Why Waste When You Can Recreate? - Eats and Treats by Tania Rebello
TDT | Manama
The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com
One of the biggest kitchen dilemmas is dealing with leftovers. What is appetizing one day seems undesirable a couple of days later.
The roasted chicken breast that no one wanted the following day, a couple of stale bread slices that remained isolated, boiled potatoes conveniently chilling in the fridge, a bowl of rice that did not make it on to a plate, unconsumed slices of cake that met the boredom of everyone at home.
Do these instances seem familiar? Food waste is increasing day by day. Imagine the accumulated food waste of each household per year.
What would these numbers look like? It is a known fact that Bahrain alone witnesses a food waste of 146,000 tonnes each year! This number includes food wasted by F&B outlets and retailers.
The good news is that cooked and uncooked food can escape their disastrous fat e. We can do our small part in combating food waste by becoming mindful and creating new recipes out of unwanted edible food.
Create food competitions at home where family members create their unique recipes using leftovers. Dedicate days to use tiny quantities of vegetables or meat. Incorporate meat and vegetables with rice to create fried rice.
Adding egg and spring onions along with some soy sauce and black pepper can elevate the dish.
Use bread to make breadcrumbs or bread pudding. Everyone loves a good bread pudding. Leftover roast meat or chicken can be cubed or shredded and made into sandwiches or wraps. Add a dollop of mayonnaise, ranch sauce or a generous smear of butter and you have the most delightful meal.
Apart from fried rice, small quantities of rice can turn into a luscious rice pudding when combined with a little milk, sugar and dried fruits along with a hint of nutmeg or cardamom.
Do you have recipes using leftovers that have become family favourites? A world famous recipe came into being with the motive to reduce the wastage of unconsumed tandoori chicken.
A genius Delhi-based chef prepared a simple gravy to dunk tasty pieces of leftover tandoori chicken. This dish is none other than Butter Chicken.
Try this recipe for whole tandoori chicken and use any leftover pieces to create the succulent and easy butter chicken recipe.
Whole Tandoori Chicken
1- 1.3 kilograms whole chicken
For the first marinade:
• 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
• 2-3 teaspoons Kashmiri chili powder
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice • Salt to taste
For the second marinade:
• 1¼ cup thick plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
• 2-3 teaspoons Kashmiri red chili powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
• ¾ teaspoon black salt (or regular salt)
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• ½ cup mustard oil (or vegetable oil of choice)
• Red food colour (optional)
Instructions:
• Clean, wash and make cuts on the chicken.
This will help the marinade to penetrate well into the chicken.
• Combine all the ingredients of first marinade (ginger garlic paste, Kashmiri red chili powder, lemon juice and salt), in a large bowl.
• Add chicken and coat it very well with the marinade.
• Cover the bowl with a cling wrap and leave it for 45 minutes - 1 hour in the fridge.
• In another large bowl, add all the ingredients of second marinade and mix to combine well.
• After the first marination process is over, transfer the chicken in the prepared second marinade.
Cover the bowl with a cling film cover and refrigerate for 7-8 hours or overnight.
• Take the chicken out of the fridge 30-45 minutes prior to cooking.
• Grill it either on a charcoal grill or in the oven.
• Grill at 220c for 1 hour, basting with butter or leftover marinade halfway through.
Quick Butter Chicken
Ingredients:
• 300-400 gms leftover tandoori chicken
• 1 tbsp (30 g) ghee or butter
• 1 onion pureed
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 1/2 cup canned tomatoes in sauce
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 tbsp sugar
• ¼ tsp cardamom powder
• 1 green chilli sliced lengthwise
• 3/4 tsp salt
• Coriander for garnishing
Instructions:
• Heat the ghee or butter over high heat in a large fry pan.
• Add the ginger garlic paste and cook until raw smell disappears.
• Add the onion puree and cook until light golden.
• Add the canned tomato, cream, sugar, cardamom powder, chilli and salt.
• Turn down to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Taste and add more salt if needed.
• Place leftover tandoori chicken in the frying pan and heat through.
• Garnish with coriander/cilantro leaves if using. Serve with rice or naan.
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