Rice is a staple in Indian cuisine. For many people, including it in at least one meal, every day is a must. From simple idli for breakfast to spicy biryani for dinner, this grain is consumed in a variety of ways. Dal chawal is another classic dish that is consumed daily all over the country. Steamed rice is extremely versatile; it pairs well with all kinds of stir-fry and curry side dishes.
However, we may end up cooking a little extra sometimes that nobody might want to eat in the family. This leftover is either simply transformed into fried rice or just thrown away. But why go for the regular recipe when you can create some delicious snacks with your leftover rice? As steamed rice is mostly a part of lunch, the snacks would be perfect to enjoy with evening tea.
Here are six delicious tea-time snacks you can prepare with leftover rice:
Choru Vada
Made with leftover rice, ginger, rice flour, chillies and a few spices like black pepper, these crispy vadas are perfect to pair with your evening tea. Easy to prepare, they also go well with coconut or coriander chutney. All you have to do is coarsely grind the cooked rice and combine it with the other ingredients. Then shape it like vada and fry it in the hot oil.
Rice Adai
Adai is a type of crepe that is very popular in South India. It is traditionally prepared from a batter of lentils and ground rice. However, there is another version of this dish that uses cooked rice in the recipe. Made with leftover rice, onions, besan, and spices, they are shallow-fried in oil. It goes well with tomato chutney, mint chutney, and tea.
Rice Pops
This is another delicious treat you can prepare with leftover rice. Apart from tea, rice pops are a perfect party appetiser that can be served with any green chutney or ketchup. Your kids will also love this recipe. Besides cooked rice, other main ingredients of rice pops are rice flour, salt, lemon juice, green chilly, and spices like asafoetida and mustard seeds.
Arancini Balls
Arancinis belong to the Italian cuisine that is commonly enjoyed as an appetiser. These cheesy delights are traditionally prepared from uncooked rice, but you can also use the leftover rice for this recipe. To prepare arancini balls, combine parmesan, mozzarella, salt, eggs, and spices like black pepper. Roll it into balls along with breadcrumbs, then deep fry it. And your Italian snack is ready to be enjoyed.
Rice Pakoras
This scrumptious snack is another fried delight that you can pair with your evening tea. They are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The main ingredients for preparing these pakoras are cooked rice, onion, chilli, ginger, gram flour, and spices like carom seeds and cumin powder. Serve them hot with tomato, mint, or tamarind chutney.
Rice Patties
Also known as rice cutlets, this tea-time snack is very delicious. You can also enjoy it as an appetiser with some ketchup. Rice patties are prepared with cooked rice, boiled potatoes, onions, gram flour and spices like garam masala, coriander powder, red chilli powder, and cumin. You can also combine some chopped vegetables with other ingredients to make it more delicious.