One of the most common leftovers in Indian households is rice. It’s difficult to figure out beforehand how much you will need. If it falls short, making it all over again is really time-consuming; so one normally cooks more, just to be on the safe side – and that’s how one invariably ends up with leftover rice.
Since leftover rice cannot (indeed, should not) be reheated and served, most people are compelled to throw it away. To avoid such wastage, today’s post explores a delicious snack item that can be made quickly and easily with leftover rice. We are going to use some sparkling culinary creativity to turn the leftover rice into delicious Rice Bonda.
Here are the ingredients that you will require.
Ingredients:
- Cooked Rice: 300 grams
- Onion: 1, large
- Green Chillies: 2
- Curry Leaves: 12
- Gram Flour (Besan): 3 tablespoons
- Mustard Oil: 100 millilitres
- Lemon Juice: 1 tablespoon
- Cumin (Jeera) Seeds: 1 teaspoon
- Red Chilli Powder: 1 teaspoon
- Turmeric (Haldi) Powder: Half a teaspoon
- Garam Masala: Just a pinch
- Black Pepper Powder: Just a pinch
- Salt: to taste
The quantities mentioned above are for serving four persons (four plates of Rice Bonda). Adjust the quantities proportionately to suit the number of servings you require.
Preparation:
Wash, peel and finely chop the onion.
Finely chop the green chillies.
Finely chop the curry leaves.
Method:
Take the cooked rice in a mixing bowl and mash it – you could use either your hands or a large spoon.
Add the onion, green chillies, curry leaves, gram flour, lemon juice, cumin seeds, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, black pepper powder and salt. Mix well. Mixing with a spoon may be a little difficult because the cooked rice is sticky, so it’s best to use your hands to mix the cooked rice and spices thoroughly.
Use your hands to shape portions of the mixture into palm-sized balls. Keep aside.
Heat the Mustard Oil in a pan on Medium heat. When the oil reaches its smoking point and starts giving off whiffs of pungent white smoke with the strong aroma of mustard wafting gently across your kitchen, start the deep-frying process.
Deep-fry the rice balls in small batches to ensure even frying on all sides. When the rice balls take on a golden brown colour, remove them from the pan and place them on paper towels to drain the excess oil. While this is a standard practice for deep-fried foods, you can skip this step if you want. That is because we have used healthy cold-pressed Mustard Oil that is proven to be absorbed in food in very small amounts while deep-frying. Also, Mustard Oil is an exciting taste agent and lends a characteristic zingy flavour to the rice balls.
Your Rice Bonda is now ready. Serve it hot with ketchup, mustard sauce, tamarind chutney or any other condiment of your choice. Leftover rice – gone, and you are left with a delicious snack that you can enjoy with a hot cup of tea or coffee.
You can find more recipes at : https://www.purioilmills.com/recipes-in-english/
The Mustard Specialist 