29 Ways to use Leftover Rice (Asian)

Make the most of leftover rice recipes with easy simple idea beyond fried rice an easy indian rice. These leftover recipes with rice serve beautifully as side dishes for dinners and also as sweet desserts like rich rice pudding.

Do you know that almost half of the food is wasted in the US, most of it perfectly edible?

Throwing away leftover food is not only bad for the environment, but also for our wallets. Hence, I have an entire category devoted to recipes which use leftovers in this blog, such as "What to do with leftover Chinese pork jerky" and "What to do with leftover Thanksgiving roast turkey and chicken."

Leftover rice can make for very tasty food. However, there are some important things home cooks need to know about it (basically it cannot be left out at room temperature for too long)- scroll down to the bottom of the post for more on food safety.

Note: If you're specifically looking for ideas for leftover sushi rice, click here. For non-Asian leftover rice recipes, there's paella, risotto, Dolmans, arancini, taco filling, burrito stuffing, rice pancakes, frittatas and more!

Toss your leftover rice with poached shrimp, diced vegetables and some soy sauce-sesame oil ginger dressing!

Add 1 quarter cup of leftover rice to this pork meatball recipe. It will work like breadcrumbs, and absorb the moisture!

Use the extra rice to make Korean sushi!

These wrapped rice rolls are possibly my favorite way to use up leftover long-grain rice! (Works really well with wild rice.)

Besides cabbage rolls, you can also use the rice to stuff into bell peppers, squash, pumpkins or zucchini, then bake them.

For more details, check out this Indian rice cutlet recipe (which goes really well with Chai Coffee.)

Making congee is a great way to use up leftover rice. Congee is all about breaking down the rice grains to make a creamy porridge and, with leftover rice, you're halfway there!

Garnish the Chinese congee recipes below with some green onions, fresh ginger, a fried egg, and you have a complete meal. You can also add these rice congee toppings and side dishes.

Tip: if you don't have time to watch the stove, just throw the leftover rice and water or stock in the rice cooker.

The ultimate wallet-friendly recipe: be extra virtuous and save not just leftover rice but also leftover roast meat (which can also be turned into these rotisserie chicken recipes)!

To top it off, keep the chicken bones to make stock!

If you love canned abalone, here are more recipes to use them up!

Poached Rice & Soup

Besides making congee, you can also use the extra rice to make Poached Rice, which is re-heated rice added to soup. (So you get individual rice grains in liquid, instead of the oatmeal-like consistency of congee.)

Tip: honestly, white rice- and even brown rice- can be stirred into almost any soup, not just the pumpkin seafood soup below!

If you have leftover rice, this Rainbow Rice Bowl is ready in 15 minutes or less!

Bibimbap

Korean Mixed Rice, or Bibimbap, is another great way to use up extra rice grains.

The best way to cook Chinese fried rice is to use day-old rice that has dried a little. The cold rice will have the perfect texture (It won't be soft and mushy. Make sure to store it properly!)

This easy Asian comfort food goes well with almost everything, such as Chinese Braised Pork and these easy fried rice side dishes.

Tip: Stir-fry on high heat to give it the smoky char (wok hei), like the best Chinese restaurants do!

This recipe uses not 1 but 2 leftover ingredients: rice and BBQ pork! Any extra Char Siew goes really well with these dishes!

Tip: Turmeric is really good for you- here are more ways to incorporate turmeric into your diet!

Paired with Something Spicy

If you've made something hot and spicy, like curry, a bowl of white rice is the perfect complement!

Desserts

Pandan Rice Pudding

If you're looking for a sweet treat, try rice pudding.

Ingredients

• 3 Cups cooked rice
• 3 Cups of Coconut Milk
  • Alternatively, mix 1 Cup coconut cream with 2 Cups pandan juice
• ⅓ Cup brown sugar or gula melaka palm sugar
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• a few knotted pandan leaves
• Toppings: gula melaka caramel or pandan syrup.

Instructions

Add all the ingredients to a pot. Bring to the boil on medium heat then simmer for 10-15 minutes till tender.

Stir in the coconut caramel or pandan syrup. (You can also use maple syrup.)

Enjoy!

Vegan Kimchi Rice

Tip: For super simple rice fritters, mix with spring onions, egg yolk and parmesan cheese then pan fry in some olive oil. You can also use the rice in Pakora (which go super well with these Indian dipping sauces.)

Uncooked rice has spores that can causes food poisoning which survives the cooking process. According to the NHS, if the cooked rice is left at room temperature, the spores turn into bacteria which multiply, and may produce toxins that lead to vomiting.

The longer the rice has been sitting at room temperature, the higher the possibility that it's no longer safe to eat.

Side note: similarly, it can be very dangerous to eat 5-day old pasta: people have even died after doing so!

Safe Storage Tips

• Eat the rice right after it has been cooked
• Cool the rice within 1 hour and store in the fridge
• Don't eat leftover rice that is over a day old
• Don't reheat rice more than once
• Rice should be steaming hot after reheating

Note: if safely stored, some scientists say that eating "leftover" rice could reduce the amount of calories absorbed by up to 60% and thus help prevent Diabetes. The rice needs to be prepared in a specific way though (click the previous link to find out more.)

FAQs

If you make any of these Easy Leftover Rice Recipes, don't forget to tag me (@greedygirlgourmet) on social media! And maybe you'd like to sign up for my recipe newsletter?

I'd love to see what you make!