Microwave Basics

Gone are the days where microwave ovens were used just for reheating.

Right from blanching tomatoes to creating exotic dishes, microwave has become girls’ best friend. It makes daily cooking less of a chore and more of a joy.


Cooking in a microwave makes life easier and exciting. Apart from reheating, it is used to boil, bake, skewer and thaw everyday food.

Even more important are the facts that it makes cooking simpler,ensures that the nutrients, aromas and natural juices are retained in the food and best of all no need for constant stirring as the food does not stick or burn. So ,less time in the kitchen and more time with family.

Trying out traditional recipes in a microwave can be so much fun and that’s exactly what I’m planning to do.

A few know-how’s will make cooking in a microwave even more enjoyable and delightful.


TIMING:

1. Timings are to be set carefully else the food if overcooked tends to become hard and leathery.
2. Initially it is better to undercook the food and then gradually experiment and learn the correct timing.
3. Any food that contains fats, sugars and a lot of liquid will cook faster in a microwave, so remember -reduce the cooking time by at least one quarter; this way, you can gradually add on more time until the food is cooked.
4. The cooking time depends on the quality of ingredients, temperature, size and shape of dishes and voltage fluctuations.


STANDING TIME:

Food is generally allowed to stand for sometime before taking it out of the microwave as it continues to cook. This time is called the standing time,holding time, or resting time.It is the residual cooking time, a very important part of microwave cooking. It allows the food to finish cooking and gives the flavors time to blend, thereby improving the taste of the food.

COVERING THE FOOD:

1. Covering the food is essential as it prevents dehydration by trapping steam, speeds up the cooking time and help retain foods natural moisture.
2. When covering food in the microwave, always leave a small opening for steam to escape. This can lessen the chance that you will get burned when you remove the cover.
3. Microwave plastic wraps, wax paper, cooking bags, parchment paper, and white microwave-safe paper towels should be safe to use.
4. Never use thin plastic storage bags, brown paper or plastic grocery bags, newspapers in the microwave oven.

STIRRING:

1. Stirring blends the flavors and promotes even heating.
2. Stir as directed in the recipe as frequent stirring is rarely recommended .
3. If needed, stir from the outside to the centre as the outside area heats faster than the centre.

ARRANGING THE FOOD:

1. It’s best to arrange the thicker areas of food near the edge of the dish and the thinner portions near the centre as the microwave penetrates the outer portion of the food first.
2. Foods such as tomatoes, corn, potatoes are to be arranged in a circle, rather than in rows.

CONTAINERS :

1. Always use containers and utensils that are labeled microwave safe.
2. Never use metal in the microwave unless a recipe calls for it. Microwaves cannot pass through metal; they simply bounce off the surface. This can result in a fire could breaking out inside the oven. Utensils with metallic decorations around the rim as well as enameled cookware are out of question.
3. Deep dishes are best when making anything that has a lot of liquid as they will expand in the microwave.
4. Round dishes will cook food more evenly and efficiently than square containers or dishes.

MICROWAVE DEFROSTING

1. Remove food from packaging before defrosting.
2. Do not hold partially cooked food to use later.

TIPS

1. Never turn on the microwave oven when it is empty - this can also result in fire.
2. Remember to lower the amount of liquid the recipe requires by one quarter - when using a microwave, less water evaporates, so reducing the liquid prevents foods from becoming soggy.
2. Watch your seasonings. When adapting a recipe for the microwave, use less salt and other spices; microwave cooking can enhance the flavor manyfolds and ruin your dish.
3. Vegetables are really easy to do in the microwave. Steam them in a microwave-safe dish with about one tablespoon of water.
4. Deep frying is not possible as the temperature of the oil cannot be controlled.
5. Eggs are not be boiled in their shells as the pressure will cause them to explode.
6.When boiling whole potatoes, prick them in several places before placing them in the microwave.

Just like it took time to learn to anything new, microwave cooking too requires the same patience. But I assure you that on the long run, it will be worth the effort!

Puttu

I had a sudden craving for puttu and got this from one of my favorite restaurants.Puttu is a common breakfast dish in Kerala,Tamilnadu . It is usually served with kadala curry – a spicy channa gravy.Some like to eat it with ripe bananas and sugar. You need a special puttu steamer for this which makes cylindrical puttu.But don’t fret if you don’t have one .You can always use an idli steamer or the separator vessel in your pressure cooker and cut it into the desired shape and serve. Whatever maybe the shape, it’s the taste that matters!!

I will post the recipe shortly. The home made version of this recipe is here

Idli

A typical South Indian breakfast dish loved by millions that’s easy to prepare and good for the tummy too.

I found that the traditional idli stand produces softer and larger idlis when compared to the regular idli moulds. 

The traditional vessel has 2 or more stands and a white cotton cloth is spread on the moulds and then the batter is poured into it and steamed. Taken out of the steamer ,the idli moulds are sprinkled with water and then the idli’s are ‘peeled’ and served. I don’t know where the difference lies but in whichever method it is prepared they are a delicacy in their own rights.

Served with sambar ,Molaga podi, assortment of chutneys’, these have numerous names as well- like the famous kancheepuram idli,kushboo idli[named after a famous tamil cine actress!!!],malligapoo idli[named after a flower!],rava idli,Vegetable idli, Sambar idli,Mini idli/Ambassador idli,the list goes on…...


You need:

Rice -5 cups
Urad dhal [White, Whole] – 1 cup
Fenugreek seeds – 2 teaspoons.
Salt – to taste

1. Soak rice , urad dhal + fenugreek seeds in 2 separate containers for at least 5-6 hours.
2. Rinse and drain the water and grind the urad dhal + fenugreek first adding little water to a fine paste.
3. Dish it out
4. Grind rice with a little water.
5. Dish it out into the urad dhal paste and mix well adding salt.
6. Let it ferment for 5 hours.
7. When the batter has risen mix lightly.
8. Pour into greased idli moulds
9. Steam for 10-15 minutes or till a skewer comes out clean.
10. Serve hot with Sambar and chutney

Grandma has a method of serving idlis.She heats a few teaspoons of sesame seed oil[Gingelly oil] and adds mustard seeds and when they splutter she pours a little of this on the idli.You just got to smear it on the idlis and enjoy your breakfast.

Bon Appetit....

Masala Dosa and the Way of Life... ;)

Thought I'd share this interesting bit of mail I received from my friend .This mail's really an interesting brainwave of a parallel:telling your character by the way you eat your masala dosa. Definitely it must have originated from India where communal dosas (lengthy ones that stretch across a couple of tables) and dosa-eating are the way to go.


There are many ways to eat a masala dosa. I have seen people approach the dosa as if it is on an operation table as they carefully open the dosa, see if everything is ok and then proceed to eat it as if it is an open dosa.

I have seen people eat all the masala and then wonder what to do with the rest of the dosa. I have also seen people carefully plan and eat the dosa and then throw away most of the masala.

What ever the way you eat,there is a very good reason you do that.It shows some traits of the person that is you.

Figure out where you fit - but must warn you it takes a lot of honesty to do this, & I won't tell you where I think I fit (Ha Ha)


*Case 1: People who open the masala dosa and eat it:

*These are the people who are very open about their life. Every one the persons friends would know all about him/her. I have generally seen guys do this rather than girls. Some people think that it is a gross way of eating but in truth,these people are just portraying who they are and how their life is.

*Case 2: People who start from both end and approach the masala later:

*These are the people who like to wait for the exiting things to come to their life. Sadly whenthe times comes, they are not too interested or just do not know how to enjoy it to the fullest. These are the folks who just want life as either dry or exiting. They just do notknow how to phase their life and enjoy it no matter what.

There are two types of people within this group:-

*Case 2.1: People who do not finish all the masala:

*These folks just do not care as much for the fun times as they are already brought down by the harsh reality of life. The dry periods in their life has left them with so much scars that they do not want to be really happy when the time is right. They just take only as much as they needed and end their life. A very sorry state indeed.

*Case 2.2: People who finish all the masala with the little dosa they have:

*These are the folks who just are the extremes. They just go all out in life. No matter it is dark or bright. They may not enjoy life to the fullest but they sure make sure that they get every single good and bad thing out of life. Sometimes these folks are really hard to get along with. They are either your best friends or your worst enemies. They do not have a middle path at all.

*Case 3: People who start from the middle and proceed to both ends:

*These are the people who like to get right to what they think is their best part of life. Usually these guys finish of the good portions in a hurry and get stuck with nothing but worst parts of their life.The thing to note among these people is that the tendency to burn out very early in their life.

Like the above case, there are two kinds of people in this group too:-

*Case 3.1: People who do not finish the dosa:

* These folks are really the saddest of people. They are the ones who tend to end their life as soon as it hits the bad patch. For them, they only need and want the best things in life and nothing more. Typically, they are not prepared or tuned to life as a whole. They just want to enjoy from first till last. Sadly, no one in the world can live without even an ounce of sadness in life. Not even the richest of the richest. But to self destruct at the mere sign of distress is
very bad. That is what these guys tend to do. Some learn to live life but most of them do not.

*Case 3.2: People who do finish the dosa:

*These folks are the typical human beings. We all enjoy the greatest of times in life and push the sad parts thinking about the great times in life. Typically the plate is clean and nothing is left for fate or in life. Happiness and sadness are part of life and these guys know that and are kind of prepared for it. Life is not always happy but there are moments of happiness here and there.

*Case 4: People who eat the dosa making sure that the masala lasts for the whole dosa:

*These people are very rare. These are the people who like to displease. For these people it is balance that matters and they are very protective of it. Sadly these are the people who tend to be lonely as anyone else may upset the balance of their system. Perfectionist to the core and are very careful. These guys do not make the best company but are needed...

*Case 5: People who do not share and eat the dosa as if it is precious:

*These folks are very protective about their life. They do not want anyone to come and interfere in their life. They like to hide their true nature and intensions for their benefit. Beware of such people as they are in every group for their own need and nothing else.

*Case 6: People who offer their first bite to others:

*These guys are overly friendly. They do anything to be part of a group and make everyone feel like the group is more important than the individuals. They are the glue that holds any group together. They are very friendly and bring the best of all the others in the group. They go out of their way to help other friends. Most groups should have a person like this and they are the ones who plan the group outings and other group activities. Once this person is out of the group,
typically the group slowly falls apart.

*Case 7: People who take one or two bites and then offer the dosa to others:

*These guys care about friends and friendship but they take their time to get into the group. They take their time in making friends and they typically are very committed once into the friendship. These guys like to always be in the side lines and typically do not jump into anything in life. They always take their time to analyze the situation and then make a decision. These guys take the better safe than sorry approach.

*Case 8: People who wait for others to make the offer first:

*Typical people I must say. They are unsure about everything. Even if they wanted to offer, they will wait till the other person offers the food first. If the other person is silent, so are these people. They are the followers. They do most of the things in lifewith respect to other people's choices and advices. Even if they have a terrific idea, they will pitch it to someone else and get their advice before proceeding. Sadly, most of the elderly world like these types of people.

*Case 9: People who offer dosa only when they cannot finish it on their own:

*You all may be familiar with these kinds of people. People who are very generous only when all their needs are fulfilled. These folks are selfish but at the same time not misers orgreedy. They just want to satisfy themselves before they give it to the world. They typically do not stuff themselves nor do they tend to starve. They are very good people who would give you the best of advices in life. They would make sure that you are not sad following their advice.

*Case 10: People who offer the whole dosa and eat from others plates:

*These folks are other extreme. They know what they want,they get what they want but they cannot enjoy what they want. Instead they tend to settle for other things in life which satisfies the needs but does not satisfy the person completely. These guys are termed as born losers cause even when they have the thing they wanted, they can't stop others fromstealing it from them.

So next time you sit with a person eating a masala dosa, look closely and see if he falls into one of the above categories. You may be surprised as how much it reveals about the person.

Here is how you can prepare a simple masala dosa and find out where you fit in!!

Oh My God, What am I doing?!!!

Well…This is the question I kept asking myself.

It all started when I decided to start a blog .A few days back my friends requested me to share some easy-to-prepare dishes and that’s when this idea sprang up.

The first thing to think about was –how to start one?? I sat and thought and thought of names and wrote them down and choose one.I asked my friends to help me out in this.How many names did I get to choose from??!!-Well, nearly 50 of them! The worst part was deciding which one because almost all of them sounded good. Finally after days of deliberation I choose this one.

Next came the task of deciding what to put into the blog.. More thinking…..I would sit in front of the computer- hours together and outline all that I had in mind. The result-a backlog of household duties.

That’s when I started asking myself ‘What am I doing?!’. If I start a blog, will I be able to do justice to it?Then it struck me ‘Isn’t cooking something I love doing so why not share it for others to enjoy’.

So there started my blogging journey…..

As a kid I used to watch my mom in the kitchen [in amazement], the ease with which she would turn the place to a magic land filled with wonderful aromas and colorful platters. Drawing inspiration from her, I too started cooking and turned our kitchen into a laboratory. The ‘guinea pig’ was my dad!! He used to taste my experiments ‘bravely’ and give his comments/compliments. Battling the various disasters I managed to prepare something fit enough to eat.

I still remember the day when I wanted to try ‘Sooji kesari’- my all time favorite.I had seen my mom preparing this ‘n’ times, so I forbid her into the kitchen and started on my own. Everything turned out to be fine until I noticed it had turned powdery and dry!! I didn’t know what went wrong…I showed my mom the ‘powder kesari’ and she was desperately trying to hide a smile…Well, my ego got the better of me and I told my mom it would taste nice anyway and I will not be sharing it with anyone and would eat it all by myself. [I must confess that neither did it taste really good nor did I like it.].

My experiments in the kitchen continued with help from mom.I learnt several recipes from her and now I can prepare tasty kesari - Believe me
.
In college, when my friends were busy taking down notes in the library, I would be drooling over a colorful cookbook for sure!! I used to write down each recipe I liked/thought will be great if cooked…Any time I meet my friends or relatives the first question I always ask them is ‘Do you have any new recipe or cookbook?’ And so my collection grew.

My interest for cooking and trying out new recipes kept increasing and now my experiments are tasted [or should I say- ‘tested’] by my dear hubby.

What more, any food however mundane, reminds me of an incident. There are numerous such instances where I look upon certain dishes as ‘comfort foods’ and avoid certain foods altogether to escape stirring up those bitter moments of life.. And..of course there are bitter sweet dishes.. Err..I mean memories as well. Each time I gear up to prepare a dish, my mind fills up with nostalgia and I re-live those moments.

This blog is going to be filled with my ramblings on old recipes, new culinary adventures, memories, musings and a lot more. Hope you enjoy it.....