Leftover rice vadas ( no onion no garlic no potatoes) is today’s post that will give you ideas and recipes on how to use leftover rice in a delicious new avataar .I use leftover rice in many ways and this time I made some rice vadas . Moreover this recipe is without is onion ,garlic or potatoes . This vada recipe uses leftover steamed rice as the base . As Paryushan (Jain festival) is going on I have used boiled lentils , plantains/ raw banana ( kacha kela) and some Indian spices to make these vadas . Let me tell you these rice , lentils and plantain fritters are mouth melting and yummy!!
In today’s vada recipe I am sharing one of many ways you can use to recycle leftover rice. I have served these vadas with Rajasthan special homemade sweet and tangy kachri chutney . This recipe is Vegan , Gluten free and Jain too. If you are looking for a no onion no garlic recipe then you might want to give this a try!
Paryushan is an Indian Jain Festival where on the food front we do not consume vegetables, greens, roots, processed food. Some consume fruits, some limit it to bananas and some don’t . I have many readers asking me to share some food recipes and ideas that they can enjoy during paryushan or any Jain tithis like Aatham and Chaudas despite of all the food restrictions . I have used plantains here but if you do not use them during this period I have substitutes mentioned in the recipe notes. Use the substitutes that resonates your cooking.
Vadas are round kofta like dumplings that are made various ways and enjoyed with a cup of tea ,snack or anytime of the day. Popular vada’s are the famous Mumbai vada pav that uses potato and spices as the filling. Today’s recipe aims at using leftover rice in a fresh new avataar . This rice vada recipe is curated keeping all food restrictions in mind for Jain fasting festival. The ingredients used are limited considering the food restrictions but the outcome is delicious. If you do not observe this festival I have easy substitutes for you in the recipe notes.
I make these vadas frequently but only with plantains and lentils – my mom’s recipe. We call it as kache kele ke vade. This recipe with leftover rice happened yesterday as I made some rice with mung bean curry for lunch. The curry was done with but I had lot of leftover rice. During Paryushan we cannot carry forward the leftovers for the next day. And I hate wastage. I don’t have the heart to throw food. Generally we consume the leftovers the next day or freeze it. But we can’t do this in Paryushan. So for dinner I pressure cooked some dal and plantains to bind the rice and made these vadas. I had no time to take fancy photos. These are pictures clicked on the phone as I had to share it with you before this holy festival of Paryushan ends.
So how does these leftover rice lentils plantain vadas taste ?
No one will believe you have used rice in it. Rice takes up the flavor of the spices beautifully hence get morphed successfully.
Considering the food restrictions and ingredients used I am very happy with the outcome.
The vadas are moist and soft from inside with crunchy outer covering.
If this festival was not going on then I would use chopped green chilies and ginger for some punch too.
We love this recipe because –
it’s highly customizable
You may deep fry them or choose to make it in a appe pan for guilt free snacking.
It makes great use of leftover steamed/ boiled rice.
It’s a good appetizer or tea time snack.
They are a great side for lunch or dinner .
You may fill it in Pav and enjoy as vada pav too.
It’s Vegan and Gluten free
Apt for Jain tithis and paryushan
Is a no onion no garlic and no potato recipe.
Other recipes that can make great use of leftover rice –
This mouth melting veg manchurian which is not deep fried . Recipe link here.
Use it to make these nutritious vegetable pancakes. Simply replace half of the flour called for and substitute it with leftover rice.Recipe link here.
Or may be some fancy ricotta cheese balls. Simply substitute the bread crumbs with leftover cooked rice to bind the cheese. You will definitely experience some serious indulgence. Recipe link here. 
Don’t have leftover rice, can I make these fritters with freshly made rice?
Absolutely yes. Feel free to use freshly steamed rice to make these fritters. If you are using a stove top pressure cooker or Instant Pot or any other pressure cooker then it’s a breeze to make preparations. Everything cooks in one go Pot in Pot method also known as PIP. This means you will cook rice and lentil together in one pot topped with plantain or potatoes.
Here is what you will do –
1/2 cup uncooked basmati rice, rinsed several times
1/4 cup yellow moong dal , rinsed several times
1.5 cups water
Pinch of salt
2 small plantains/ medium sized potatoes
Method
Pour in 1/2 cup of water in the inner pot .
In a IP appropriate container put rice and dal / lentil together and add 1.5 cup water . (Like we do it for Khichdi)
Cover the container with a IP safe lid.
Prick potatoes /plantains few times and place them over the container .
Close the Instant Pot with knob on SEALING position.
Switch on the Instant Pot .MANUAL HIGH 3 minutes. NPR i.e let the pressure release naturally.
Open the lid when it is safe to do so.
Now in a non stick skillet proceed with the tempering. Refer to the recipe instruction section.
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How to make Leftover rice vadas-
Leftover rice vada
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups leftover steamed / boiled rice
- 2 small plantains / raw banana
- ¼ cup split yellow moong dal uncooked
- ½ cup water to cook the dal
Spices used
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds/ jeera
- ½ teaspoon Mustard seeds/ rai
- 1 teaspoon Sauf / fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon Garam masala
- 1 teaspoon cayenne/ Red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder / dhaniya powder
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric / haldi
- ½ teaspoon dried ginger powder/ sooth *
- 1 tsp ajwain / carom seeds
- 2 teaspoon dried pudina powder / mint*
- Salt to taste
- 2 teaspoon aamchoor powder/ dry mango powder
- ¼ cup water* or as needed if filling feels too dry.
Recipe of batter for coating the vadas
- ¾ cup besan/ chana dal besan or chickpea flour
- Pinch of turmeric
- Pinch of cayenne
- Pinch of baking soda optional
- 1 teaspoon oil
- Salt to taste
- Enough water to form thick batter
For Kachri chutney
- ¼ cup Kachri
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder adjust to your spice level
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cumin powder
- Salt to taste
- ¼ cup or more warm water
Oil for deep frying.
Instructions
- Wash dal 2-3 times with water and drain. Add in ½ cup fresh water and keep aside.
- Wash the plantains from outside and prick them 2-3 times with a knife.
- You may slice it in half and steam too.
- In a stovetop pressure cooker or Instant Pot cook the dal and raw bananas pot in pot method.
For Instant Pot
- Add ½ cup water to the base steel pot.
- Place the trivet in the IP.
- Put the container with washed dal in it with appropriate lid.
- Place the raw plantains on top of it.
- Close the lid.
- Set the knob to sealing position.
- Manual HIGH 4 minutes . Natural Pressure release (NPR)
For stovetop pressure cooker same as above for 3 whistles. Let the pressure come down before opening.
- Meanwhile prepare the chutney .
For Kachri Chutney .
- Mix everything called for in the recipe.
- Add enough water to adjust the consistency of chutney as desired.
Proceed with the recipe for preparing the masala.
- Once the plantains are steamed carefully peel the skin and cut into rough chunks .
- In a big bowl add cooked rice, prepared dal, plantain cubes and smash it with back of your spoon or potato smasher .
- Heat oil in a non stick pan.
- Once hot add it hing, mustard and cumin.
- Once it starts to splutter add all masalas immediately followed by 2-3 tablespoons water to avoid burning.
- Add in some salt and prepared smashed rice dal suffing.
- Give it a nice mix until the masala is well absorbed and evenly coated.
- Add 1-2 tablespoon water if it feels dry. Do not add too much water or else vadas won’t form.
- Switch off the flame . Give a taste test.
- Adjust seasoning if needed.
- Let the masala cool down completely before rolling into balls .
- You may cool down the masala in a big plate.
Now prepare the batter for coating
- Add everything called for the batter and enough water to prepare thick batter ( dosa batter consistency)
- Whisk until smooth and no lumps .
- Keep aside.
- Now that the masala has cooled down make lemon size equal balls by rolling it gently between your palms.
Deep frying method
- Heat oil in a frying pan.
- Once hot , dip the vada balls in the prepared batter and then slowly drop it in hot oil .
- Do not add more than 4-5 vadas at a time .
- Let it fry until golden brown turning mid way or as needed.
- Take the vadas out and place them on plate lined with paper napkins if desired.
- Enjoy warm or cold with side of the mentioned chutney or chutney of your choice.
For cooking in appe pan
- Make vada balls to fit the cavities of the appe pan .
- Place the pan for heating on medium heat.
- Brush the cavities lightly with oil .
- Once warm reduce the heat to low . Drop in 1-2 teaspoon batter in each hole (cavity) to coat the bottom of each hole.
- You may hold the appe pan with the handle and swing a bit to coat the base of each hole.
- Now place the vada balls over the batter.
- Pour more batter on each ball to cover the entire vada.
- Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side or until light brown.
- You may cover the pan with a lid for cooking the vadas faster.
Notes
Nutrition
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Thanks for stopping by.
Thanks for the tips. I’ve been struggling to make use of our leftover rice. It is a shame to just throw it in the bin.
I tried this with stovetop pressure cooker. Oh my never knew I could make bondas out of dal rice . They are so good. My kids loved it for school lunch . I even added finely chopped steamed carrots with dal and paneer.
I am glad Supriya you like it.