Diwali leftovers? Get cooking

Festivals and food seem to go together. Be it Eid, Christmas, Diwali or any other festivity in between, there is always an array of sugary delicacies to welcome guests.

It is a great joy building up to the big day, but once the celebrations are over, most of us are left holding boxes of sweets, iced cakes or desserts and don't know what to do with them.

Useful options

Since no one wants to waste food, you can invite the neighbourhood children or feed some of the goodies to a needy person, then freeze the rest. Two weeks later, if you have unexpected guests, you can take out a packet of mithai and turn it into a delicious pudding.

Over the years, like other housewives, I have learnt to use leftovers. There have been some successes but I have ended up with many bad dishes as well.

I must share a story with you. Some years back, when trying to rustle up a pudding for unexpected guests, I defrosted some laddoos, placed them in a dish, poured on a milk-egg mixture, added flavouring and baked it.

Surprise, surprise

I was surprised and delighted too, when the guests asked me for the recipe. Later, I started buying laddoos and jalebis to make this dessert!

This not really a recipe roundup of festival delights but suggestions to encourage you to be imaginative when serving leftovers. As most Middle Eastern, Indian and Pakistani festive treats tend to be too sweet, it is advised to adjust the sugar content of the dishes.

Recipes: Use a bit of imagination

Jalebi pudding
2 cups leftover jalebis (or laddoos)
2 cups milk
1/4 cup cream
4 eggs
2 egg yolks
3 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp powdered cardamom
3 tbs slivered almonds

Whisk the eggs, sugar and yolk along with milk and place over low heat, stirring till slightly thick. Remove from the heat and add cardamom and cream.

Brush a 2-inch deep baking dish with butter and spread the jalebis (or crumbled laddoos) in the base. Whisk the milk mixture again and pour onto the jalebis. Cover the dish with foil and bake on slow heat in an oven till almost set. Uncover, sprinkle slivered almonds and bake till set.

Note: For a lighter version, skip the cream.

Nariyal burfi roll ups
6 inch crêpe (use your favourite recipe)

Filling

2 cups nariyal burfi, crumbled
2 tbs desiccated coconut
1/4 tsp powdered cardamom
2 tbs finely chopped almonds
Combine the ingredients for the filling and keep aside. If the mixture looks dry, add a spoon of cream.
Take a crêpe, spread about 2 tablespoons of filling down the middle and roll it up. Place seam side down on a lightly buttered, flat serving dish.

Topping
2 tbs desiccated coconut
2 tbs powdered sugar
Combine and sprinkle the toppings on the crêpe and serve with whipped cream.

Chenna Murki compote
Chenna Murki, a lesser-known mithai, is a tiny square of paneer (cottage cheese) coated with a crunchy sugar layer.

2 cups chenna murki
4 cups fresh fruit salad (use the fruit of your choice but nothing soggy, such as mangoes)
2 tbs fresh orange juice
Mint sprigs
Whipped cream
Combine the fruit with juice and chill. Just before serving, fold in the chenna murki, spoon into small bowls, top with a dollop of cream and a sprig of mint.

Festive trifle
An iced cake (vanilla or lemon)
2 tbs orange juice
1 large tin fruit cocktail, drained (or use fresh fruit salad, lightly sweetened)
1 cup rich sweetened custard
1/2 cup whipped cream
Maraschino cherries
Discard the icing from the cake (no one needs the extra calories!). Slice the cake evenly, cutting the edges to make it fit evenly and line a decorative bowl or deep dish. Brush them with orange juice.

Spoon on the drained fruit evenly, then pour custard on it to make a thick layer.

Chill the dish. Just before serving, decorate with whipped cream and maraschino cherries.

- Nirmal Khanna is a UAE-based freelance writer