This March, we do have some delicious recipes from
MEC coming on our plate. I have to admit, somewhat reluctantly, that I have never really used the microwave very much for cooking. Of course I use the microwave ever so often to prepare idlis and dhoklas from instant mixes and grill cougette slices before topping them on my sandwhiches. On rare occasions, I have also made some brave (Vish prefers to call them "disastrous") attempts to soggy patties and stony cookies. Not to mention, the time when I managed to go wrong even with my mum's trusted
daal baati recipe (Believe it or not, I actually cooked the
baatis in microwave instead of the oven)!
Not surprisingly, when I decided to participate in my own "Microwave Easy Cooking" event, I thought of it more like the "Microwave Edibles Challenge". To stay clear of more brave (read disastrous) experiments, I stuck to the Oh-so-reliable Tarla Dalal's Oh-so-reliable doodhi muthiya recipe from Oh-so reliable "Microwave Desi Khana book".
Recipe:
Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup semolina (rawa)
1/2 cup bengal gram flour
2 cups grated vegetables (such as spinach, cabbage, bottle guard, I used equal parts of carrot and green beans)
1 onion, finely chopped
1-2 green chilly finely chopped
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
juice of 1.5 lemons
1/2 tsp soda bicarb
1/2 tsp asafoetida
4 tbsp oil
salt to taste
2 tbsp sugar (I totally omitted the sugar)
for tempering:
2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp sesame seeds
1/2 tsp asafoetida
few curry leaves (optional)
4 tbsp oil
Method:
1) Strain all the liquid from the vegetables and pat them dry. The liquid can be used later to knead the dough, if required
2) Combine all the ingredients, except those for tempering, in a bowl and knead in to a dough.
3) Rub your palms with oil and divide the dough into four equal portions. roll each portion into a cylinder, about 1 inch thick.
4) Place 2 rolls in a greased shallow dish. Cover with a lid and microwave on HIGH for 2 minutes. Allow to stand for 1 minute. A good test to check if the dumplings are cooked to perfection is by passing a toothpick
For tempering, heat oil in a microwave proof bowl for 30 seconds. Add mustard seeds, sesame seeds and curry leaves and microwave for another 15 seconds. Pour the tempered oil over the dumplings and toss.
Microwave on HIGH for another minute before serving with tamarind chutney.
