Rice Cutlet | Leftover Rice Cutlets

Got leftover rice from last night? Don’t really want to make another wok-tossed fried rice with it? Want to turn it into a nice, yummy snack? This Rice Cutlet recipe is the answer to all these questions. These Leftover Rice Cutlets are crisp, scrumptious and uses the most basic ingredients like potatoes, onions, other herbs and spices. This simple and easy recipe is also vegan and gluten free. You really can’t miss trying it!

About Rice Cutlet

This Rice Cutlet recipe is one of those many dishes that I make with cooked rice, and are absolutely a smashing delight for the palate. There’s actually no chance of anyone not liking these cutlets. They are so good!

Many a times, when there is leftover rice after lunch, I use it to make this Rice Cutlet and many more lovely dishes. It is best to use the cooked rice this way, which doesn’t amount to wastage at all.

One of the best things about these Leftover Rice Cutlets is that they are really simple to prepare. You just need some cooked rice, boiled potatoes and spices. Mix everything up, shape into cutlets or tikkis and shallow or pan fry them. Awesome snack, ready in a matter of minutes.

Any variety of rice can be used in this recipe. But make sure that it is cooked well and not al dente. As far as the spice meter is concerned, you can reduce or choose not to add the green chilies. The quantity of the rest of the spice powders can also be modified. This particular recipe will give you 10 to 12 cutlets.

To increase the nutrient quotient of the Rice Cutlet, you can also add ¼ cup of grated vegetables like carrots and beetroots, along with some green peas. It will not only turn these cutlets wholesome, but also add a pop of color in them.

This Rice Cutlet makes for a great evening snack for kids as well. You can enjoy these with any green chutney like coriander, mint, tamarind chutney, tomato sauce, etc.  Use these cutlets to make scrumptious sandwiches too.

How to make Rice Cutlet

Make Cutlet Mixture

1. To make these cutlets, you will need 1 cup tightly packed cooked rice. Take the rice in a mixing bowl.

2. Add ½ cup tightly packed mashed potatoes. Both the potatoes as well as rice have to be at room temperature.

Steam or boil 1 medium to large potato till well cooked. For pressure cooking, add 1 potato in a 2-liter stovetop pressure cooker along with ¾ to 1 cup water. Pressure cook for 2 to 3 whistles or for 5 to 6 minutes on medium heat.

Let the pressure drop naturally in the cooker and then only open the lid. Remove the potato with the help of pasta tongs and set it aside to cool on a plate or tray.

3. Now, add ⅓ cup chopped onion, 1 chopped green chili (about ½ to 1 teaspoon, chopped) and 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves.

4. Next add the following spices:

• ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
• ½ teaspoon cumin powder
• ½ teaspoon coriander powder
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon garam masala powder

5. Then, add 3 tablespoons gram flour (besan) and salt as per taste. You can also use roasted gram flour or sattu, cornstarch or rice flour.

6. Mix everything very well. When you are mixing, the rice will also get mashed.

7. Shape the mixture into small to medium size cutlets/patties or tikkis.

Fry Rice Cutlet

8. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a frying pan or tawa/skillet. When the oil becomes medium hot, place the cutlets on the tawa.

9. When the base is lightly browned, flip them with a spatula and fry the other side.

10. Flip again and fry the cutlets till they are crisp and golden. You will have to flip them a couple of times for even cooking.

You can fry them in 2 batches or all at once, depending on the size of the tawa or frying pan.

11. When nicely crisp and golden, remove and place them on a kitchen paper towel for extra oil to be absorbed. This way prepare them in batches.

12. Serve Rice Cutlet hot with tomato ketchup, mint chutney or tamarind chutney. They make for a delicious evening tea time or party snack.

If its raining, then I also serve a cup of hot ginger tea along with these cutlets. Fritters and cutlets during monsoon time are best enjoyed with a cup of hot tea.

More to do with leftover rice

I really don’t believe in wasting food under any given normal circumstance. There are many ways through which we use up leftover food. As in if there’ll be some cooked rice, curry or sabzi from yesterday, we’ve always had ways to use it up by making different dishes.

Of course, if the leftover food is spoilt, we will obviously discard it as then it becomes lethal to the health.

Talking of leftover food, the most common one is the steamed rice. And in India there are a number of dishes that have been created over years with just leftover rice.

This list is never-ending. Ask a housewife, she’s forever experimenting with cooked rice and coming up with delectable dishes.

My list of recipes with leftover rice is also quite extensive. Some of the top favorites include this Rice Cutlet, Masala Rice, Rice Pakoda, Tamarind Rice, Fried Rice and Lemon Rice.

For all the other innumerable ways of using leftover cooked rice, this Leftover Rice Recipes compilation is going to help you.

In addition to these with cooked rice, there are many other leftover food dishes that me and my family swear by. Some of them are Idli Fry Aloo Tikki Chole and Paniyaram.

Expert Tips

1. Modify the taste by adjusting green chilies and spices.
2. Use any neutral-flavored oil for either shallow frying or pan frying the cutlets.
3. In place of the gram flour (besan), you can even use rice flour, cornstarch or roasted black chickpea flour (sattu) and even breadcrumbs.
4. Veggies like grated beetroot, grated carrot or green peas can be added in the recipe.
5. This cutlet recipe is easily scalable.

This Rice Cutlet post from the archives first published on June 2016 has been republished and updated on November 2022.