Once the indulgence of the 25th is over and a new day dawns, there’s often an abundance of leftover items which you may not relish revisiting anytime soon. After eating all that plentiful and rich food on the day, how do you transform what you’ve got left into something tasty and refreshing?

Curry and Rice are an excellent way to do just that. These two quick and easy Indian style recipes with basic ingredients will give you, friends, and family a zingy boost for a lunch or supper on Boxing Day and beyond.

X-MASALA LEFTOVER CURRY

This curry recipe keeps things simple yet delicious, and you should find most if not all you need in the kitchen cupboards already.

Traditionally the main ingredient will be turkey, but you can just throw any leftover protein you like: lamb, ham, chipolatas, beef, pork, gammon etc. Meat can be omitted of course, perhaps substituted by a can of chickpeas.

Serves 2-3. Prep time: 10 min. Cooking time: 40 min. You can double the recipe up if you wish. All spoon measurements are level.

INGREDIENTS

3 TBSP Veg, Sunflower or Olive Oil
1 Large or 2 Medium Onions, chopped
3 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
½ tsp Ginger Powder or chopped fresh Ginger
1 tsp Cumin Seeds or Powder
Salt to taste
1½-2 TBSP Curry Powder of your choice
½ – 3 tsp Chilli Powder to taste depending on your heat preference (optional)
1 tsp Dried Fenugreek Leaves aka Kasuri Methi (if you have any)
4 TBSP Tomato Purée, or 1 tin of tomatoes, or 400g Passata.

SPACEHOLDER

1-2 Mugs of hot Water or Stock of your choosing
A few Chillies, finely chopped (optional)
2-3 tsp Lemon Juice
The Protein: If using meat or poultry, chop it into small piece/s. Allow approx. 150g per person.
Leftover Cooked Vegetables, in any amount, shape, size, and colour you like: Brussel Sprouts, Carrots, Peas, Potatoes, Parsnips etc.
A sprinkle of fresh Coriander and Garam Masala (if you have any)

METHOD

Heat the oil in a suitable frying pan or saucepan then add the onions, cumin seeds, and a pinch of salt. Cook slowly on low-medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onion turns brown on the edges.
Add the garlic, ginger, cumin powder (if not using seeds), and a modest amount of salt. Fry a minute, stirring frequently.
Then add the curry powder, and optionally the chilli powder and fenugreek. Stir frequently for another minute.
Next add the fresh chillies and dollop in the tomato purée with a mug of water or stock (about 300ml).
You can use passata or tinned tomatoes instead, in which case use half a mug (150ml) of water/stock instead.
Turn the heat up to medium-high, mix well, then cook for 20 minutes, stirring from time to time to avoid burning.
Squeeze in the lemon juice, dump the protein and vegetables in, mix, and let warm through for a couple of minutes.

SPACEHOLDER

Add more water or stock to thin the sauce if desired, then taste, and add more salt if needed.
Serve topped with fresh coriander (if you have some), and a sprinkle of garam masala if you have any. It adds a festive touch. Enjoy!

FESTIVE RICE

It’s so fast to knock up a bowl of this simple, savoury, and comforting rice using what you’ve got sitting in the fridge. This is fantastic for a lunchtime meal or an accompaniment to a larger meal, perhaps with turkey curry.

I can think of many combinations of leftovers that would be delicious in this recipe, for example turkey, sausage, and carrots. Or maybe gammon, peas, and sweetcorn. Or then again maybe just the simple combination of potato, peas, and broccoli. The choice is yours.

Feeds 1-2. It’s so quick to cook so just repeat cooking if you are serving more people.

Prep time: 5 min. Cooking time: 5 minutes (assuming rice is already cooked). All spoon measurements are level.

INGREDIENTS

200g cooked Rice, left to dry
3 TBSP Veg, Sunflower or Olive Oil
½ tsp Cumin Seeds (optional)
Half a medium-sized Onion, roughly chopped
1-2 Garlic Cloves, finely sliced
1-2 tsp fresh Green Chilli, finely chopped (optional)
¼ tsp Salt

SPACEHOLDER

1½ tsp Curry Powder
¼ tsp Garam Masala (optional)
1 Egg
Leftovers! Anything goes if it’s not too mushy. Either or both of meat and veg. – chopped into small pieces
1 TBSP fresh Coriander Leaves, chopped
2 tsp Butter (optional)

METHOD

Cook the rice according to the instructions on the packet. 200g of cooked rice is used in this recipe. Leave it to dry out and cool.
Heat the oil/ghee on highest heat in a wok, korai, or a suitable frying pan, and if using the cumin seeds, add them and wait for them to crackle.

When the cumin seeds crackle, add the onion, garlic, and optionally the green chilli.
Stir fry for 20-30 seconds, tossing the ingredients together.
Now add the curry powder, salt, and the optional garam masala. Continue stir frying for another 20-30 seconds. Keep things moving.

SPACEHOLDER

Crack the egg and empty into the pan. Break the yolk up and mix everything together for 10-20 seconds or until you see the egg scrambling and going slightly brown.
Now for the leftovers. Whatever you like: the more the merrier! Mix and heat through.
Add the cooked basmati rice and fresh coriander leaves (if using). Continue stir frying for a minimum of 90 seconds.
Serve, and top extra coriander, and the butter for extra richness if you want to be decadent.