Microwave Cooking

Continuing on the road of sharing the tips on Microwave cooking. Here are a few more...

Why I like microwave cooking? The simple answer is that once the method is perfected, I don't have to worry about turning off the gas or overcooked food ;-). And while the dish is being cooked, I don't have to bother looking/checking, and I can spend that much time in cooking/doing something else.

I use microwave cooking for very basic items, nothing fancy. Although, I know that there are a lot more items that can be cooked in the microwave. The things I prefer doing in microwave are:

• White Rice
• Jeera Rice
• Boiled Potatoes
• Tea ;-)
• Pasta (boiling)

Rice / Jeera Rice:

Cooking time: 12-15 mins, depending upon how much rice you cooking.


You would need:

• Oil: 2 TBSP
• Salt: 1 TSP
• Basmati Rice: 1 Cup
• Water 2.25 Cups
• A large microwave-safe bowl ( should be able to hold more than double the amount of water and rice combined)
• Cumin Seeds (Jeera) – 1 TSP (if you making jeera rice)

Wash the rice and then soak it in the given amount of water for 15 minutes. In the microwave-safe bowl, add oil and cumin seeds, and keep the bowl in the microwave for 30 secs. Take out the bowl and add rice (along with the water) to it. Put the bowl back in microwave for 12-13 mins approx and relax! When the microwave beeps, take the bowl out of the microwave using mittens or a kitchen towel, because the bowl will be very hot. Serve the rice hot!

Boiling Potatoes: 

Peel and cut the potato(es) into small cubes and put them in a microwave-safe bowl. Add water to the bowl till a level where the potatoes are completely immersed in water. If you are going to use the potatoes for a salty dish, it’s a good idea to add the salt now. Put the bowl in the microwave and run it for around 15 mins. It may need more / less time depending on how much potato you used.

I do around 15 mins for 3 large Russet Potatoes.

Boiling Pasta:

Different types and shapes of pasta take different amount of time to cook. I will use the simple elbow pasta as an example here. It's the one that we cook a lot for our daughter.

You would need:

• 1 cup Elbow Pasta / Farfalle Pasta
• 3 cups water
• 5 TSP Salt
• 1 TSP Olive Oil

Combine the pasta, salt, and water in a microwave-safe bowl and run it in the microwave for around 12-14 minutes. Once done, carefully drain the HOT WATER. Toss the pasta in a pan with a good amount of Olive Oil. This method prevents the pasta from turning sticky if you aren't using it immediately.

Fundooo Fried Rice

I'd earlier posted a recipe of Sweet Cardamom Rice that used leftover rice. Here is the salty version of the leftover rice.


Pre-Preparation


The best way is to use the leftover plain white rice from the earlier meal that you don't want to throw. :) Crush the rice with hands to remove any lumps. If you want to use fresh rice, cook rice separately in an open container or in the microwave. For one bowl of rice, add two bowls of water and a little oil. Put in the microwave for 17-18 mins. I use Pure Basmati Rice that is the best for Fried Rice/Biryani.


Ingredients

• Basmati Rice - 1 Bowl
• Pure Ghee - 2 TSP
• Chopped Onion - 1 Small
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 TSP (Jeera)
• Brown Cardamom - 2 (Crushed)
• Cumin Powder - 1/4 TSP (Jeera)
• Cardamom Powder (Elaichi) - Crushed cardamom is also OK to have - 1/2 TSP
• Raisins - (Kishmish / Saungi) - 10-15
• Turmeric(Haldi) Powder - 1/2 TSP
• Dhaniya Leaves - Small Bunch, Chopped
• Chilli Powder 1/4 TSP
• Salt - To taste

Procedure


Chop onions into thin long slices of appx 1" size. Chop the Green Chillies into small finely.


Heat Ghee in a non stick frying pan. Add Cumin seeds and let them crackle for a couple seconds. Add onions and chillies and sauté them until onions turn light yellow. Add Brown Cardamom (Large Cardamom/ Elaichi ) and golden raisins and sauté them for a few seconds.


Add the cooked rice and mix well to make a homogeneous mixture.


Add Turmeric Powder, Chilly Powder, Cumin Powder, and Salt. Mix well. Make sure not to leave any lumps.


Let the mixture cook for a while. Before serving, garnish the rice with chopped Coriander leaves.


Serve Hot!

Rice Pudding - Kheer

It was a surprise some days back when one of my clients came to me and said, "I heard you are a good cook?" And I was like "where in the world did she hear that... hmm???" But then, I had to behave in office and said, "Yea, not good but OK." ;-)

The conversation went on and she asked me the recipe for rice pudding that she would have had somewhere, and I offered to make rice pudding for her along with providing the recipe. I didn't get enough time to cook it myself as some of my old friends turned up for dinner, so I cooked dinner that night for my old friends who also wanted to taste my food and Divu prepared the delicious Rice Pudding.


We are going to use cooked steamed rice for this pudding as it takes lesser time to cook than cooking raw rice in milk.

Quantity: Serves 5-6 - size does matter :-)
Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients:
Plain Steamed Basmati Rice : 3 Servings

Whole Milk : 1.5Lts ( Just less than 1/2 gallon)

Sugar : 8-10 TSP ( depends how sweet you want it)

Green Cardamom : 5 pcs (Crushed)

Golden Raisins : 20 Pcs

Almonds + Cashew nuts : Coarse Grind - a bunch

Almonds + Cashew nuts : a bunch (Sliced for garnishing)
Surprise item : will tell later :-P

Pre-preparation

Steam Cooked Rice

Slice almonds and cashews

Cooking
Use a large vessel as the quantity is large. You may proportionate the quantity for preparing lesser amount of pudding.


Boil the milk and let it simmer for 2-3 mins on low flame, and while it is on heat, add sugar, crushed cardamom, almonds, cashews nuts, and raisins to it. After a while add cooked rice into the mixture and let it simmer for 10-15 mins. The reason we let it simmer with rice is to let the rice grains nicely soak milk and sugar. Before taking the mixture off the flame, check the rice by crushing it between your fingers or tasting a spoonful.

Also, make sure that the rice is thoroughly mixed with milk and is not settling down very frequently.

Just a while before you want to take down the mixture off the flame, add little bit of chocolate powder (surprise item) to give it a special taste.

Let the mixture cool for a while. The milk will now give a feel as if it is condensed milk and not regular whole milk.

Garnishing

Transfer the mixture in a serving bowl slowly. Garnish with sliced almonds, cashew nuts, and crushed cardamom.


Keep the bowl in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. This will condense the milk and make the pudding thicker.

Serving
Serve chilled. This dish is best when served chilled!

Sweet Cardamom Rice

Whenever we cook rice, we tend to cook it more than required and then worry what to do with the leftover rice. Well, here is something sweet we all have heard about, sweet rice, but cooked with some more ingredients.


It takes care of the leftover rice and also serves as a quick dessert.


Pre-Preparation
Plain Boiled White Rice, crush the rice with hand to avoid lumps.


Ingredients
Plain Boiled White Rice - 1 Bowl
Cardamom Powder (Elaichi) - Crushed cardamom is also OK to have - 1/2 TSP
Raisins - (Kishmish / Saungi) - 15-20
Sugar - 3 TSP
Fennel Powder (Saunf) - 1/4 TSP
Pure Ghee - 2 TSP


Procedure
Heat the Ghee in a non stick frying pan for half a min. Add raisins, little cardamom powder and little fennel powder with it (Save some fennel and cardamom powder for the end). Let it crackle for 20-30 secs and add rice to it. Make sure you crush the rice with hand to avoid lumps. Keep stirring the mixture constantly. We do it so that ghee gets nicely spread over the rice. You would feel the aroma of Desi Ghee around you. While stirring, add sugar and stir the mixture on medium flame for 1-2 minutes.


Serving
Transfer the mixture in a plate / bowl and sprinkle fennel powder and then cardamom powder over it. Serve hot and have it hot.