KOCHI: Rose-coloured rice with a smell that makes you want to eat it warm...! It tastes fabulous. The taste magic of Gayathri Dileep, a ninth grader, spread fragrance during the Economic Nutritious Food live cooking competition at the State School Science Festival.

Gayathri starts preparing rose rice by boiling 25 rose flowers in water. After this, she removes flowers from it and boils rice in that water. Thus, a bowl of rose-coloured rice is ready. She then garnishes it with two or three rose petals to make the rice look richer.

Gayathri's rice water halwa is also super tasty. It is made by sauteing jaggery and rice powder well. A little bit of cardamom adds flavour. When cooked, the halwa should be moved to a greased bowl and let cool.

Gayathri, a student of the Vallamkulam National High School, Pathanamthitta, had earlier won prizes in these events. She also made more than ten mouth-watering dishes like Dasapush Payasam and Hibiscus squash.