Imagine that you are going to a fancy dress party and want to disguise yourself as something (even more?) exotic and interesting. You might raid your wardrobe and add a few specially bought props, or you might go the whole hog and hire a costume. So why not do the same with your leftovers. This works for both kids and adults.
As with all good parties, you need a theme. Taking cues from different world cuisines is a good start. Just as you would not expect to pass for an authentic Chinaman or Mexican at a party, your dishes will probably work best as a well thought out imitation.
With most fancy dress it is the props that help to create the effect, so do not forget the side dishes like poppadoms, nachos, prawn crackers and spring rolls. If you can produce side dishes from other leftovers then so much the better and this might influence your choice of cuisine.
It is relatively easy to transform cooked meat or chicken into a curry. Then, if you have cold cooked potatoes there are numerous aloo (potato recipes) such as aloo saag or aloo bhaja that can accompany the meal.
Make a simple salad of onions, cucumber and tomatoes, some poppadoms and a homemade mint raita (yoghurt, diced cucumber & mint sauce.) There you have a tasty ‘Indian’ meal, totally unlike yesterdays, and you have used up some perishable ingredients as well.
Enjoy.
