Mixed vegetable rice with leftover rice

The biggest concern many days we have is how to utilize the leftover rice. 

Here is a leftover ka makeover idea.

Mixed vegetables rice.

Ingredients 

1 cup leftover rice 

2 cups Mixed vegetables thinly sliced. 

Ginger,garlic and green chilies thinly sliced

1/2 tsp crushed peppercorns 

1 tsp coriander leaves chopped 

1 tsp mint leaves chopped. 

2 tbsp oil or ghee

A few Cashews and raisins 

Salt as required 

Method 

Crumble the leftover rice and separate the grains. Set aside

Thinly slice mixed vegetable like capsicum,  carrot,  beans, onion, 

Wash and peel thinly slice garlic,ginger and green chilies 

In a pan pour oil, add ginger,garlic and green chilies,  let the garlic turn into bit brownish. 

Add rest of the sliced vegetables,  mix well, add salt  and crushed peppercorns. Let it become fork tender.

Mix in leftover rice. 

Mix well,  coat the cooked vegetables into rice, add coriander and mint leaves. 

Off the stove.

In a smaller pan, pour ghee add Cashews and raisins.  Let it turn into golden. 

Pour on top of the prepared rice.

Serve hot with bhindi raita or raita of your choice.

Palakkad style kozhakkattai with a twist

Palakkad-Style Kozhakkattai with a Twist 

Kozhakkattai in Palakkad homes is a hearty mix of rice, dals, and red chillies — a breakfast that’s rich in both carbs and protein. It’s traditionally served with sambar and chutney.  

I’ve given the classic a small twist. This version is aromatic, flavorful, and ready in under 30 minutes.

*Ingredients*  

- 1 cup roasted rice rava  

- ½ cup urad dal  

- ½ cup tuvar dal — dry roast both dals and coarsely grind  

- 1 dry Bedagi red chilli, non-spicy  

- Salt to taste  

- ∼4 glasses hot water — use the same cup you used for rava and dals  

- Few curry leaves  

*For tadka*  

- 1 tbsp coconut oil  

- ½ tsp urad dal  

- ½ tsp chana dal  

- ½ tsp mustard seeds  

*Method*  

1. Dry roast rice rava and set aside.  

2. Dry roast urad and tuvar dal, cool, then pulse to a coarse powder. Set aside.  

3. Heat coconut oil in a deep kadai. Add urad dal and chana dal. Roast for a few seconds until golden.  

4. Add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Toss in curry leaves and the Bedagi chilli.  

5. Add the roasted rice rava and coarsely ground dals. Mix well.  

6. Pour in hot water and salt. Stir continuously to avoid lumps.  

7. Cook on medium-low heat until the water is absorbed and the kozhakkattai dough  comes together. 

8. Make small oval shaped kozhakkattai,  approximately about 25 numbers, steam it in idli steamer for 15 minutes. 

8. Serve hot with sambar and chutney.

Chakka Ella adai/jackfruit adai in banana leaves

The jackfruit season has just arrived and we picked a big jackfruit.  Cutting,  cleaning and separating jackfruit is time consuming. 

We finally did it. The jackfruit was really sweet. 

Chakka Ella adai 

Ingredients 

For Chakka pooranam 

30 ripe jackfruit pieces

200 grams jaggery 

2 tsp jeera

5 elachi 

1 cup grated coconut 

2 tablespoon ghee

For rice kozhakkattai 

2 cups red rice soaked for 5 hours,  ground into paste.

2 tablespoon coconut oil 

Method 

Cut all the jackfruit pieces into small stripes. 

Melt jaggery by adding half cup of water, sieve and keep aside. 

Dry roast jeera and crushed elachi. 

In a thick bottomed kadai add 2 tablespoon of ghee, add chopped jackfruit,  cook till soft.

Pour jaggery liquid, mix well,  bring to boil. 

Add grated coconut, jeera and elachi powder. 

Make sure it's cooked well and in the consistency of pooranam( thick)

Let it cool.

While you cook the ground rice batter by adding coconutoil in a kadai, soft like kozhakkattai consistency. Knead it before you roll into balls.You should be able to make small soft balls of about 20 to 25 numbers.

In banana leaves,  spread the rice kozhakkattai into thin, flat adai,  fill with Chakka pooranam, close the leaves. 

Keep the idli steamer,  pour 6 to 7 cups of water,  keep the idli plate, carefully arrange Ella adai.  

Steam for about 15-20 minutes.  Off the stove,  let it come to room temperature. Serve warm Ella adai. 

Corn/Bhutte ke khees

Raw/Semi ripened papaya subzi

Raw/semi ripened papaya subzi

Ingredients 

1 small raw/semi ripened papaya 

1 tablespoon oil/ghee

1/2 tsp chana dal 

1/2 tsp urad dal

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/4  tsp jeera seeds 

1 dry broken red chili 

Salt as required 

2 tablespoon grated coconut 

1 green chili

A few curry leaves 

Method 

In a heated pan pour oil, add dals, mustard and jeera, broken red chili.  Let mustard splutter. 

Add chopped papaya,  cook till fork tender, add salt and curry leaves. 

In a mixer, grind coconut and green chili. 

Add to the papaya subzi. Mix well. Off stove. Serve.

Turmeric and ginger pickle

Turmeric, ginger pickle 

Ingredients 

100 grams raw turmeric 

50 grams Ginger

Two green chilies 

1/4 tsp heeng powder 

2 lemon 

Salt as required 

1 tablespoon mustard oil 

1/2 tsp panch phodan 

Method 

Wash, peel and chop turmeric and ginger finely. Chop the green chilies. 

Squeeze the lemons, remove seeds.

Mix salt, lemon extract and keep it for some time. 

In a small kadai,  pour mustard oil,  bring to a point where it emits smoke, off and add panch phodan.  Let it splutter.  Add chopped green chilies.  Cool and add to the turmeric and ginger. Mix well.

Garlic noodles with vegetables

Mixed vegetable noodles with Ching's Secrect, garlic noodles.

To make the noodles,  a few steps we have to follow for the perfect texture, flavor and non sticky noodles. 

Ingredients 

1 packet Ching's garlic noodles/hakka noodles 

150 grams cabbage 

2 green chilies 

1 carrot 

A few beans 

200 grams Mushrooms 

2 medium sized onion

1 capsicum 

A few garlic pods

2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves 

1/2 tablespoon Peppercorns grounded

1 tsp jeera powder 

2 tsp vinegar 

1 lemon extract (if required)

Salt as required 

3 tablespoons of gingly oil 

A handful of soya chunks soaked 

Method 

In a large bowl keep two liters of water, let it boil  Add the noodles in it cook for about 3 minutes.  Immediately drain the water from noodles, transfer in a bowl with cold water, drain, pour a little gingly oil on top of the drained noodles.  Let it cool. 

Wash, peel and cut all the vegetables 3 inches long. Wash and thinly cut the Mushrooms. 

In a big kadai pour gingly oil,  add vegetables one by one, keep tossing. 

Add Mushrooms,  bell peppers and drained soy chunks.

Put the masalas, crushed peppercorns, jeera powder. Mix in. Add chopped coriander leaves. 

Mix well.

Add cooled noodles. 

Toss adjust salt. Add vinegar,  if required add a little lemon juice. 

Gently mix with a fork and  chopsticks. 

Serve hot.

It's a quick dish to make as an evening snack for children. 

PS

Noodles cooking pictorial representation 

Let it cool while you prepare the vegetables.