Leftovers After the Holiday
The curry, the rendang, the coconut milk that lingers for days. Here is how to finish it without eating the same dish a fifth time.
12 recipes
12 recipes sit under Leftovers After the Holiday, and every one of them is scored against what is actually in your fridge before it is shown. The quickest is Sweet Crisp Tempeh at 25 minutes; the longest, Beef in Sweet Soy, takes 90.
None of these need an oven, an air fryer, or a microwave — a stove and a pan is enough. 5 are vegetarian. 5 have no chili at all, so they work for children. 5 are properly spicy.
These recipes lean most often on Palm sugar, Indonesian bay leaf, Red chili and Coconut milk — if you have one or two of those as well, more of this list becomes cookable tonight rather than after a shopping trip. Add what you have to your fridge and the recipes reorder themselves around it, with anything missing collected into a shopping list.
Sweet Crisp Tempeh
Sweet, dry, and keeps for three days. The cheapest rice companion there is.
⏱ 25 min🍽 4 servingsEasy
Braised Chicken and Potato in Sweet Soy
Dark, sweet, and fragrant with nutmeg. A dish that tastes better reheated the next morning.
⏱ 45 min🍽 4 servingsEasy
Vegetables in Coconut Milk
Gentle coconut richness. Never cover the pot after the coconut milk goes in — it will split.
⏱ 35 min🍽 5 servingsMedium
Chicken in White Coconut Curry
Pale gold, rich, and fragrant with spice. The key is frying the paste until genuinely cooked.
⏱ 1 h🍽 5 servingsMedium
Spicy Potato and Chicken Liver
The potato is diced small and fried crisp first — that is what separates it from the soggy version.
⏱ 40 min🍽 5 servingsMedium
Sweet Braised Tofu and Tempeh
Slow-braised in palm sugar until it soaks through, then briefly fried.
⏱ 1 h🍽 5 servingsEasy
Beef in Sweet Soy
Dark, sweet, and tender. The beef simmers until the fibres let go on their own — there is no shortcut for that part.
⏱ 1 h 30m🍽 5 servingsMedium
Catfish in Spiced Coconut Broth
The catfish is fried crisp first, then briefly simmered in spiced coconut broth. It stays firm rather than going soft.
⏱ 40 min🍽 3 servingsMedium
Peanut Sauce
The peanuts are dry-toasted, not fried. Toasting gives a roasted aroma that hot oil cannot imitate.
⏱ 25 min🍽 6 servingsEasy
Banana in Palm Sugar Coconut Milk
The coconut milk goes in last and must never boil hard. Once it splits, there is no fixing it.
⏱ 30 min🍽 4 servingsEasy
Anchovy and Peanut Sambal
Keeps a week in a jar and rescues a lot of lunches. The anchovies and peanuts must be bone dry before they meet the sambal.
⏱ 30 min🍽 8 servingsEasy
Shredded Spicy Chicken
Keeps three days and goes with anything: rice, bread, or as a filling. Shred the chicken while warm so the fibres come apart easily.
⏱ 40 min🍽 5 servingsEasy