Flavours of all colours for Holi day

A friend was going quite ecstatic while describing her recipe for kanji one day. Kanji, as we know, is a black carrot drink, tempered with mustard seeds and other condiments, and served mostly in winter. The friend, however, has a tip. Add beetroot to it, she avers, and then watch the colour change. “You get a glorious dark pink drink,” she says.

That’s the thing about beets — they make every dish look good. I have been thinking of this vegetable as Holi — our festival of colours — draws close. Beets are among those ingredients in our kitchen that can give a pretty pink hue to any dish. Other ingredients do their bit, too. Turmeric lends a yellow touch to food, while spinach and other leaves give a green colour. Ratanjot is a wonder plant that reddens a dish. Then there is saffron, of course, which gives a delicate, light orange tint to desserts and other dishes.

There was a time when food was coloured chemically. I remember how we loved those coconut burfis that had a green border or a bilious pink one. Colouring agents came in little bottles, and were added to food on special occasions. But, over the years, with chemicals getting bad press, we have all moved on to organic colouring ingredients. We have made puris at home where the atta has been kneaded with spinach or methi, and the resultant puri is a delicious green puffed ball.

On Holi, perhaps we can plan out a colourful meal with an array of dishes in different colours. For starters, think of sol kadhi. This Konkan dish made with coconut milk and an ingredient called kokum is as pleasing to the eye as it is to the palate. For this, soak kokum in warm water. Squeeze the kokum in the water, and then take out and discard the pulp. In a kadahi, heat some oil. Add cumin seeds, curry leaves, garlic, ginger and green chillies. Then, add the kokum water. Bring to a boil. Now add coconut milk (on low heat) and stir well. Season it, and garnish it with coriander leaves. Serve it hot.

Let’s now move on to the cereals. The rice can be lemon rice (with a bit of turmeric adding colour to it) or basanti pulao, a mildly sweet rice dish, peppered with raisins and nuts and coloured with strands of saffron. Someone doesn’t like rice? Then you could make rotis with grated carrot added to the dough. You can prepare a paneer dish for vegetarians — perhaps adding cream to a simple dish for that rich colour. The main non-vegetarian dish can be the Rajasthani lal maas cooked with mathania chillies, which give a delicious red colour to the meat dish. And for dessert, how about some yellow-orange srikhand? When you prepare the curd for the sweet dish, add some mango pulp and juice to it for a mouth-watering outcome.

You can have a brilliantly hued drink to set the mood. First Food’s ‘The Future of Taste’ tells us about jamun shots — the pulp of jamun is mixed with mint leaves, sugar, salt and ice cubes, pulverised, and then had in shot glasses. Flowers are great colouring agents, too. Hibiscus is a case in point. Soak the petals of the flower in hot water. When the colour of the water turns purple, filter it. Add sugar, mint, ginger, and a few drops of lemon juice — and drink up! We have some aparajita (butterfly pea) flowers growing on our balcony, and these lead to a brilliant blue drink. Steep the flowers in boiling water for 5 minutes. When the water turns blue, strain it, and add honey, sugar or jaggery. You could add a few drops of lemon, and the colour will turn from purple to a light pink.

These are all natural hues that can be infused into food — for colour and taste. Our kitchens are like paint palettes, all we have to do is play with colours.

Lemon rice

Ingredients

Cooked rice                2 cups

Juice of limes             2

Turmeric                    1/4 tsp

Mustard seeds          ½ tsp

Urad dal                    1 tsp

Chana dal                  1 tsp

Peanuts (shelled)     2 tsp

Red chillies               2

Green chillies (slit)  2

Asafoetida                  A pinch

Curry leaves               1 sprig

Salt                              As required

Oil                               As needed

Method

Place the cooked rice in a wide-bottomed bowl.

In a kadahi, heat the oil. Add the mustard seeds, dals, peanuts and red chillies. Add the green

chillies, curry leaves, asafoetida, and turmeric when the seeds start spluttering. Stir for a bit, and then add the lemon juice and the salt. Pour over the rice. Mix well, and serve with papadam.