When we first got married 46 years ago, and especially living on frugal means in Canada for a year and then during our first years in the USA, we made do with lots of leftovers – and some of the dishes we ate were economical and delicious. Rice is a great staple that can be mixed with any leftover meat, fish, or chicken along with chopped tomatoes and onions and a bit of olive oil – and before you know it, that leftover protein is looking quite appealing! Basmati Rice is the best rice to use – it is a delicately flavored long-grain rice grown in India. It’s an extraordinarily perfumed long slender grained rice, more commonly known as simply Basmati. It has a different, nutty flavor and is heralded as the best quality of rice. The most authentic procurement happens at the foothills of Himalayas. Brown Basmati is also cultivated but the creamy white translucent grains are more common. It is a non sticky rice which only elongates upon cooking. There are many qualities of Basmati rice available.
Making Leftovers Work ( Note you could make this vegetarian by adding lots of different vegetables including beans for protein and no meat/fish/poultry)
Ingredients:
- Leftover meat, fish or chicken/turkey
- Cooked Basmati rice
- 2 large tomatoes chopped ( you could also chop and add peppers, chives, peas, carrots)
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 Tbsp Olive oil
- Fresh herbs ( or dried if you don’t have any fresh) to taste
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions:
- Cut the leftover meat, fish or chicken/turkey into bite sized pieces and set aside.
- Add the olive oil to a frying pan and saute the onions until translucent. Add the tomatoes and saute until soft.
- Add the cooked rice and mix
- Add the protein and mix until full heated.
- Add salt and pepper to taste
- Sprinkle chopped fresh herbs over the mixture and serve immediately.
White Basmati Rice
