Leftover Roti Pulao/ Kawe

'Kawe', as we call it in Udaipur, is a leftover dish prepared with the last night's or old dried chapatis/rotis, flavored and seasoned with spices, potatoes, veggies, and a lot of respect for the food which we believe should not be thrown or wasted. Though this is not very often, but sometimes the hands direct in a slightly lavish way and the food turns out to be in excess. I know and surely never recommend  over-eating because you don't want to throw away the leftovers, but yes, I strongly recommend using them in every possible way, making sure that they are not spoiled/deteriorated by some bacterial/fungal growth. Here, I mean that the leftover food should not be one which goes rotten/bad on storing. I only use either refrigerated leftovers or dried leftovers which have no risk for micro-organic growth. 

One of such leftover recipes include 'Kawe' aka ' Namkeen Roti Pulao', which is very common at my mom's place. Though we also have a sweet variation to it called ' Meethe Kawe', but here I'll be writing only about the namkeen/ spicy one.

Usually we use dried rotis in this but sometimes even leftover fresh rotis can be converted to this form if you are a die-hard lover of this dish ( Like me and my mom!) On a general basis, we prepare a special seasoning for it with cumin(jeera), mustard seeds (rai), onion, potato, spices, water and salt and finally cook the dried rotis in that till they go soft and slightly mushy, but I had prepared it with leftover Aloo Gobhi ki sabji, and wow, my hubby liked a leftover dish for the first time!. :)

NAMKEEN ROTI PULAO/ KAWE:

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 7-10 minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

1. Dried/leftover chapatis/rotis: 4

2. Potato: 1 (thinly sliced)

3. Onion: 1 (chopped)

4. Cumin seeds/ jeera: 1/4 tsp

5. Mustard seeds/ rai: 1/4 tsp

6. Coriander Powder: 1 tbs

7. Red Chilli Powder: 1tsp or less 

8. Turmeric Powder: 1/4 tsp

9. Cumin powder: 1/2 tsp

10. Salt: 1 and a half tsp or as per taste

11. Green chilly: 1 (chopped) - optional

12. Water: 2 cups 

13. Coriander leaves (chopped): for garnishing

14. Oil: 2 tbs

Method: 

1. It's important to use the leftover stuff in a right way. The rotis/chapatis should not be very old ( not older than 2 days), and see that they look dry and clean, with no fungal growth or black webs. While drying the leftover chapatis/rotis, please make sure that you keep them scattered in a big plate/dish in open. Do not keep the rotis in a closed box else they will go spoiled.
2. Take a pan and heat oil in it. Add cumin seeds and mustard seeds and wait till they splutter. 
3. Now add the chopped onion and fry till it turns golden brown. Add in chopped chilly followed by the sliced potato. 
4. Throw in all the spices and salt and cook for 2 minutes. 
5. Sprinkle some water and cover it for cooking the potato. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
6. Now add water to it and take a boil.
7. Break the dried rotis/ fresh rotis into small pieces and add these pieces to the boiling vegetable. 
8. Cook for 7-8 minutes till the pieces go soft and the water is almost all absorbed.
9. Switch off the flame, and serve hot with some aromatic coriander leaves. 

Suggestions:

1. If you are using fresh/ not very dry rotis, add less water.
2. Instead of making the seasoning, you can also use some leftover refrigerated vegetable, like how I used Aloo Gobhi ki sabji. Then, you just need to add some water to this vegetable and take a boil, and add the roti pieces to it; no seasoning required.

Submitting this recipe to:
Any One Can Cook  by Ayeesha
Lets Cook with Leftovers  by Nayna
Walk Through Memory Lane by Gayatri