Show some leftover love

Chivda sprouts chaat

The result of a week-long shopping, cooking and gifting spree is likely to be a refrigerator full of towering Diwali leftovers. Besan ladoos, gulab jamuns, kaju katlis, chivda, gaathiya, chaklis and cakes - there might not be enough space to store the lot, and some might have a low shelf life. While you nurse your post-Diwali blues, F&B consultant and co-founder of The Blue Tiffin, chef Amit Puri, and blogger and recipe expert Neha Mathur from Whisk Affair share handy tips on how to make the most of Diwali leftovers:

. Puri and Mathur suggest that the easiest way to use up leftover mithai is to make parathas out of them. "Any kind of sweets will suffice - be it motichoor laddoos, besan ladoos, or barfis. Crush the mithai, and stuff it into the paratha. This will ideally resemble a chini ka paratha. Toast it with ghee instead of oil," advises Puri.

Chef Amit Puri and Neha Mathur

. Kulfi is another way to repurpose Diwali sweets, and helps you enjoy them for a longer time, Mathur says. "Mix the leftover sweets with milk and cook until the milk thickens. Then, pour the mixture into kulfi moulds and freeze. You can freeze the kulfi for upto three months," she adds.

. If you have some gulab jamun and store-bought custard in the house, then chop up fresh fruits and the sweet, and add them to the custard to make a parfait, Puri tells us. You can also add pastry or cake.

. Crush some leftover sweets and add them to a vanilla cake batter before baking it, advises Mathur.

. Give your chivda a spin by mixing it with boiled sprouts, and chopped onion, tomato, chilli and coriander, Puri shares. Alternatively, Mathur says, one can also mix leftover farsan with chopped onions, tomatoes, green chilies and coriander. "Drizzle some coriander and tamarind chutney on top and mix everything well. Serve this preparation immediately," she suggests.

. Milkshakes and lassis can be whipped up to repurpose sweets. "Add leftover mithai, milk and frozen fruits like bananas, and blend until smooth to get a milkshake," shares Mathur, while Puri adds, "Throw in any mava-based mithai or pedas along with fresh yoghurt to make lassi. You can top it with dry fruits, kesar or rabdi, too."