Make The Most Of Independence Day Celebration With These 7 Underrated

Indian Breakfast Dishes

Quick Summary

Chole bhature, tricolour food, puri and halwa are perfect for Independence Day celebrations. But how about this year-round, going far and wide to try some underrated breakfast gems from across the country? These dishes are the perfect breakfast fix if you are bored with the usual poha, upma or the routine paratha. From Nagaland's comforting galho porridge to Meghalaya's steamed putharo, India's states have some unique breakfast recipes that rarely make it to the mainstream table.

Deep Dive

India's Independence Day, observed every August 15 to mark the country's freedom from British rule in 1947, is as much a celebration of unity as it is of diversity, which is why you should explore some dishes across the country that rarely get the spotlight. There are rice porridges from the Northeast, buckwheat pancakes from the Himalayan borderlands, fried breads from the hills, and steamed rice cakes from the Khasi kitchens of Meghalaya, and so much more that you must try.

1. Nagaland's Galho

More than a breakfast item, galho or zawo is a one-pot rice dish close to khichdi and is often eaten in Nagaland on rainy days and in winter months. ‘Gal’ refers to the rice and ‘ho’ to the water or soup. This comforting rice dish was created by the Angami and Chakhesang Naga tribes, and is now popular across Nagaland. The dish is simmered with smoked meat, Axone or Akhuni (fermented soybean) and leafy greens (whatever is in season) until it reaches a thick consistency.

Ingredients:

• Rice, rinsed

• Smoked pork or beef, cubed

• Axone (fermented soybean), 1 tbsp

• Pumpkin, squash or mustard greens, chopped

• Green chillies, ground

• Salt and water

Instructions:

• Simmer Axone, ground green chillies and water for 5 minutes; season with salt.

• Add the smoked meat and cook for about 45 minutes, until tender.

• Add the rinsed rice with enough water and cook until the mixture is porridge-like.

• Fold in the chopped greens for the last 5-7 minutes and serve hot.

A vegetarian version of this will simply drop the meat and axone and lean on extra greens, ginger and garlic instead.

2. Arunachal's Khura

A staple of the Monpa tribe around Tawang, khura is a fermented buckwheat pancake found in nearly every street stall in the town and is eaten with butter tea made from yak milk. It's naturally gluten-free and vegan when made without the all-purpose flour some modern versions add in.

Ingredients:

• Buckwheat flour (kuttu atta), 1 cup

• Water (or chhaang, a local millet or rice brew)

• Salt

• Butter, for greasing

Instructions:

• Mix buckwheat flour with water into a thick batter and season with salt.

• Rest the batter for about an hour.

• Pour a ladleful into a hot, buttered skillet and spread it out thin like a crepe.

• Cook on both sides till golden and serve warm with butter tea or honey.

Make your Independence Day morning desi with these local pancakes with your favourite toppings. 

3. Maharashtra's Ghavan

If you love neer dosa, you will like this Konkan-coast speciality, ghavan, a Maharashtra speciality. It is made from a rice-flour batter and prepared like the crepe-like, lacy (jali) neer dosa, and needs no fermentation or resting time. So, for your Independence Day celebration, try this underrated, fastest breakfast fix from Maharashtra. The net-like texture comes from pouring the thin batter onto a hot pan in a circular motion rather than spreading it flat like a dosa.

Ingredients:

• Rice flour, 1 cup

• Water

• Salt

• Oil, for greasing

Instructions:

• Whisk the rice flour with water and salt into a thin, pourable batter.

• Heat and lightly grease a flat pan.

• Pour the batter from the edges inward to build the jali (net) pattern.

• Cover and cook until the edges loosen. Repeat with the rest of the batter.

Serve this Maharashtra ghavan with flavoured coconut chutneys, coconut milk sweetened with jaggery, Malvani chicken curry, thin mutton gravy, or vegetable korma. 

4. Manipur's Tan Angangba

Also called tan ngang or puwu, this Meitei-style fried bread is sweet and close to a puri, being made from maida and curd. It's paired with sana thongba or a spiced potato curry and is especially popular for Sunday breakfast, so it's perfect for a special occasion like Independence Day. The name roughly translates to red bread and is associated with the Meitei Hindu ceremony called Shorat.

Ingredients:

• Refined flour (maida), 1 cup

• Thick curd or hung yoghurt, 2 tbsp

• Salt

• Water, for kneading

• Oil, for deep-frying

Instructions:

• Mix flour and salt, then work in the curd and enough water to form a soft, non-sticky dough.

• Rest the dough briefly, divide into small balls and roll into 3-inch discs.

• Deep-fry until puffed and golden on both sides and repeat for the rest.

Serve the tan angangba fresh off the stove and eat it as a snack like the Manipuris do. If you want to have something on the side, go for the typical aloo dum or chana masala.

5. Jharkhand's Dhuska

A festival favourite during Karma, Sarhul, and Tusu, dhuska is a deep-fried rice-and-lentil fritter that's almost always eaten with ghugni, which is also a staple in the Eastern region. The dhuska might remind you of thicker puris, but smaller in size, and these tend to be crisp outside and soft within. Some liken it to a fried appam rather than a puri.

Ingredients:

• Rice, soaked

• Chana dal, soaked

• Urad dal, soaked

• Green chillies and ginger

• Cumin seeds, asafoetida and turmeric

• Salt

Instructions:

• Soak the rice and both dals separately for 4-6 hours.

• Grind each into a batter, then combine with the spices.

• Rest the batter briefly, then deep-fry spoonfuls until crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.

Take a break from the typical puri and maida and serve these rice-and-lentil-based puffed fried breads, hot off the pot, with the typical ghugni or a simple aloo sabzi.

6. Uttarakhand’s Sundarkala

From the Raini village in Chamoli, Uttarakhand, comes this wheat noodle, with the older version made using mandua (finger millet) mixed with whole wheat. The noodles are handmade and tossed with a spicy garlic-leaf chutney, mustard oil and local faran. It tends to be prepared as a community during Egaas, Uttarakhand’s Buddhi Diwali, and is served with namkeen cha.

Ingredients:

• Whole wheat flour

• Turmeric

• Salt

• Water

Instructions:

• Knead the flour, turmeric and salt with water into a firm dough.

• Roll the dough by hand into thick logs or ropes.

• Boil until fully cooked.

Serve with lehsun namak, a mashed garlic-leaf, salt and chilli condiment, and a cup of namkeen chai, like the Pahadis like it.

7. Meghalaya’s Putharo

A Khasi steamed rice cake, Putharo is a breakfast fixture across Meghalaya's Khasi Hills, where rice cakes are baked and supplied to markets across districts like Mawkyrwat and Nongstoin. It's traditionally served with Doh-nei-iong (pork with black sesame) or tyrungbai, a fermented soybean paste, though it tastes just as good on its own.

Ingredients:

• Rice flour (or soaked, ground rice)

• Salt

• Water

Instructions:

• Mix rice flour with salt and warm water into a soft, moist dough or batter.

• Fill greased moulds or small bowls with the mixture.

• Steam for 10-15 minutes until firm.

Serve warm with a savoury curry, or with jaggery and coconut for a sweet version, perfect for a morning of Independence Day celebration.

How to Give These Dishes a Khapli Atta Twist

Six of these seven underrated breakfast dishes are built on some form of flour or rice batter, which makes them easy to adapt. Here's a quick reference for where khapli atta fits in:

Galho, being rice-based with no wheat flour in it, is best left as-is, though it pairs well with a khapli atta flatbread on the side for anyone who wants the extra fibre.

Independence Day Celebration with Unique Breakfast Dishes

Make the most of these low-key breakfast dishes, many from the tribal areas, which are wholesome and some fried, perfect for a celebratory morning to mark India’s independence. Mix and match and try them with local ingredients in your area and make a breakfast worth looking forward to and relishing.