Imagination is the key word

No matter how much care we take,many a times we still manage to have left over food at the end of the day. We may have measured out the exact quantity of rice, dhal, chopped the right amount of vegetables but, quite possibly one of the family members or all the members wanted a change and preferred having an omlette or a sandwich or even a take away dinner and the food you have so carefully cooked remains untouched and of course becomes the cause of great worry for you.

Leftovers never seem to taste as appetising as the original dish freshly cooked but you don’t want to waste good food so why not stir up something new and delicious from those old leftovers! The only thing you require is some courage and of course a few good ideas! Be a little daring in your kitchen since it is your domain and you can let your imagination take unplanned twists. It is also a good way to test your culinary skills. And last but not least you also end up saving even as your family is praising the new idea and the new dish prepared by you !

I have listed below a few ideas that could turn leftovers into tasty and mouthwatering meals or snacks. I am sure that even in your case, once you let your imagination run wild, there will be no stopping and you may even look forward to having leftovers in your kitchen every other day!

Leftover Chicken and prawns

I feel that both chicken and prawn are very versatile almost like potatoes. You can do many things with a few pieces of leftover chicken and a few left over prawns and i am sharing a few ideas with you all.

1. You can shred the meat off the bone of a chicken (leave the prawns as they are) and chop it up fine and mix with some salad dressing, chopped spring onions, mustard paste and tomato ketchup to make a great sandwich spread, or else serve the same chicken mixture on a bed of lettuce leaves as a dish by itself.
2. You can make a tasty chicken/prawn salad using the same boneless chicken pieces (or left over prawns ) by combining it with raw vegetables of your choice, sprouted pulses and lots of lettuce, some salt, pepper and lime juice. This is a very healthy dish since it has everything in balanced proportions and does not tax your digestive system.
3. If you like it a little more spicier, you can  fry some onions and sliced capsicums. When they are done add some red chili powder, chicken masala and finally add the left over pieces of chicken or prawns and left over gravy if any and mix well. You have a complete new dish that can be eaten with rice, chapatis or a slice of bread.
4. There are times when you have only gravy and hardly any chicken pieces or prawns left over in the curry. When that happens, hard boil a few eggs and add them to the gravy along with a few slices of tomatoes, boil the gravy checking salt and pepper. Add more if required. Finally heat some oil in a pan to which add a cup of finely sliced onions and when they turn brown add a few curry leaves and pour the mixture over the gravy, Serve the new Egg curry with steamed rice or brown rice.
5. You can make a nutritious and filling fried rice - If  in case there are very few pieces of chicken left or there are only a few prawns left and you want to make it go a long way, chop them up into smaller pieces. Chop some onions, green chilies, cluster beans, carrots, spring onions and mushrooms. Heat some oil and butter in a frying pan and add all the vegetables, salt and pepper, stir fry until the vegetables are just done but still remain crisp. Now add the chicken/prawn pieces and some sauces like soya, red chili and green chili if you like. Finally add the cooked rice, mix well and serve hot.

Leftover Vegetables

Most leftover vegetables normally get used up the next day served along with the other dishes although most often they get overlooked by the family members who prefer the newly prepared dishes and it becomes the duty and the obligation of the housewife to eat the leftovers. But you can make them a little more interesting by making some effort and by using your imagination so that others too enjoy it without feeling any hesitation.

I give here a few ideas that I know of and I am usre you too can think of many such ideas.

1. You can coarsely mash the leftover vegetables and add a slice or two of bread dipped in milk. Mix together adding salt if required and any spice of your choice and make small lemon sliced balls. Flatten out the vegetable mixture on your palm, dip into bread crumbs and shallow fry on a frying pan adding a little oil. Fry on both sides until golden brown and serve as a snack.
2. You can use leftover vegetables as filling while making stuffed Parathas, the same goes for dhal which can be Kneaded along with the dough and made into dhal rotis.
3. You can mix smaller quantities of two or three different vegetable curries and make a new dish out of this combination. Like for example if you have some left over paneer and some left over mixed vegetables, you can add some chopped boiled potatoes as well. Fry some chopped onions, green chilies, curry leaves and add chili powder, salt and the vegetable mixtrure - fry well until well blended. Serve as a new dish with rotis, curd rice or Rice and dhal.
4. If you are not in the mood to make anything elaborate with the leftovers, you can just warm it up adding some chili sauce or lime juice to spike up the taste and have it on freshly prepared brown toast. You can sprinkle some grated cheese on top to make it even more nutritious and tasty.

Left over rice

One can think of many different things to do with left over rice – from lemon rice, curd rive, puliyogare, fried rice to rice pakoras and rice patties. You can also make kheer or pudding by boiling 2 cups of milk until slightly thick add the mashed cooked left over rice and sugar to taste. Let it simmer until well blended after which you can add some cardamom powder and fried nuts and raisins.

You can make a very sumptuous salad with left over rice as the base. Warm the rice in a microwave oven and leave it to come back to room temperature. Mix this rice with chopped raw salad vegetables, some fried nuts, coriander leaves, salt, red chili powder and lemon juice. Arrange on a plate and place a few pieces of boiled eggs on top and serve with puckles and yogurt.

Some great new ideas

We see fruits going waste either because you tend to buy more when they are in season and after a day or two no one wants to eat them so they become over ripe and lose their fresh taste. Here is something you can do about it.

Puree the overripe fruits and mix with some corn flour, rice flour, wheat flour, powdered sugar, honey, beaten egg and enough milk to make a batter. You can also add some vanilla essence and a pinch of baking soda to the batter. The consistency should be similar to that of cake batter. Heat a non stick pan and melt a spoonful of butter and add a spoonful of the batter and make pan cakes like we normally make dosas or other normal pan cakes. Cook covered on a low flame till the sides curl in, turn over and cook on the other side. Serve with honey and fresh cream.

When your jam or marmalade is nearly over pour a glass of hot milk into the bottle and shake well and bring it to room temperature, add some chopped fruits  and honey for added taste and blend until smooth. Chill and serve as a refreshing drink /milk shake.

You can make upmas with left over idlis . Another option is to slice them into half and then cut them into thinner slices and shallow fry on a tava or frying pan adding some ghee or oil. Once the sliced idlis are well browned on both the sides, take them off the pan and arrange them on a plate.

In a separate bowl add some chopped tomatoes, grated carrots, coriander leaves, roasted pea nuts and sev. Mix in some chat masala and lime juice and spread this mixture over the fried idlis. A great idea for a snack.

I could of course add many more such ideas but would rather you gave vent to your imagination and came up with some of your own.There is no limit to what you can make with leftovers when you are able to think up new ideas and are willing to experiment. Be adventurous and innovative and think up new ideas combining even two totally unmatched ingredients and coming up with something new.