RAVA IDLI

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Ok…I just can’t get enough of microwave cooking. It’s probably how Archimedes felt in his bath tub when he discovered that the water displaced is equal to the weight of the object immersed. Well, ok, that’s an exaggeration but its quite close to how I feel. I mean things are so much more easy now, with lesser clean up and so so so so quick!!! Today’s lunch was a snap to make thanks to the book. It also gave me ample time to make samosas and rolled fruit cookies for our coffee group Christmas party tomorrow!

Today’s task for the microwave was Rava idli. The origins of Rava Idli date back to World War II, when rice which is the staple item used in making idlis (a South Indian savory cake made of fermented rice and washed black lentils) was in short supply, so a popular restaurant chain MTR experimented in making idli using semolina and created Rava Idli (Rava in Kannada, the native language of Karnataka, stands for semolina). Serve it with coconut chutney, a bit of ghee and sambhar, and you have a scrumptious meal!

It would pay to get these microwavable idli containers. Best when you have unexpected guests and you need to cook up something quickly.

I increased the recipe 1.5 times and as such I was left with some mixture which I poured into the idli frying pan that my mom sent. Isn’t it cute? I just love it. And its great for making a quick snack of cocktail idlis!

I made plain idlis but you can add cashews, carrots, tomatoes, curry leaves, peanuts and the likes if you want.

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INSTANT KHAMAN DHOKLA

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Khaman Dhokla is a very tasty Indian snack made from gram flour. It is a dish typical to the western state of Gujarat in India, but enjoyed all over India. Traditionally, chickpeas, or gram flour in some recipes, are soaked overnight. This paste is fermented for four to five hours, then is spiced by adding red chilli powder, ginger and baking soda. The dhokla is then steamed for about 15 minutes on a flat dish and cut into pieces. Once done, mustard seeds, green chillies are tempered in oil and along with a little sugar and water, poured over the dhokla. Garnished with fried green chillies, coriander and sometimes grated coconut, it is best served with tamarind and mint-coriander chutneys and a hot cup of tea!

Now, we don’t have the luxury of buying freshly made Dhokla from the local sweet shop here. We had been getting our doze of Dhokla off frozen boxes available in an Indian store in Phoenix. I know! The horror! hate frozen stuff but sometimes you have to look at the bigger picture and when it came to no Dhokla Vs. Frozen Dhokla, the latter won. Sigh!

But things are gonna change from now on- thanks to my in-laws who gave me these amazing books on microwave cooking. I made the Dhoklas at home today! And I still can’t believe what a snap they were to make. I mean, I made it for V’s breakfast- they were that quick. While he took a shower to get ready for work- I was done with making the Dhoklas! Half groggy and sleepy at 6.30 in the morning, the Dhoklas came together in under 15 minutes! Woop woop! And they taste so good- so much better than the frozen kinds! Double woop! 🙂

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ANJEERI GOBHI

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The weekend was a lazy one. V and I spent it at home mostly. Last few weekends have been very hectic, so both of us enjoyed this one by just sitting it out and watching movies the whole day.

I also managed to clear my inbox- from 7000 unread messages to 0 unread! Do not ask how I managed to have 7000 unread messages- thanks to all the needless subscriptions I was tricked into keeping =/ but, finally, I am down to zero unread messages! And believe me, its a great feeling to open your inbox and see just 1 or 2 unread messages!! 🙂

 

We did get out of the house though during the weekend. Our microwave broke down last week. So we had to get a new one and thus, had to make a trip to Home Depot.

Now as the proud owner of a new microwave, I thought of making today’s lunch completely in it. My in-laws gifted me these two books on microwave cooking and both are wonderful books. This also is the start of a new section on the blog solely dedicated to microwave cooking. Microwave cooking is not only fast, but since food  gets cooked in its own juices, it is full of natural aroma, texture and colour.

Another plus, which according to me is the biggest one, is that one ends up using only one dish for the cooking and the serving! I have always been apprehensive about using the microwave too much because of the radiation but the book guarantees no such evidence of it being harmful, especially since todays health standards limit the amount of micro waves that leak from a microwave oven to a safe level. So you have quick, healthier cooking with negligible clean up!

Today I made anjeeri gobhi. Its basically cauliflower cooked in a yogurt and dry figs paste. The end result was a pretty tasty dish and thanks to the microwave a snap to make!

This was my second attempt at microwave cooking. The first time I tried kadhai paneer with quite good results ( I do have to say that kadhai paneer made conventionally tastes better, but this wasn’t bad either. Plus, cooking in the microwave was really quick and clean!)

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