The Most Comforting Way To Revamp Indian Food Leftovers
Leftovers are both a blessing and a curse. Despite the fact that eating last night's palak paneer or baingan bharta can save you money and even reduce waste, many are of the mindset that eating the same meal two days in a row is anything but exciting. But all hope isn't lost — there's an effortless way to transform yesterday's Indian feast into today's culinary marvel.
If a leftover meal consists of various components, some ingredients or elements can easily be repurposed into new dishes. However, in the case of full-loaded stews, creamy casseroles, or saucy curry, things can become a bit more challenging. Luckily, there is a hack that you may already be familiar with but perhaps haven't considered when it comes to Indian food: Stick leftovers in between two slices of bread, and make a grilled cheese sandwich.
Although buttered bread and melty cheese are classic, the standard grilled cheese sandwich can often benefit from a bit of variety. The perfect, neutral medium to experiment with flavor and texture, we're no strangers to elevating grilled cheese with everything from bacon to jalapeños. So, why not add pieces of charred tandoori, a spoonful of saucy korma, or spiced vindaloo to grilled cheese also?
Use Indian food leftovers to make a heavenly grilled cheese
From chana masala to aloo gobi, any dish sitting idly in your fridge can be worked into a grilled cheese sandwich. Imparting a bit of complexity and another dimension of decadence, these wonderfully zesty dishes and colorful curries can jazz up a boring grilled cheese while simultaneously making leftovers more intriguing. However, building a truly great grilled cheese with leftovers requires some thought.
The most important thing to consider is the sauciness of certain leftovers, as wet ingredients keep grilled cheese from becoming crisp. Luckily, in the case of next-day curries (especially those that are meat-based), sauces actually tend to thicken rather than thin, allowing for an even creamier filling. That said, try to limit sauce in place of other ingredients, using restraint when adding leftovers inside the sandwich. Likewise, choosing an equally creamy and melty cheese variety can also be helpful in binding everything together and making sure the filling stays put as it cooks.
Naturally, selecting the wrong kind of bread can be a mistake when it comes to creating your newly improved grilled cheese. Sturdy slices are well-suited for the job, but an airy and sweet brioche can also be a great choice to balance spice-kissed leftovers. As long as you generously apply butter (or even mayo) to bread and cook the leftover-laden grilled cheese low and slow, the result is sure to be a 10 out of 10 meal.