well, I just said.."No Dad, I don't think anyone celebrates it here. In any case, what can we show by meeting on that day?" Papa was hurt and agitated at the same time..oh yes, he gave me a piece of his mind.

I apologized but a thought haunted me. I only realized, that I don't feel so strongly for, January 26th, India's Republic Day. The Constitution of India came into force. All the hard work, life sacrifices, the fight, the passion that was put into freeing India from Britishers in 1947 finally got stamped by bringing into force its own constitution in 1950. Don't get me wrong..India's Independence Day means a lot..we call, wish absolutely everyone in the family..And I follow all the festivals here in my own little ways..but Republic Day..umm not so much!!

So this time I changed things around. India's flag is also called as 'Tiranga' or the Tricolor. Consists of colors, Saffron, White and Green with a blue wheel in the middle.

My lil goofy niece, Annvi from a year back!..Lil Mother India!

Tried to emulate the tricolor in form of Dhoklas and a Chiffon/souffle like cake. Neither of which turned out great. Dhoklas, were my mistake..but as far as baking a chiffon cake is concerned, I have a long long way to go.

Dhokla is a steamed savory cake served as snack or breakfast. Traditional dhoklas from Gujarat are made with Bengal Gram Flour and need some rising time. Semolina dhoklas on the other hand are instant and healthier version of the same.

I am really thankful to Rajini & Ruchira of Tadka Pasta for this wonderful idea and recipe and also Shirley of Enriching your Kid for making it available.

I wanted to make a tricolor of something that we have usually..and this recipe is a great spin on flavoring regular semolina dhokla batter I make. It was a no-brainer for me. The verdict, the green layer tastes awesome..not sure why this idea never struck me. It was made by adding cilantro chutney to the regular batter and then steamed in a steam pot. I was too ambitious and steamed all three layers together for the very first time and everything fell apart. I managed to save the green layer and simply made a new batch of the white, cos we were very hungry. This deserves a post of its own, will share the entire recipe very soon.

Chiffon cake..those baked real nice in the oven, but when I took them out, they collapsed. Some say the oven door should be kept ajar for a few minutes before completely pulling the cake out and should be inverted asap, or it will collapse. I am going try this again, and share my experience and recipe very soon. BTW..the green layer was made with the Do Matcha green tea and the Saffron layer was a Mango essence with saffron strands.

Here's to the spirit, the thought, to Papa (Sorry, I hurt you..didn't mean to) and to our country, India!! Hope you all had a Happy Republic Day!!! :)