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There are situations when people end up with leftovers, some that are caused intentionally, while the others that are caused unintentionally. People often don’t know what to do with the leftovers and end up with wasting the leftover by either dumping in the garbage or waiting for the animals to consume that. Often the leftover food items are one among the daily consumables like rice, chapati, or vegetables. People are usually aware about the uses of leftovers chapati and vegetables but remain silent when asked about what to do with leftover rice?
Shall I eat it? Throw it? Give it to street animals? Many questions come to mind when we encounter with the leftover rice. This article discusses about a variety of ways that one can try with the leftover rice along with a couple of delicious leftover rice recipes. Proper utilization of leftover rice will help in reducing food waste, use up leftovers, and save money.
Leftover Rice Recipes
What if your leftovers turn into a new recipe that you and your family can enjoy. Isn’t it a win-win situation? Leftover rice recipes are one of the most appreciated recipes that gives you the taste of a completely new recipe than the previous leftover. With the below listed leftover rice recipes you can convert your yesterday’s dinner into today’s lunch. Let us explore some of the most delicious easy leftover rice recipes that your family will enjoy:
Leftover Rice Dosa Recipe
Leftover rice dosa recipe is an excellent alternative to traditional dosa and can be prepared at home with ease. Like the traditional dosa this homemade dosa prepared from rice kept in your refrigerator is very healthy to eat and can be prepared within 15 minutes. Now! It’s no wonder that the largest rice exporter country India not only gives you chance to enjoy a delicious dinner but also a delicious breakfast option. Ingredients required for leftover rice dosa are:
- Sooji/semolina/Rawa
- Leftover rice (You can try any type of white leftover rice both basmati and non-basmati)
- Sour Curd
- Seasoning
- Baking soda
Method to Prepare Leftover Rice Dosa
- Grind 1 cup of Sooji into powder
- Add 1 ½ cup of leftover rice in a grinder jar, you can use any variety of rice (Sona Masoori Rice, 1121 Basmati Rice or as per your choice)
- Add 1 cup curd/plain yogurt and grind again
- Add ¾ cup water and grind to a smooth batter
- Add salt and baking soda to the batter before preparing the instant dosa
Leftover Rice Cutlets
Rice cutlet is one of the most delicious recipes that people enjoy and are very easy to prepare. The cooked leftover rice should be well cooked, this leftover rice snacks is a perfect evening snack for you and your kids.
Ingredients:
- Cooked Rice
- Potatoes
- Vegetables
- Green Chilies
- Coriander Leaves
- Cornflour/Rice Flour
- Spices
- Salt
Method to Prepare Leftover Rice Cutlets:
- Take 1 cup cooked rice in a mixing bowl
- Add ½ cup mashed potatoes
- Now, add ⅓ cup chopped onion, 1 chopped green chili & 2 tablespoons of chopped coriander leaves
- Add the spices as per your taste and preference
- 3 tablespoons of besan
- Mix and shape the mixture into a small sized cutlet
- Fly and flip till the cutlet is properly cooked
Leftover Rice Balls
Leftover rice balls are an Italian cuisine that are crispy fried balls made from cooked rice. It is prepared by mixing rice with egg, cheese, and seasonings which is then rolled into ball shape, floured, and deep-fried until it gets the golden texture. This Italian cuisine is known as “arancini di riso”.
Ingredients:
- Cooked Rice
- Egg
- Black Pepper
- Shredded Yellow Cheese
- Plain Breadcrumbs
- Salt
- All-Purpose Flour
- Crisco
Method to Prepare Leftover Rice Balls:
- Mix the leftover cooked rice with egg
- Stir in the pepper, cheese, breadcrumbs, and salt
- Roll the mixture to get into the size of balls
- Heat Crisco in a pan
- Deep fry the rice ball until it gets a beautiful golden brown colour
Leftover Rice Biryani
Are you bored of eating fried rice or zeera rice with the leftover rice? If yes, then this article is especially meant for you. Leftover rice can be used for biryani which is an ideal and most delicious way to use the leftover rice. Leftover Rice Biryani can be easily prepared using the biryani masala, vegetables, and coriander leaves for garnishing.
Ingredients for Leftover Rice Biryani:
- Onions – 1 small, finely sliced
- Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
- Bay leaf – 1
- Star anise – 1
- Cardamom – 2
- Cloves – 2
- Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp
- Tomatoes – 1 small, chopped
- Turmeric – 1/4 tsp
- Biryani masala – 2 tsp
- Vegetables – any of your choice, I’ve used here carrots, capsicum and cauliflower
Salt – to taste - Leftover boiled rice – 2-3 cups
- Coriander leaves – for garnishing
- Oil/Ghee
Vegetarian Mexican Inspired Stuffed Peppers
This vegetarian stuffed pepper rice recipe is one of the most loved leftover rice recipes that is neither too spicy nor too difficult to prepare. The recipe is packed with delicious flavour and can be served with corn or extra vegetables to add more to the taste.
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 4 large green bell peppers – tops, seeds, and membranes removed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 2 cups cooked rice
- 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can chili-style diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
1 package shredded Mexican cheese blend (such as Sargento® Authentic Mexican)
Pan-Fry Crispy Rice Fritters
If you are also looking for easy leftover rice recipes then this dish is for you which is crispy and crunchy with chatpata Indian flavor. Without wasting time let us tell you about the ingredients of the recipe:
- 1 ½ cups Leftover rice
- ½ Onion, finely chopped
- ½ inch Ginger, grated
- 2 Garlic cloves, minced or finely chopped
- 1 Green chili or Jalapeno, finely chopped
- 1 to 2 tablespoon Coriander leaves, or Cilantro finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon Red chili powder or Cayenne powder
- 2 tablespoon Corn starch (check tips for substitute)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons Chopped nuts (cashews or peanuts)
- Salt, to taste
- Vegetable oil for frying
Paella with Leftover Rice
Vegetarian Paella Recipe is loaded with veggies and is both healthy and tasty. It is one of the most delicious leftover lunches you can ever have.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 1 cup brown rice
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 3 bay leaves
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 green chilli deseeded and chopped
- 2 medium onions peeled and sliced
- 1 cup carrots peeled and julienned
- ½ cup cauliflower broken into small florets
- 2 sweet potatoes peeled and chopped
- 2 red bell peppers cut into sticks
- 1 yellow bell pepper cut into sticks
- ½ cup corn steamed or thawed if using frozen
- 1 cup peas steamed or thawed if using frozen
- 250 g plain tofu cut into small cubes
- salt to taste
- freshly ground pepper to taste
- 3 lemons juice of
- 1 cup fresh parsley finely chopped
Roti from Leftover Rice
Very few know about the rice roti which is very common among Indians and is often regarded as the traditional dish with leftover rice. You can easily prepare rice roti by using the following ingredients:
- Cooked Rice
- Wheat Flour
- Salt
- Water
- Optional (Cumin Powder, Chilli Flakes)
Method to Prepare Roti from Leftover Rice
To prepare delicious roti from leftover rice first grind the cooked rice in a mixer grinder, however without adding any water. To grind use pulse and a grinding for a few seconds will do. The ground paste may or may not be very smooth. A coarse paste will also give the same result. Now transfer the ground paste to a big bowl. You can add finely chopped onion, grated carrots, green chillies, curry leaves, coriander leaves, ginger, and cumin seeds and the salt.
Once you have added all the vegetables add the rice flour though not in large quantity at once, knead the mixture to a soft dough. Avoid adding any water. Now make balls out of the dough. A tennis ball sized will also work for the recipe. Try the traditional method of wetting your hands with water frequently so that the dough does not stick to your hands.
Spread the prepped ball to a six-to-seven-inch size roti and keep the same on the banana leaf or a parchment paper. After giving a perfect shape to roti, make small holes on the roti so that it cooks evenly. After preparing the material now move towards the final process of preparing roti with the leftover rice. Heat a tawa and sprinkle oil, consider sprinkling a very little amount of oil. Keep the banana leaf on the tawa and leave it for a few seconds. After peeling off the banana leaf, sprinkle little oil on the roti. Cover the roti with a lid and cook for a more couple of minutes. Flip the roti to prepare it well and serve it hot to enjoy the best of the taste.
Health Benefits of Leftover Rice
Though the article discusses about several delicious leftover rice recipes that you can try at home, there may be less than 1% chance that you don’t like them or in some cases it might be possible that you don’t have much time to prepare recipes with the leftover rice in that case you have a simple option to eat the rice as it is. Worry not, it won’t harm you instead there are several health benefits of leftover rice that you might not be aware of:
- Leftover rice usually has a lower glycemic index than that of freshly cooked rice
- Cooked and cooled rice is less prone to bacteria reducing the chances of foodborne illness
- Improves Gut Health and aids digestion
- Leftover rice retains many of the nutrients that are present in the freshly cooked rice, including iron potassium, and calcium.
Conclusion
Food is the basic need for everyone while some get it easily others may have to struggle a lot to earn proper meal. It is always advised to not waste the food and ensure the proper utilization of food that starts from our home. However, there may be situations where we are forced to store food and the next day they become leftover food.
Once you have gone through this blog make sure you properly utilize the leftover rice and transform it into a delicious leftover rice snacks which you and your family can enjoy.
Frequently Asked Questions About Leftover Rice
Leftover rice can be used for preparing fried rice and rice biryani also and can be used for dinner.
Leftover rice can also be used as a dessert with recipes like Phirni, kheer recipe and other leftover rice pudding.
There are several vegetarian dishes that can be prepared using the leftover rice including, veg biryani, leftover rice cutlets, leftover fried rice and others.
Leftover rice can be used in several ways, it can be used to make soups, rice pudding, and even breakfast to name a few can be made with the leftover rice. These are some of the best and top-rated recipes with the leftover rice and is highly preferred by people of all ages.
Yes, leftover Indian rice can be consumed in various ways. Once the rice has cooled down, put the same in the fridge and consume it within 24 hours. You can eat leftover rice even when it is cold. However, when you reheat the leftover rice, make sure you reheat fully until piping hot throughout.
