9 interesting snacks to make with leftover rice

When it comes to leftover rice, it is often limited to making curd rice, lemon rice, or maximum fried rice at most. But how about turning the leftover rice into something even more indulgent in the form of a snack? Yes, you read that right. Also, leftover rice is proven to be healthier than freshly cooked rice. According to a study titled 'Effect of retrograded rice on weight control, gut function, and lipid concentrations in rats,' retrograded or cooled rice has higher levels of resistant starch compared to freshly cooked rice, which positively impacts weight control, lipid metabolism, and gut health. So, let us forget the obvious main course dishes and try some interesting snacks that one can make with leftover rice.

This is a deep-fried dish. To make it, you need to sprinkle some water on the rice and add rice flour, besan, mashed boiled potato, and spices. Shape the mixture into a cutlet, roll it in breadcrumb, deep-fry, and serve hot with ketchup.

To make this dish, sprinkle water on the leftover rice and shape it into small balls. Now, dunk these balls in spiced besan batter of coating consistency. Deep-fry these balls until crisp and golden and serve hot with mint-coriander chutney.

As the name suggests, these are bursting with cheese. Leftover rice is combined with Italian seasoning, stuffed with cheese cubes, dunked in egg slurry and coated with breadcrumbs. These are deep-fried until crisp and golden and then served with mayonnaise.

These are mini pancakes made with blended leftover rice, seasoned with salt and pepper. Then, spread the batter on a greased tawa, top with chopped onion and tomato and cook to perfection with peanut oil. They are best served with sambar and coconut chutney.

To make these, blend the leftover rice into a smooth batter, season it with salt and baking soda, and add a tadka of oil curry leaves, and mustard seeds. Pour the batter into the idli mould, steam and serve hot with coconut chutney.

For this indulgent snack, mash the leftover rice, and add sooji, curd, onion, green chilli, and coriander leaves to it. Make a tight batter. Add a pinch of baking soda and then fill each cavity of the appe pan with this. Cover and cook with a few sprays of cooking oil. Serve hot with coconut chutney.

This interesting dish, best served like a finger food is made with leftover rice mixed with flour along with sooji, ajwain, salt, and black pepper to knead a soft dough. Roll out simple plain parathas, cook with ghee or oil on a tawa until crisp and serve.

For this protein-rich dish, you need to combine leftover rice puree with besan, salt, and spices. Pour the batter on a greased tawa, cook with oil or ghee and serve hot with chutney of your choice.

This is for all those who love both bread and rice. All you need to do is make a stuffing with mashed rice, seasoned with salt, pepper, onion, and tandoori masala. Stuff it between bread slices along with cheese. Toast and serve hot with a dip of your choice.

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