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Copyright © 2025 Foodies Only
Copyright © 2025 Foodies Only
7 min
21/01/2026
Republic Day is as much about food as it is about celebrating the nation’s victories over the years. It is an occasion where you can spend time with your friends, family and close ones, and enjoy some delicious food. The occasion can be more special if you have Tiranga-inspired foods and drinks. It is not only visually appealing but also sets the correct emotional tone for the day. This article looks at a list of foods and drinks that do not need artificial colouring to represent Tiranga, and can act as the best menu for hosting a party with a mix of some traditional and modern twists. Dive deeper to know more.
Food is an important part of Indian festivals, and the association is stronger on Republic Day. The Indian tricolour is more than just a flag; it represents the values integral to the nation: warmth, peace and growth. The same goes for Indian food as well. The variety of vibrant ingredients, dishes, and methods to cook food in India is also about maintaining identity, yet representing the country as a whole. Indian kitchens have ingredients that represent the Tiranga: saffron, white and green. And thus, creating a Tiranga-inspired menu does not require artificial colouring or complicated methods.
Indian kitchens already use ingredients that fall into saffron, white and green shades, so creating a Tiranga-inspired menu doesn’t require artificial colouring or complicated methods. Saffron dishes are bold and celebrate the spirit of Indian food, while white dishes are all about comfort and peace. Green brings freshness and growth, symbolising how Indian food is diverse yet tied together and blends well with many other dishes. Read this article to know how you can plan a Tiranga-inspired menu for Republic Day, where you bring the tricolour dishes, and how well they blend together on the table, representing the unity in diversity of the nation.
Saffron-colour represent the celebratory side of Indian festivities. Ingredients like carrots, pumpkin, tomatoes, and some lentils give the natural saffron colour and can be used to make dishes common in Indian kitchens. You can make a carrot and green pea sabzi, potato tikkis, and tomato-based dals that create a saffron band on the table. These dishes are easy to make and yet festive. Desserts like phirni, saffron-infused milk can also represent the saffron colour on the table.
White acts as a perfect calming centre to the Tiranga-inspired spread. Daily dishes and ingredients in Indian kitchens like rice, curd, coconut and paneer can make it easier to bring white to the table. You can cook plain steamed rice, jeera rice, which will pair well with saffron and green sides. You can also keep curd rice, with minimal tempering that does not take the white essence away, yet gives comfort. Keeping paneer white can be a little tricky since raw paneer is a bit difficult to include on a festive palate. But you can make palak paneer to offer a blend of white and green, or paneer masala for a blend of saffron and white, or simply stir-fry paneer with veggies that represent white, with some hues of saffron and green. Coconut chutneys, or milk-based desserts like basundi, kheer, will give a perfect balance to the Tiranga-inspired table.
Green dishes are the life of the Tiranga-inspired table, as they bring freshness to the palate. You can have sides, salads and drinks inspired by green, along with leafy greens, peas, herbs and green veggies that represent the exact colour and make the table look vibrant. You can opt for a spinach-based dal, a green pea and capsicum stir-fry or green dhoklas that give fresh colours and taste on the table. Chutneys made with mint and coriander are also the exact condiments that you need with such a vast and vibrant menu. Green drinks such as mint chaas or coriander lemon water will work the best, especially when the weather is slowly turning from cold to warm.
The above set of food represents the rich food diversity of India and proves how you can plan a Tiranga-inspired menu with everyday pantry staples and dishes that do not need extra effort or planning. From tikkis to dals to sabzis and desserts, each colour from the Tiranga will find its replica in Indian food, and the values it represents. Make sure you make these dishes to celebrate this Republic Day and pay homage to the flag in a unique and foodie way!
