RENDANG is available in abundance throughout the month of Hari Raya celebrations. With lots of open houses, some of us are left to deal with the brunt of matters: leftovers.
Even after packing off food to your neighbours, relatives, and basically anyone who crosses paths with you, you may still be left with what seems like an unlimited supply of rendang and curries.
Instead of forcing yourself to have it as your staple diet for the next couple of weeks, here are some ideas on how to switch up your rendang and curries to make refreshing quick meals:
1. Sandwich toasts
You’ll need a sandwich toaster for this. Simply butter slices of bread, line them up in the toaster, spread the rendang or curry along with some healthy greens such as capsicum, lettuce, or even leftover salad. Then, place the remaining pieces of bread on top and seal the toaster shut for a minute or two.
Voila! You have healthy sandwiches that are easy to take on the go, and are sealed in to avoid a messy ordeal.
2. Baked potatoes
Transform your rendang or curry into a fusion delight by serving them as a topping with some good ol’ spuds. Follow this recipe here, but replace the filling with leftover rendang and curry, along with some cheese (if you’re feeling adventurous) before popping it into the oven. Add a sprinkle of lettuce, onions, spring onions, corn, or any garnish that strikes your taste bud’s fancy.
3. Pita wraps
Preheat tortilla wraps in a pan or oven till it becomes soft and malleable. Place chicken rendang or curry into the wraps, accompanied by lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and your choice of add-ons. Roll the wraps up neatly, and enjoy!
4. Fried rice
The standard Asian solution for most leftovers is to churn out some delicious fried rice by adding chicken rendang into the mix. Here’s a recipe you can follow: Fragrant Spicy Fried Rice. Keep in mind to add your chicken rendang, and maybe exclude curry powder, cumin powder, and chilli powder depending on how strong and spicy the flavour of your rendang or curry is.
5. Stuffed peppers
Switch up recipe No 4 by cutting out the top and hollowing a green pepper. Then stuff it with the cooled chicken rendang fried rice, and pop it in the oven for about 30-45 minutes until the rice is heated thoroughly.
6. Chicken rendang curry puffs
If you’re up for going the extra mile, why not try whipping up some curry puffs with rendang filling in the spirit of Raya? The recipe can be found here.
