No Waste, All Taste: Zero-Waste Summer Recipes from Indian Homes
Growing up in a big joint family meant that food was always made in generous quantities, and nothing ever went to waste. Summers were particularly special, not just for the mangoes and melons, but for all the lessons in resourcefulness they carried.
Ten glasses of shikanji (lemonade) would be stirred up in the morning, and by afternoon, the leftover lemon peels would find their way into a large glass jar, ready to be massaged with my Taiji’s signature achaar masala — a recipe she read, with great detail, from a handwritten book at least a decade old. On Sundays, matira, a desi watermelon, was ceremoniously sliced as an afternoon snack, its white rind set aside to become a light curry for dinner. The seeds of kharbuja, or muskmelon, were washed, sun-dried, painstakingly peeled, and then toasted to golden brown.
It’s only now, years later, that I realise how deeply intentional those practices were. This wasn’t about frugality alone — it was about respect. For the ingredient, for the season, and for the people who grew our food.
Here are a few of my favourite zero-waste summer recipes from home kitchens that continue to inspire me.
Chaach Roti (Cooling Summer Lunch)
Leftover rotis from the night before were never wasted. Instead, they were torn into bite-sized pieces and soaked in homemade buttermilk — cool, tangy, and often churned fresh that morning. A sprinkle of roasted cumin, fresh pudina (mint), and finely chopped onions turned it into a light summer lunch full of flavour. It was the kind of meal that soothed the body when the sun was unforgiving.
And on some mornings, those same rotis found new life in the form of a quick seyal roti — pan-fried with tomatoes, onions, and a few simple spices — making breakfast quick, hearty, and frugal.
Recipe:
Tear leftover rotis into bite-sized pieces and place in a bowl.
Pour chaach over the rotis and let it soak for a few hours.
Add salt, roasted cumin powder, chopped onion, and mint.
Tarbooz ke Chilke ki Sabji (Watermelon Rind Curry)
Melons and cucumbers are an essential part of the Rajasthani summer. We grew up with a wide range of them — Desi Matira, Kakdi, Balam Kaakdi, Kaachri, Kaachra, Loiya — each with its own flavour, texture, and time of day.
They weren’t just eaten raw as fruit, but cooked into vegetables too. One of the most ingenious preparations was the use of watermelon rind to make tarbooz ke chilke ki sabji. The green skin was peeled, and the tender white rind cubed and cooked in mustard oil, with mustard seeds, green chillies, and a pinch of turmeric. It’s a gently tangy, lightly sweet curry that is hydrating and easy on the stomach.
Recipe:
Heat mustard oil until it smokes. Add mustard seeds and let them crackle.
Add green chillies, then add turmeric, hing (asafoetida), and salt. Let it cook for 2 minutes.
Add peeled & cubbed white part of watermelon rind.
Cover and cook on medium heat for 10–12 mins until soft.
Uncover and cook off excess water.
Add a little sugar if you like.
Aam ka Mukhwaas (Mango Seed Digestive)
I first came across this gem in Maharashtra, where a friend’s aunt from the village had lovingly sent a jar along with a box of seasonal mangoes. A lesser-known preparation, this mukhwaas (mouthfresher) is made using the inner kernel of the mango seed — a part most people throw away without a second thought.
The seeds are sun-dried until brittle, then cracked open to reveal the tender core inside. Thinly sliced and tossed with roasted cumin, ajwain (carom seeds), and black salt, it’s stored in jars and served in pinches after meals. It aids digestion and makes you wonder — why did I not know about this before?
Recipe:
Sun-dry raw mango seeds for 2–3 days until brittle.
Crack them open gently to extract the soft inner kernel.
Thinly slice the kernels.
Toss with roasted cumin, ajwain, and black salt.
Store in a clean jar.
📖 Also featured on the World Economic Forum:
Zero waste, served Indian-style: Why the future of food sustainability lies in the past
