LEFTOVER FOOD ? SIMPLE HACKS TO USE THE LEFTOVER

WHAT DO YOU DO, WHEN  EXCESS FOOD IS REMAINING?

As home makers or working women or food enthusiasts or anyone who loves to cook we all deal with this  situation we try our level best to avoid” Wastage of food “but sometimes even our best efforts fail. So what to do with the excess leftover? you create  MAGIC, As I said before “Kitchen is like a laboratory”, you have to keep on experimenting, out of those failures a magic is created. One of my cousin has a simple philosophy to deal with this situation( Saturday noon lunch ) is made Of the leftovers of the week. She has alloted a specific space to deal with this situation. Maybe this trick might help you too.

Here I am sharing my favorite hacks with leftover food, I am writing this as series. In part 1 we will see recipes to create with Rice. “3 Simple Recipes Anyone can cook.“

PART : 1.

RECIPES WITH LEFTOVER RICE.

AUTHOR: LINA @ THE TIKKAZ AND CURRIEZ

COOK TIME : ALL THE RECIPES CAN BE MADE BETWEEN 20 TO 30 MINUTES.

DIFFICULTY LEVEL : EASY.

CUISINE : VEGAN, LOW ON SPICE.

SERVING : 2 PEOPLE.

RECIPE  1 : INDIAN FRIED RICE (PHODNICHA  BHAT )

Ingredients:

Rice : 1 bowl.

Curry leaves  : 4 to 5.

Chilli  ( green) : 3 to 4.

Coriander  : 3 to 4 sticks ( cilantro)( dhaniya).

Onion : 1 to 2 medium,  finely cut or thinly  sliced.

Asafoetida  :  1 pinch ( hing).

Ginger powder : 1 pinch (sunth).

Salt : To taste.

Mustard-seeds: 1/4 TSP. (Tea spoon)

Cumin-seeds : 1/4 TSP.

Oil : 2 TBSP ( Can use ghee too )(table spoon)

Preparation :

• 1. Take a pan or kadhai, add oil and let it heat over medium flame.
• 2. Once it is hot,simmer the flame and add the above ingredients one by one. First curry leaves 🍃 next chilies, add mustard and cumin seeds once they start crackling add asafoetida and ginger powder and give a mix.
• 3. Once they are nice and crisp, add 🌰 onions finely chopped or thinly sliced. Stir till they are golden brown.
• 4. Add the boiled rice and salt to it and give a good mix. Stir in between , cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes for the ingredients to nicely mix with the rice.
• Switch off the flame, garnish well with finely chopped coriander.
• You can serve it with dal or any gravy vegetable or even with curd. It can be served as quick dinner recipe or for brunch.

RECIPE 2 : STEAMED RICE WITH CURD OR YOGURT. ( DAHI BHAT )

Ingredients :

• Boiled rice : 1 bowl
• Fresh curd or yoghurt : 1 bowl
• Grated 🥕 carrot : 1 (Optional)
• Chilies green : 2
• Chilies red : 2
• Curry leaves 🍃 : 4 to 5.
• Ginger julienne : 1 TSP.
• Chana dal : 1 TSP (teaspoon).
• Cashew nuts : 6 to 7.( heat in little oil or Ghee to make it golden brown)
• Oil or Ghee : 2 TBSP ( tablespoon) (you can use avocado oil too or cow ghee for healthy benefits)
• Cilantro or coriander: 2 to 3 twigs for garnish.
• Salt and sugar : As per your test.
• Pomegranate seeds : 2 TBSP (optional for garnish)

Preparation :

• 1 Mash the boiled rice ( I use the masher for convenience) in a bowl.
• In the same bowl Add fresh curd ,carrots, (you can add any other vegetables 😉 or fruits to the mix.),mix the ingredients well.
• 3. In the tampering ladle, add 2tbsp oil or Ghee for tampering. When the oil heats up add mustard red chilies, green chilies, curry leaves, chana dal,ginger julienne till you get the crackling sound.(do not over heat or the tampering will burn).
• 4. Add this tampering to the rice bowl and mix well.
• 5. Add salt and sugar as per your taste (if you are making this recipe with leftover white rice,REMEMBER you have already added salt) so check while adding excess salt.
• 6. Garnish using cilantro, golden brown cashew nuts and pomegranate. And curd rice is ready to eat.

RECIPE 3 : RICE FRITTERS. (Pakode )

Ingredients :

• Leftover rice : 1 bowl
• Onion finely chopped : 1/2 cup.
• Ginger julienne: 2 to 3 TSP (1/2 inch Ginger)
• Garlic cloves : 2 to 3 finely chopped.
• Green chilies : 1
• Coriander : 2 to 3 twigs finely chopped.
• Red chilies: 1 finely chopped or you can use red chilie powder.
• Cornstarch : 2 to 3 TBSP (tablespoon)
• Salt : To taste.
• Oil : Enough for dee deep frying.

Preparation :

• 1. Heat oil in the pan ( for health benefits use vegetable or avocado oil).
• 2. Let the oil heat on a medium flame 🔥 in the meantime in a large bowl combine all the ingredients. Let it become a good mix, sprinkle little water to bind the mix well. It helps the fritters to hold their shape.
• 3. Add the salt at this stage according to your taste.
• 4. Shape the fritters according to the size of your choice. Once the oil heats on the medium flame, put in the fritters one by one. Take utmost care while doing so, you do not want them to break.
• 5. Stir occasionally and change their side after 2 to 3 minutes so that the frying happens uniformly.
• 6. When they are fried on medium flame they become nice and crisp even from the inside ( you do not want a fritter which is half done,do you?)
• 7. When they become nice golden brown, remove them in a plate. Serve them hot with sauce or chutney of your choice.

Things to remember :

• 1. Frying time varies for every batch of fritters between 8 to 10 minutes.
• 2. Binding mix can be made as per your choice. You can either use All purpose flour (Maida) or Rice flour instead of corn starch.
• 3. Chili powder can be added or replaced with the masala or condiments of your choice.
• You can play with this basic recipe by adding or subtracting ingredients as per your choice. ( For mommies this recipe is a boon. Add as many vegetables of your choice and kids will eat them happily 😊).
• 5. Lastly do not add too much water to the batter or it will become runny and fritters will not hold their shape. Just in case if you have added extra water,use more of the binding flour and taste the consistency of the taste.