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Easy Indian Lunch Ideas You'll Love to Make With Leftovers

Easy Indian Lunch Ideas You'll Love to Make With Leftovers Malgudi Days

Having leftovers in the fridge is almost a commonplace matter in most households. But that doesn’t mean you have to settle for the same meal reheated the next day.

A lot of Indian dishes carry the essential mix of spices and/ or grains that will make reconstructing lunch ideas from leftovers a simple task. 

Here are a few ideas to save you time for when you need a quick meal.


Masala Rice

A bowl of plain rice is like a blank canvas; you can make anything of it with some inspiration and culinary enthusiasm. You’ll find that it works well with most ingredients that you’d choose to put together in a pan.

Have a vegetable stir fry in your fridge or the last serving of a gravy? Mix it with rice to form a simple meal of masala rice.

This takes barely a few minutes to prepare, especially if you have a rice cooker to make steamed rice.

If you find that a plate of masala rice is too dry for you, nothing like a refreshing cup of Indian filter coffee to help you finish off the meal.


Vegetable Wrap

Ate rice the previous day and looking for a change? 

The same cooked vegetables that you’d use to make masala rice can also be made into a vegetable wrap of sorts.

Whether you use tortilla sheets, chapatis, or any flatbread, add the vegetable mix to it and make a wrap. If the leftover food is of a semi-gravy nature, you won’t even need to add any sauces or seasoning as the base on the chapati. 

However, if you prefer a more sturdy filling for the wrap, simply stir-fry the vegetable dish before you layer it on the chapati.

vegetable wrap from leftovers

Perfect for on-the-go meals too as it is easy to manage and you can eat it during your commute. 


Dal Dhokli

Dal dhokli is a Gujarati dish made of stewed peas and wheat flour.

A reinvention of this recipe could use leftover sambar or dal fry. All you’d need to do is make a dough with wheat flour and flatten it using a rolling pin just like how you’d make chapatis.

Cut them up into bite-sized pieces (whatever shape you fancy) and add them to the stew. Let it boil until cooked completely.

Making dal dhokli at home is a great way of using leftover sambar or dal without having to serve it alongside rice.


Masala Paratha

Masala parathas can be flavourful and filling when done right.

Use leftover grated vegetables from a salad or any dry sabzis like paneer, carrot or bitter gourd when preparing the dough. Knead it to be a seamless mix so that the dough is not too lumpy and doesn’t fall apart when you roll it into a paratha.

Depending on the cooked vegetables you have available at home throughout the week, your masala parathas could have a unique flavour each day. So, there’s no way of getting bored of it.


Fried Idlis

These aren’t just a great lunch idea but could be a fantastic snack option too!

leftover idli recipes

Cut up leftover idlis into small chunks. Fry them with some chopped onions, green chillies (and tomatoes, if you’d like), and seasoning of your choice.

Whether you eat this at work or home, it is one of the most hassle-free meals to try with leftover idlis.



These 5 recipe ideas should help you finish leftovers in the fridge while also enjoying a brand new dish the next day. Best served with a steaming cup of Indian filter coffee, you’ll find yourself coming back to these dishes again and again.

Let us know which one you’re going to try.

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