Leftovers? You love them, you hate them!

Sometimes it’s all about those pesky little containers of dribs and drabs cluttering the fridge. Should they stay or should they  go? If there are more substantial leftovers, there’s the question of how many more times you can bring them to the table without facing a rebellion. Can they be frozen to provide welcome relief from cooking on a tiresome day, or as a “go to” for a quick snack? Is there room in the freezer? It goes on.

Then, there are some dishes that go so smoothly from superb first serve to an excellent, crisp return. (Yes, Wimbledon just ended a few days ago!) You gladly welcome anything that remains uneaten. Take the last lonesome nuuputtu, for instance.

When I think of nuuputtu, it’s not always an image of soft, steamed heaps of long, delicate rice noodles that comes to mind. Among many favourite snacks my grandmother rustled up at tea time, was a treat made from nuuputtu at the other end of the spectrum – sun dried, broken into short lengths, then deep fried to crackling crispness and eaten with grated coconut and sugar.

If there was any small quantity of nuputtu left over from a meal, it was laid out in the sun* on a clean chalaemundu – the thin flat weave towels from Kerala that were indispensable in daily use throughout the household.

When the nuuputtu had air dried enough to handle easily, the strands would be pulled apart gently and spread over the absorbent surface. In the intense sunlight, the strands would curl and shrivel into brittleness in no time at all. These dried bits could be stored in airtight containers for later use, but most often they would go straight out of the fiery sun and into a frying pan!

As children, we ate this deep fried nuuputtu with freshly grated coconut and sugar. In later years, on the rare occasions I still indulge in this snack. I’ve taken to adding an extra touch of cardamom, and also toasting the coconut along with the fried nuuputtu for a warm, nutty flavour.

If you prefer a savoury version, add fried curry leaves and mustard seed, and maybe some peanuts too. If you’re really feeling enthusiastic, grind some onions and green chillis together with a little salt and strain out the juice. Mix this evenly onto  the still moist nuuputtu , and when they’re dry, fry them up and serve with a meal in lieu of papad or sandigé!

Fried Nuuputtu for a snack

• 2 cups dried nuuputtu bits
• 1/2 cup fresh grated coconut
• 1/4 tsp powdered cardamom
• Sugar to taste
• Oil or ghee for deep frying

Heat the oil in a kadhai or wok and deep fry small batches of the nuuputtu bits at a time. They cook quickly, so work fast and do not allow the threads to colour more than a pale gold.

Drain onto absorbent paper, toss with fresh coconut, sugar and cardamom. Serve warm.

For the version with toasted coconut, you may toast it separately and add it to the fried nuuputtu. Alternately, roast the fried nuuputtu and fresh coconut together gently until the coconut begins to colour and smell toasty. It’s much tastier done this way. Any leftovers can be stored for a few more days in an airtight container.

*Of course, if the sun doesn’t oblige, there’s always the oven. 🙂