Chef Yogesh Amin, head of department-ITM Institute of Hotel Management, Navi Mumbai, shares these simple recipes.

Tricolour Idlis

Ingredients

For the idli batter

• 3 cups par boiled rice/ukda rice
• 1 cup urad dal
• 1 tbsp fenugreek seeds

For saffron colour batter

• 1 carrot peeled and grated
• ¼ inch ginger

For white colour batter

• 1 cup desiccated coconut
• ¼ inch ginger

For green colour batter

• A small bunch of spinach leaves washed and blanched for 2 to 3 minutes
• ¼ inch ginger

Method

For making basic idli batter

• Take rice and urad dal in separate bowls and wash both evenly.
• Add fenugreek seeds in the rice bowl. Fill both the bowls with water and leave the urad dal and rice to soak overnight/ upto four hours.
• Wash and blend the grains. Start with the rice and grind along with fenugreek in the blender adding 1½ cup water. Make a thin consistency batter and continue the same with urad dal.
• Mix both batter in a bowl. Add 1 tsp salt and keep it in a warm place to ferment for approximately 10 to 12 hours.
• Once done, divide the batter into three equal parts.

For saffron idli

• Blend carrot and ginger in a blender by adding some salt.
• Blend to make a fine consistency puree.
• Add the paste into one of the idli batter portions. Mix well to incorporate the colour and adjust salt as per requirement.

White colour idli

• Mix desiccated coconut with salt to prepare white batter.

Green colour idli

• Blend spinach along with chopped ginger and make the puree.
• Add it into the remaining idli batter. Adjust with salt and mix well.

To prepare the idlis

• Pour the batter in a greased idli mould.
• Do not overflow the mould with the batter.
• Steam the idlis in a tightly closed steamer and cook for 8-10 minutes.
• Turn off the gas and let it sit for 5 minutes.
• Remove from the mould and serve hot with sambhar and coconut chutney.

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Tricolour Coconut Gulkand Ladoo

Ingredients

For saffron ladoo

• 4 carrots, washed peeled and cut
• ½ cup fresh desiccated coconut
• ¼ cup condensed milk
• 1 tsp gulkand
• 1 tsp ghee
• A few strands of saffron (for extra colour)

White ladoo

• ½ cup fresh desiccated coconut
• ¼ cup condensed milk
• 1 tsp gulkand
• 1 tsp ghee
• 5 pods cardamom

For green ladoo

• 4 betel leaves
• ½ cup fresh desiccated coconut
• ¼ cup condensed milk
• 1 tsp gulkand
• 1 tsp ghee
• 2 tbsp milk
• 3 cups of desiccated coconut for the outer covering of the ladoo

Method

To make saffron ladoo

• Blend carrots along with little water and make a paste.
• Heat a pan over the flame and set the flame to low.
• Add desiccated coconut and ghee and mix well for 2 to 3 minutes
• Add carrot paste and condensed milk into the pan and incorporate all together and cook till dry.
• Transfer the ladoo mixture in a bowl and leave it to cool down.
• Apply some ghee on your palms, take small portion of the mixture and flatten it on your palms.
• Stuff 1 tsp of gulkand in the centre of the mixture, close the sides and make a round shaped ladoo.
• Roll the ladoos in desiccated coconut and keep aside.

For white ladoo

• Heat a pan, add ghee, condensed milk and desiccated coconut into it and mix well for 2-3 minutes.
• Transfer the ladoo mixture in a bowl and leave it to cool down.
• Apply some ghee on your palms. Take a small portion of the mixture and flatten it on your palms.
• Stuff 1 tsp of gulkand in the centre of the mixture. Close the sides and make a round shaped ladoo.
• Roll the ladoos in desiccated coconut and keep aside.

For green ladoo

• Blend betel leaves a blender by adding milk into it to make a fine green paste.
• Heat a pan, add ghee and desiccated coconut into it and mix well for 2-3 minutes.
• Add betel leaves paste and condensed milk into the pan and incorporate all together and cook till dry.
• Transfer the ladoo mixture in a bowl and leave it to cool down.
• Apply some ghee on your palms. Take a small portion of the mixture and flatten it on your palms.
• Stuff 1 tsp of gulkand in the centre of the mixture. Close the sides and make a round shaped ladoo.
• Roll the ladoos in desiccated coconut.

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Tricolour Mousse

Ingredients

• 500 gm sweetened whipping cream
• 150 gm fresh cream
• 20 gm gelatin powder (veg)
• 2 gm kesar strands
• 20 gm almond powder
• 1 tsp almond essence
• 7.5 gm pistachio powder
• 1 tsp pistachio essence
• Few drops of green food colour

Method

• Take 10 ml of warm water in a bowl. Add gelatin. Mix well and keep aside.
• Divide this into three portions.
• In a small cup add kesar strands along with milk and keep it aside until it releases colour.
• Pour whipped cream in a bowl. With the help of a cream blender, blend until it forms a soft peak.
• Once done, add fresh cream into it and calmly fold it together. Divide this into three equal parts in three different bowls.
• For saffron colour layer, take the saffron and milk mixture, extract the strands from it.
• In one of the cream bowls, add saffron and milk mixture along with one part gelatin and fold it together.
• For the white layer, in the cream bowl add another part of geletin, almond powder, almond essence and fold it together.
• For the green colour layer, take the remaining cream, add the leftover gelatin, pistachio powder, pistachio essence and few drops of green food colour and fold it together.
• Take three piping bags and fill them with different colours.
• To serve take a tall glass. Pipe in the pistachio cream followed by almond cream and kesar cream on top.

• RECIPES! RECIPES!

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