Oman dining: Don’t let your leftover go waste

Lifestyle Monday 05/June/2017 19:23 PM
By: Times News Service
Oman dining: Don’t let your leftover go waste

We all know that wastage of food is a sin but how often we do it ourselves? Be it any social gatherings, functions, or get- togethers we often are left with plenty of extra food. Instead of wasting them or simply reheating and eating them for days why not turn them into something appetising? Like leftover vegetables can be used in a bake dish and its flavours can be enhanced by adding white sauce.

One can also convert leftover rice into a tasty bowl of fried rice by adding chunks of cut vegetables. If you have extra bread slices at home that you aren’t interested in having as a morning toast try making bread pudding out of them. Also the sides of the bread can be used to make hot fritters. If you want to make bread pakoda sticks, take some gram flour, add a dash of chilli powder, cumin powder, salt, and whisk well. Coat the bread edges with this batter and deep fry them. To make it crispier try using rice flour instead of gram flour.
Leftover chapattis at home is most common in many Indian homes.

The best way of reusing it is to make tacos. Take the chapattis, brush them with butter on both sides and pierce tiny holes on them. Bake for about 5 minutes at 95C and then add any filling of your choice. Leftover vegetables or shredded pieces of chicken make the ideal filling.

Those who eat khubz instead of chapattis can make dahi papdi chaat, a delectable Indian street snack. Cut the khubz into small cubes and fry them or microwave them till they are crispy. Add sweetened yoghurt, tamarind chutney, black salt, and chaat masala. [email protected]

Bread Gulab Jamuns
Ingredients
9-10 slices bread
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon rose essence
1 cup oil for frying
Almonds for garnishing
For the sugar syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2-3 cardamoms crushed

Preparation
Take a pan and boil water, sugar, and cardamom and make a syrup. Cut the sides of the bread (you can use the sides to make pakora sticks). Dip all bread slices in milk, add essence, and make a dough. Make balls and deep fry in oil. Now put all the balls in the sugar syrup. You can decorate with almonds.

Paneer Bhurji Kababs
Ingredients
Leftover paneer burji
Bread slices
Boiled potatoes
Milk just enough to soak the bread
Chopped ginger
Garam masala
Salt
Oil

Preparation
Soak bread slices in milk. Mash and add paneer burji, potato, garam masala, ginger and salt. Make round kababs and fry in oil.

Madrasi Rice
Ingredients
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 tablespoons curry leaves
2 medium size tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 tablespoons sambhar powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups cooked rice
Coriander leaves

Preparation
Heat a pan with oil and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves and sauté for 5 secs. Now add chopped tomatoes and put in it turmeric and sambhar powders, salt, and mix it properly for 5 mins. Now add the leftover rice in it and mix it well and put the lid on it for another 5 mins. Garnish it with some coriander leaves.

Dal Mix Roti
Ingredients
1/2 cup toor dal
2 tablespoons oil
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 medium size tomatoes
3 chapattis
1 cup water

Preparation
First boil toor dal in cooker and add little salt in it. In a pan heat oil and add cumin seeds, ginger garlic paste and sauté for a few seconds. Then add turmeric, red chilli, and garam masala powders, salt, chopped tomatoes and add little water in it. Cover and let it cook for 5 mins. Add toor dal in it and make small pieces of chapattis and add to it. Add 1 cup of water and cook it for another 10 mins. Your dal roti is ready. Now season with ghee and garnish with brown onions and coriander leaves.

Leftover Idli
Ingredients
Leftover idli
Oil
Onions, chopped
Capsicum, chopped
Green chillies, chopped
Tomatoes, chopped
Salt and pepper
Turmeric powder
Chilli powder
Coriander and mint leaves

Preparation
Make small pieces of idli and keep it aside. Heat oil in a pan and add idli and stir fry until they are lightly crisp. Transfer to a bowl and keep aside. In 2 teaspoons of oil in the same pan, add some onions, capsicum, green chillies and sauté them on medium heat until tender. Add chopped tomatoes, salt, pepper, turmeric powder, chilli powder and stir well. Sauté until the tomatoes turn soft. Add the mixture to the fried idli bowl and also sprinkle chopped coriander and mint leaves. Stir fry on high heat until well combined just for about a minute. Turn off the heat and serve with a dip. Please add your ingredients according to your leftover portion.