It was time to celebrate Indianness on the Indian independence day once again after the last republic day was celebrated in January and we were all geared up to celebrate the spirit of indian independence and indian nationality and the symbolic of which had always been our adorable tricolour. Tricolour is our identity which symbolizes the spirit of our independence and the significance of the three colours of our national flag i.e. the Saffron, green and white. We indians try to celebrate the day with as much celebration of our tricolour as we can, whether be it in the clothes, food or decor. Tricolour foods are something that most of us cannot skip at all and in every independence or republic day, I try my best to prepare some or other tricoloured food and it has become a tradition of the sort. This time it is the turn of the “Tricoloured Steamed Sabudana Savoury Cake” that I tried for the first time and it came out perfectly. Usually sabudana in India is a vrat (fasting for religious reason) ingredient and we generally have it in the form of khichdi, pulao or kheer. This steamed sabudana cakes are quite a new thing for me and I really found it interesting. Actually I came up with the idea just accidentally while managing the leftover and previously soaked sabudana. I simply did put it in the cooker to make it warm and it came out as a soft, spongy disc that can be easily served with any chutney or curry for your breakfast. I was so thrilled after this that I thought of making this savoury cake on independence day to celebrate the spirit of our tricolour. You may also try making this as a dessert which can be more alluring I guess. So just give a boost to your imagination and try this in your own way, the recipe of which is given for you below :

RECIPE :

1. Sabudana  / tapioca pearls  (small sized) – 1 cup.

Ingredients :

A) For Green Layer :

1. Coriander leaves – 2 small bunch.
2. Mint leaves – 1/3^rd cup.
3. Ginger – 1 small piece.
4. Green Chilli – 1 or 2 as per requirement.
5. Lemon juice- 1 tsp.
6. Black salt – 1 tsp.
7. Chaat masala – 1 tsp.
8. Sugar – 1 or 2 pinch.
9. Paneer / Cottage cheese (grated) – 1 tbs.

B) For White Layer :

1. Hung Curd – 2 tbs.
2. Black salt – as per taste.
3. Roasted cumin seeds powder – 1 tsp.
4. Chilli flakes – ½ tsp.
5. Coconut (grated) – 1 tbs.
6. Curry leaves – 1 twig.
7. Cheese (grated) – 1 tbs. (optional)
8. Roasted cumin seeds powder – ½ tsp.

C) For Saffron Layer :

1. Carrot (ground to smooth paste) – 1
2. Coconut (grated) – 1 tbs.
3. Curry leaves – 1 twig.
4. Cheese (grated) – 1 tbs. (optional)
5. Roasted cumin seeds powder – ½ tsp.

Preparation :

1. Soak sabudana in water atleast overnight. (Note : It is better to use previously soaked sabudana even for more than 2 days in advance for a better texture).
2. For preparing hung curd, take curd in a muslin cloth and tie & hang in the refrigerator overnight to drain the water in it completely.
3. For making the green layer, blanch the green leaves (coriander & mint) and then grind them to a smooth paste along with other ingredients i.e. green chilli, paneer, lemon juice, ginger, salt, sugar and chaat masala.
4. For making the saffron layer, blanch the carrot and grind it to a smooth paste.
5. Now, take the carrot paste in a pan, add coconut, grated cheese, roasted cumin seeds powder, salt and curry leaves to it and sauté the mixture over a low flame for few seconds till the water in the mixture dries up completely.
6. Bring down from the flame and let it cool.
7. For the white layer, take out the hung curd in a bowl, add cumin seeds powder, black salt, grated coconut and chilli flakes and beat the curd using a wire whisk or spatula to make it smooth and creamy.
8. Now for preparing the steamed sabudana cake, take out the previously soaked sabudana in a bowl, add 1 or 2 pinch of salt and a little chaat masala and mix.
9. For making three separate layers of sabudana cake,we need to make three separate discs and layer them together later.
10. For preparing the sabudana cake, take a small bowl with a tight lid, take two tablespoon of sabudana and spread it uniformly at base of the bowl.(Note : Layers should not be too thick otherwise your sabudana may stick to the bottom of the bowl).
11. Close the lid tightly and pressure cook for two whistles.
12. Take out the bowl and keep it over cold water for 1 or 2 minutes.
13. Gently open the lid and with the help of a knife or back of a spoon, separate the edges of it from the bowl.
14. Reverse the bowl over a dish or a tray and gently tap at the back to detach the cake from the base of the bowl.
15. Prepare your remaining two layers of cake as mentioned from step 10 onwards.
16. Now for layering the cake, place a disc of sabudana over a dish, layer with the previously prepared green paste over it by spreading uniformly.
17. Place another disc of sabudana above the green paste.
18. Spread hung curd mixture over it uniformly.
19. Put the third disc of sabudana over the hung curd.
20. Finally spread the carrot mixture over it and spread uniformly throughout the disc.
21. Your tricolor steamed sabudana cake is now ready to be served.

Take pride in carrying your tricolour platter for this independence day celebration. You can just add all your imagination into the three layers and create your own lip smacking flavors for this steamed savory cake.