6 Ways To Use Leftover Rice

Rice (चावल) is a cereal grain that is used vastly in all Indian households in some way or another. Boiled rice is one of the most common and easy ways to cook rice throughout the world. They can be paired with dal, sambar, chole, rajma, Punjabi kadi pakora, Sindhi kadi, stews, chicken curries, mutton curries, Thai curries, and even saucy stir-fries. So, if you have a bowlful of them tucked away in the fridge, it’s time to make use of it.

Here are 6 interesting ways to use leftover boiled rice and say bye-bye to food wastage.

1) Rice Cutlets

Kill the evening hunger pangs with a snack made from leftover rice. Leftover boiled rice can be given a wonderful twist if you turn them into cutlets. Mix mashed potatoes, lots of finely chopped vegetables, red chilies, ginger-garlic paste and a cupful of boiled rice to bind it all together. Deep fry them to make tiny cheese-ball kind cutlets. Serve them with green chutney or a tamarind sauce. If you do not want to deep fry them, you can flatten the mix like a tikki and cook them on a non-stick tawa with a little olive oil or ghee.

Cheese lover? Swap the Indian masalas with Italian seasoning to give it a different flavor. Stuff the centre of the ball with a small amount of grated mozzarella cheese. Serve the cheesy-rice balls (which are similar to the Italian Arancini) with tomato ketchup.

2) Tadka Rice | Fried Rice

Indian tadka rice – The fragrance of a fresh tadka atop some leftover rice is enough to give it a new look and taste. That tadka can comprise of the good old mustard seeds (rai), dry red chilies and curry leaves or can be a simple heeng-jeera tadka. These rice can be eaten with a lip-smacking sambar or any curry of your choice. Add a handful of peanuts and a pinch of turmeric to the curry leaves tadka and convert the bland bowl of leftover rice into lemon rice.

For an oriental style fried rice – lightly sauté all finely chopped vegetables, some beans, carrots, onions, capsicum, chopped ginger, and garlic to make a batch of flavorful fried rice. Drop a whisked egg while cooking the rice if you love egg fried rice, and are not following a vegetarian diet.

3) Baked Rice

Have some broccoli lying round that is about to turn yellow or a bunch of spinach that is wilting too fast? A quick stir fry of all the vegetables that are quickly nearing the end can be layered with leftover rice, topped with some chunky tomato sauce and baked for 10 minutes. You can add cheese on top to add some oomph to the dish.

You can also make a spinach, corn and white sauce mix. Pour it on a layer of leftover rice, sprinkle some cheese on top and bake till the layer of cheese is melted. This one-casserole dish is sure to be loved by the family. Plus you saved a lot of dying-wilting veggies.

4) Phirni

Phirni is traditionally made with soaked rice cooked in milk, sugar, khoya and rose essence till the mixture thickens and can be set in clay kasoras. To make leftover rice phirni all you need to do is grind the leftover rice lightly in a mixer and cook it with milk till it thickens. Add sugar, cardamom or any essence you like. Top it with slivered almonds and pistachios and let it cool before placing them in the refrigerator. This will surely uplift the mood of your family members.

5) Kheer

Kheer (rice pudding) is one of the most loved Indian desserts. Kheer is traditionally made with soaked rice cooked in milk and sugar with the light fragrance of cardamom and a handful of nuts. So, can cooked rice be used to make kheer? Yes, they can. Even though originally soaked uncooked rice is used to make kheer, to help utilize the leftovers wisely, a thandi-thandi kheer made with leftover rice and some nuts isn’t a bad idea at all. In fact, the outcome is quite delicious.

6) Zarda

Zarda or meethe chaawal are made in most Indian households during festivities or as prasad. Some ghee roasted dry fruits and some saffron-infused water is all it takes to turn your bowl of leftover rice into a fragrant bowl of zarda. Of course, they are not made like this traditionally but as long as our supplies are limited, we say what’s the harm in trying your hand at this too!

Rice Varieties Available Online

From sticky rice to fragrant basmati rice to brown rice, these days everything is available online and can be ordered with just a click. Here are your best options-

1. Kohinoor Basmati Rice

• Naturally aged
• 5 kg pack

2. Fortune Rozana Basmati Rice

• Pack of 1 kg
• Suitable for daily cooking

3. SHRILALMAHAL Fitness Brown Basmati Rice

• Low glycemic index
• Free of cholesterol

Do you have some more interesting ideas about how to use leftover rice and minimise our food wastage? We would have to read them. Leave a comment in the box below.

Out of ideas for your next meal? Worry not, we’ve got your back! A set of fresh ideas and suggestions to keep your menus interesting! Read these posts to help you choose what to cook for the next meal using regular staples like atta, suji, moong dal, rice and potatoes. We will also give you tips on how to use common condiments like mayonnaise and spices like jeera and turmeric in your diet to maximise the usage of everyday products.