Transform your leftovers with Indian flair! Dive into creative recipes using rice, roti, sabzi, and dal. Learn more!
In every Indian household, leftover food is a given. Whether it's rice from lunch, roti
from dinner or vegetables from the previous day's cooking, there's always something extra. Instead of throwing the leftovers away, we can creatively transform them into exciting new dishes.
With a little imagination and some common Indian spices, yesterday's meals can become today's culinary delights. It is a good way to reduce food wastage and save money.
Leftover rice transformed into delicious Indian dishes
Leftover rice is a versatile ingredient. Indian cooking offers many ways to give it a new life. One simple option is to turn it into delicious fried rice. Just stir-fry the rice with chopped vegetables like onions, carrots, peas, and capsicum. Add a dash of soy sauce for flavour.
Temper it with mustard seeds and curry leaves for a South Indian touch. You can stir-fry it with sambhar or rasam powder. You can also use leftover rice to make curd rice, a cooling and comforting dish, especially during summer or during indigestion.
Mix the rice with curd (yogurt), season it with mustard seeds, curry leaves and chopped green chilies. Rice flour is also a good option for making Cheelas.
Delightful rice recipes: pakoras, kheer, dosas
Another delightful option is to make rice pakoras. Mix the rice with besan (gram flour), spices, and chopped vegetables like onions and spinach. Deep-fry small portions of the mixture until golden brown and crispy. Serve with mint chutney or tomato ketchup. For a sweeter take, try making rice kheer.
Cook the rice with milk, sugar, and cardamom powder until it thickens. Garnish with chopped nuts and raisins for a festive treat. Another option is to make rice dosas. Grind a mixture of rice, urad dal, and methi seeds and allow it to ferment for few hours. This batter you can use to prepare dosas.
Transform leftover rice into tasty idlis and pongal; don't waste food
Do you want to make idlis? Mix the rice with urad dal and methi seeds and let it ferment overnight. Steam the batter in idli molds for a healthy and tasty breakfast. Rice can also be used to make pongal, south Indian dish . Cook the rice with moong dal, ghee, and black pepper.
Temper it with cumin seeds and cashews and that will be a tasty comfort food. One can add leftover matar paneer into the pongal, to get different variety. Instead of letting perfectly good food go to waste, try experimenting with these ideas to turn leftover rice into tasty dishes.
Leftover roti can be transformed into tacos, pizza, noodles for a delicious meal
Leftover roti is a common sight, but there's so much more you can do with it than just reheating. One popular option is to make roti tacos or wraps. Fill the roti with your choice of cooked vegetables like aloo sabzi, paneer bhurji or even leftover dal.
You can also create a quick and easy roti pizza. Spread pizza sauce, sprinkle grated cheese, add some chopped vegetables, and bake in the oven until the cheese melts. For a healthy option, make roti noodles. Cut the roti into thin strips and stir-fry with vegetables and sauces.
It's a great way to use leftover roti and create a satisfying meal.
Make roti halwa, chivda, or kathi rolls for tasty treats
For those with a sweet tooth, try making roti halwa. Crumble the roti into small pieces and cook it with ghee, sugar, and cardamom powder until it forms a smooth paste. Garnish with chopped nuts and raisins for a delightful dessert. Another option is to make roti chivda.
Cut the roti into small squares and deep-fry or bake until crispy. Toss with spices, nuts, and dried fruits for a crunchy snack. Roti can also be used to make kathi rolls. Stuff the roti with a filling of your choice, roll it up, and serve with chutney.
Savory roti upma and creative ways to use leftovers
If you're in the mood for something savory, try making roti upma. Crumble the roti and sauté it with onions, tomatoes, and spices. It's a quick and easy dish that's perfect for breakfast or a light meal. Leftover roti can also be used to make papad rolls.
Spread green chutney on the roti, sprinkle some chopped vegetables and then roll it into a cylinder and toast lightly on pan. There are many more creative ways to use leftover roti and reduce food waste in your kitchen.
Leftover sabzi transformed: palak paneer soup, stuffed paratha, aloo gobi cutlets
Leftover sabzi (cooked vegetables) can also be transformed into exciting new dishes. Give your palak paneer a makeover by turning it into a delicious soup. Blend the palak paneer with vegetable broth and cream. Season with salt and pepper.
You can prepare a stuffed paratha, for your breakfast by stuffing sabzi inside the paratha. Fry this paratha with some ghee and serve. Transform your bland aloo gobi in form of cutlets. Mix the aloo gobi with breadcrumbs and spices.
Shape them into cutlets and shallow fry or bake until golden brown.
Leftover sabzi can be transformed into delicious dishes
For a change, try making vegetable fritters. Mix the leftover sabzi with besan batter and spices. Deep-fry small portions of the mixture until crispy. Serve hot with chutneys.
When you have mixed vegetables mix them with rice, curd, and spices, you can ferment it so that it converts to a delicious dish. This is a traditional dish, made in south and it is healthy to consume. Sautéing vegetables in curry powder is also a good option.
With some creativity, leftover sabzi can be transformed into a variety of delicious and satisfying dishes.
Get creative with subzi: make a sandwich or bonda
One can make sandwich with the subzi. Take a slice of bread and put the subzi between them and grill. You will have a wonderful sandwich with you. Or you can take all the of your subzis left over and mix it together and put it between the bread slices and make bonda.
You will have a yummy snack to eat. There are lots of options available, just use your creativity and see what you are making and do not waste.
Leftover dal transforms into tasty dishes: paratha, tikki, sandwich
Leftover dal might seem boring, but it can be the star of many interesting dishes. Dal paratha is a classic way to use leftover dal. Mix the dal with wheat flour, spices, and knead into a dough. Roll out parathas and cook on a skillet until golden brown.
For a quick snack, turn the dal into crispy dal tikki. Combine the dal with mashed potatoes, breadcrumbs, and spices. Shape into patties and shallow fry until golden brown. You can also mix them them for a sandwich, as described above.
With a little imagination, leftover dal can be transformed into a range of delicious dishes.
Lentil soup is healthy; make soup with lentils, ginger, garlic, onions
Lentil soup is very healthy. So make a soup with lentils and add ginger, garlic, onions to it and boil. You will have a perfect soup ready in front of you. You can make many things from the dal.
If you have masoor dal in stock, prepare vadam with them and enjoy during summer after keeping it in sun light for few days. Every dal will provide you with protein, so instead of wasting it, consume it in some form and make the most out of it.
