Got leftovers from New Year's Eve? Mumbai chefs share five unique ways to make them exciting again

Don’t worry about party leftovers or give them to the house help just yet. Here are five innovative ways to jazz up what the guests didn’t end up polishing off.

With all the entertaining this time of the year, a refrigerator, bursting at the seams with leftover food is no surprise. Of course, you can warm and eat them as it is the next day, but why do it the boring old way. We got some innovative minds to share recipes of dishes that may be better than the original dish. This is what they came up with!

Make it meetha

Chef Sushil Multani of Cafe Panama thinks that gingerbread cookies represent festivities because it is made especially during this time of the year. “They taste best when they just come fresh out of the oven. Once Christmas Eve has passed, the cookie loses its importance, but can be used in many ways since it is very flavourful and versatile,” says Multani. He crushes the cookies and folds them in churned vanilla ice cream and adds overnight rum-soaked raisins to it, to give it a punch and character. “Don’t serve anyone less than three scoops,” he laughs.

Ginger bread cookie ice cream

For ice cream
10 egg yolks 
375 gm castor sugar
750 ml milk
750 ml fresh cream
Four vanilla beans 
300 gm crushed gingerbread cookies

Method
Heat the milk and cream at 90C. Separately, mix the egg yolk and sugar and whisk it. Pour the hot milk and cream mixture on the eggs and whisk continuously. Scrap and add vanilla beans. Keep this mix in the fridge for 12 hours and after that churn till it is nice and thick. While the mixture is in the final stages of churning add the finely powdered gingerbread cookies and once done drop in the coarse pieces. Remove and let it set for a few hours in the freezer before serving. Add cinnamon powder if you wish.

Sushil Multani. Pic/Shadab Khan

Tips and tricks
Leave some cookie chunks for the final stages while serving the ice cream
Let the vanilla base sit in the fridge for 12 hours at least before churning. Anything lower will not yield the desired ice cream 
Don’t use very old gingerbread cookies 

An Italian makeover

Chef Aabhas Mehrotra of Sorrentina knows how chicken pulao, biryani, dal and pea rice are staples in every house party. “Simple yet wholesome, there isn’t much one can do with the leftovers, except maybe make khichdi with the dal-rice  and perhaps reuse the meat in the pulao or biryani; so I thought why not use the rice to make a flavourful version of arancini. It comes out great together and also gives you an added crunch.”

Chicken pulao arancini

For arancini
400 gm leftover chicken pulao/biryani
100 ml stock or any leftover curry/gravy
30 gm cheese cubes or slice
For crumbing
100 gm flour
2 eggs
150 gm bread crumb
Salt and pepper for seasoning
Oil for frying

Aabhas Mehrotra. Pic/Anurag Ahire

Method
Start by heating the chicken pulao in a pan, add in the stock, curry or any chicken gravy and let the rice cook. Once the rice has absorbed the stock and is mashy, take off fire. Add in a little bit of coriander and butter for flavour. Allow the mixture to cool down. For crumbing, divide the mixture into 25 gm portions. Stuff cheese in the middle, and make  it into a round ball. Rest the arancini in the refrigerator, till it becomes firm for 10 minutes. Start the crumbing by coating them in flour, eggs and bread crumbs. Fry once ready for about two minutes till nice and golden brown.

Tips and tricks
Keep the mixture dry and not very wet.
Make sure you handle the mixture while it is cold
Fry in medium heat oil for maximum texture

Warm and hearty

Chef Aditi Goel, founder of Pies & Co, loves cooking and eating pies, so she thought of a warm, hearty simple vegetarian one-pot dish that’s a coming together of several leftovers from your party—think roasted veggies, dips, wine and even nuts.  “Pies are a hit on any dinner table. This is a great way to put leftovers to use—sort of extending the party, minus the guilt of buying more food,” says Goel.

Spicy vegetable pie

For the filling
500 gm assorted leftover roasted veggies 
200 ml leftover salsa sauce/dip 
1 tbsp sriracha or southwest sauce 
50 ml red wine  
1 tbsp oil/butter 
Salt and pepper 
Chilli flakes/oregano leftover pizza condiments.
For the pie dough 
100 gm butter 
250 gm flour (self-raising)
5 ml vinegar 
15 ml water 
Salt, a pinch 
For garnish
Nigella seeds and chopped dry fruits and seed mix (leftovers)

Method
In a large bowl, add the butter and flour, and knead only using fingertips for around 6-8 minutes. Add vinegar and water and knead like regular dough, cling wrap and leave in the fridge for 10-15 mins to chill.  For the filling, in a non-stick pan, add oil/butter, heat and add leftover veggies, salsa, southwest or chilli sauce, red wine, salt, pepper, chilli flakes and oregano—let it cook well for 5-8 minutes. Mix well and let it all cool down.

Aditi Goel

Take a ball from the dough and roll it in a round thick 10-inch circle, place it in a tart mould and poke it with a fork on all sides. Now, do a milk wash and let it bake at 200 degrees for 6-8 minutes. Take out from the oven and pour in the filling. Cover it with pie dough (rolling it a little thinner than the base) with edges for design. Seal using milk wash on the edge of the pie base. Once closed, the egg washes the top lid similarly. Using a knife make cuts in the top to let air pass, and garnish with nigella seeds, chopped dry fruits and seed mix (leftovers). Bake at 200 degrees Celsius for another 10 mins. Cool and serve with a mash made from leftover potatoes.

Roasted twist

Chef Shahbaz Shaikh, Loci & Toot, loves roast chicken for festive meals and years ago, he saw one of his senior chefs make a roasted chicken cappelletti from leftovers. “This one was the chef’s mother’s recipe. Originally, this dish is made in Italy with leftover chicken and bread by grandmas with all the love they add as the secret ingredient. My style of the dish is slightly more creamy and has a strong flavour of thyme that goes well with chicken.”

Roasted chicken cappelletti

For the filling
110 gm leftover roasted chicken
20 gm mirepoix or leftover veggies
5 gm thyme
4 gm garlic
25 gm leftover burger bun
30 gm mascarpone cheese
70 gm semolina pasta dough
Salt and pepper to taste
For the sauce 
4 gm thyme
50 gm butter
7 gm garlic
15 gm leeks
25 gm chicken jus
Salt and pepper to taste

Shahbaz Shaikh. Pic/Anurag Ahire

Method
In a pan, sauté mirepoix and mix it with leftover roast chicken, add some herbs, then cool it down in an ice bath. In a mixture add leftover roasted chicken with mascarpone cheese, and leftover burger bun bread soaked in milk. Add salt and pepper, and keep this filling aside. Make the pasta dough, add the roasted chicken pasta filling and make the shape of cappelletti. The sauce is butter and thyme with some jus and garlic.

Tips and tricks
Keep the day-old chicken and bread overnight in the fridge to allow an umami flavour to develop
Keep the sauce mild to not overpower the chicken’s flavour 
Don’t overcook the chicken; it will be very chewy

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!