Culinary Magic – Recipes From Your Fridge

Leftover food recipes
Image for representation only

 

It takes a great chef to transform even the most innocuous leftover from your fridge into a wonderfully tasty dish.. 

Chef Vikrant Naidu

Rechauffe ( Reheating in French ) Cookery is one such cooking technique that gives a makeover to your leftovers and transforms then into a personalised platter of goodness while eliminating wastage..

We invited Chef Vikrant Naidu, an accomplished culinary professional to give our readers simple yet flavoursome examples of food transformation and here is what he presented. Thank you Chef Vikrant  ! 

Potato Skin Fritters (serves 2)

On any given day, in the process of making potato dishes we often wash the potato and peel the skin only to discard it , but this recipe actually used the peeled skin of potatoes which incidentally can also be refrigerated and stored for 48 Hours.

Potato Skin Fritters

Ingredients : Skin of 2-3 medium or large potatoes, 50-gram refined flour, 50-gram corn flour (optional), 10-gram red chilli powder, 5-gram jeera (whole), salt & pepper to taste, regular oil to deep fry.

Method:

  • In a mixing bowl, season potato skin with salt, pepper and crushed jeera or coriander seeds.
  • In another bowl mix refined flour, corn flour and red chilli powder together and coat the potato skin with the mixed flour.
  • Once the temperature of the oil is high, just immerse the potato skin one by one.
  • Strain and keep it on a tissue paper to remove any excess oil.
  • Serve it hot with tomato ketchup, mint chutney or cheese.

Italian bread soup (serves 2)

Italian-bread-soup
Italian Bread Soup

Breads are an integral part of Italian cuisine and wasting good bread is certainly not acceptable. This dish features breads in soup gives to give it the right amount of richness and texture.

Ingredients: 70-gram bread(dried), 1 large onion, 3/4 garlic cloves, 1 bay leaf, 2 large tomatoes, 2 cups vegetable stock, oil for stirring vegetables, seasoning.

Method:

  • In a large pan of water add the peels of vegetables like onion, carrot, celery ,parsley root, coriander stems, 3-4 pieces of cloves and bay leaf. Let it simmer for 15 minutes and then bring to boil.
  • Strain and save the water.
  • In a pan add 1 table spoon of oil, crushed garlic cloves, bay leaf and sliced onions. Keep stirring until the onion gets translucent.
  • Add roughly chopped tomatoes and continue stirring.
  • After 3-4 minutes add the bread and give it a nice stir.
  • Add the vegetable stock and bring to boil with seasoning as required and let it cool.
  • Once cooled, blend the mixture into a fine puree and serve piping hot.

Upma Tikki’s/ Croquettes (serves 2)

Leftover upma can be found in every Indian household. You can use that or cook your regular upma and create this delicious recipe.

Upma-cutlets

Ingredients: 1 large potato, butter /oil, seasoning

Method:

  • Peel the potato and save the skin in a cold water.
  • Meanwhile boil the water and let the potato cook in it. Then mash the potato and season as required with finely chopped mint leaves.
  • Brush a pre-heated pan with oil or butter.
  • Apply a little oil on your palm and start binding the leftover upma with mashed potato.
  • Create the desired shape of the cutlet, lay them one by one on the hot pan and cook each side for 2 minutes.
  • Serve it hot with tamarind chutney, coriander-cucumber chutney or tomato-garlic chutney.

Mexican Quesadilla (serves 2)

Classic yet one of the most appreciated and best recipes of the Mexican region which literally blends seamless with Indian flavours.

Mexican-roti-Quesadilla
Mexican-Quesadilla

Ingredients: 2 left over chapattis, 100-grams left over vegetables/ sabzi , 10-gram butter, 20-gram cheese, few herbs – thyme / oregano/ chilli flakes

Method:

  • Re-heat any leftover vegetable dish or even a dal with few herbs and chillies.
  • Place the left over chapatti on a board and fill one side with the stuffing and grate the cheese in and fold the chapatti into a half moon shape.
  • Heat the non- stick pan and brush it with butter.
  • Place the stuffed chapatti and cook until a crispy.
  • Cut into three pieces and serve it hot with cheese sauce or tomato ketchup/ guacamole salsa.

Kothu Parotha (serves 2)

Simple yet, one of the most popular dishes of Tamil Nadu, kothu parotha can be created with regular chapattis.

Kothu-parotta
Kothu Parotha

Ingredients: 3 chapattis, 2 eggs, ¼ table spoon mustard seed, ½ table spoon jeera seed, curry leaves, a large onion, 1 table spoon minced garlic-ginger, green chilly, ½ table spoon chat masala, ½ table spoon garam masala, salt to taste, fresh coriander leaves

Method:

  • Heat oil in a large pan and add cumin and mustard seeds with curry leaves and give it a toss.
  • Add finely chopped onions and cook until translucent and add minced garlic, ginger, green chillies and cook for 1 minute.
  • Add all the masala and cook until combined well.
  • Tear the chapatti into bite sized pieces and toss in the pan, add 2 whole eggs and keep stirring.
  • You can also add left over vegetables or chicken/ mutton in bite sized pieces.
  • Serve kothu parotha/ chapatti with finely chopped coriander garnish accompanied by coconut chutney.

 Rice Kheer (serves 2)

The rice kheer is one the most known popular desserts across the world with only the name differing based on region.. From the kheer to the payasam, the base flavours and ingredients remains the same! a

rice-kheer
Rice-Kheer

Ingredients: 1 cup leftover rice, 2.5 cups milk, 3 tbsp sugar, ¼ table spoon green cardamom powder, 2 table spoon almond crushed cashew/raisins/charoli.

Method:

  • In a heavy bottomed pan mix the leftover rice with milk, sugar and cook on low heat for 5 minutes until the rice and milk start to thicken.
  • Add cardamom powder and ontinue cooking the kheer for another 10 minutes and add almond, nuts and raisins.
  • You can also add milkmaid/condensed milk – 2 table spoon.
  • Kheer can be served either hot or cold.
  • Garnish with dry fruits and a mint leaf.

 

Loveleen Kaur