Muthiya (Steamed Vegetable dumplings)

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.

This healthy vegetarian dumpling recipes is my official entry to my Microwave Easy Cooking March 2012.

Daily Cuppa's Comfort Food

Lets party

allergy friendly lunch box , Tinned Tomatoes Bookmarked Recipes and
and Snack recipes event hosted by My Culinary Creations

Microwave Easy Cooking on the Plate

It seems these days, I host events more frequently than I post recipes... I can only but hide behind a few (somewhat lame) excuses... prior commitments, too much going on on the work front and sheer laziness ( although not necessarily in that order) take up most of my time. Not to mention a broken laptop and a clean blackberry (Oh yes, we washed it in the washing machine!)

Coming back to the point, here is the announcement for this month's Microwave Easy Cooking (MEC). Srivalli from Cooking 4 all Seasons has been doing MEC for ages now. I am sure she has a library full of tempting Microwave recipes of all shapes and sizes somehwere on her blog.

For all those who are new to MEC, the event is easy enough... all you have to do is a post ANY dish made in the microwave. The theme is general, so be it soups, salads, snacks, entree, mains, dessert.... all are welcome IF they are in keeping with the following rules:

 1)All cooking must be done in the microwave.
 2) Please give clear instructons, especially about the time and power at which the cooking has been done.
 3) Preferably vegetarian recipes please.
 4) Any number of entries allowed.
 5) Old entries can be submitted, provided they are re-posted and linked to this event.
 6) All entries must link back to this page and to Srivalli's MEC.
 7) Please include the following logo in your post, as it helps to spread word.

 8) To participate please email the followiong information to me at killerontheplate@gmail.com with MEC in the subject line :

                                      your name:

                                      Blog name:

                                      Blog URL:

                                      Recipe name:

                                      Recipe URL:

                                      Picture of your recipe: (approx 300 pixels)

 9) non bloggers too, are welcome to pparticipate. Just email the recipe and picture to Killer On The Plate

 10) Last Date of submission is 31st March 2012.

 11) And finally, Don't forget to enjoy!

Happy Microwaving!

Love Lock with sweets-Part 2.

Some of the most beautiful words I have ever known:

"...And give your hearts away in love,

but not to each other for safekeeping,

for only the hand of life can contain your hearts..

and stand together but not too near together

for the pillars of a temple stand apart

and the Oak Tree and the Cyprus grow not into each others shadow!"

-Translated from Khalil Gibran

and now for the round-up to some blissfully endearing desserts and sweets to celebrate the Love this February:

First up is this healthy and colourful Fresh Fruit Pastry by the adventurous Vidhya of Sweet Karam Kapi. I am quite positive this delicious and creamy fruit pastry must have added that extra sweetness to her anniversary celebrations.

Cheryl's hubby is all smiles, courtesy this chocolate laden Chocolaty Buttery Oatmeal from her kitchenkemistry. Now, whoever said,that the path to a man's heart was not via his stomach ;)?

I am just in love with this marble cake with whipped cream frosting sent by Vardhini of Zesty Palette. It looks so tempting as she illustrates each step, I am sure most of us wouldn't be able to resist it till all the layers are done.

The gutsy gajar halwa is considered to be the queen of Indian Sweets, and I believe I am yet to come across a person who can resist this bright orange gritty halwa. Anjali Shukla of Spice n Sugar Tales does full justice to this zesty Doodhiya Gazar Halwa/ Milky Carrot Fudge. Some great cooking and great photography here!

Jayashree of Foodie in Me has shared this wonderful Low Calorie No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake. Just to confirm: Yes! it has chocolate! and yes! it is a cheesecake! But with a lower dose of calories; Now you can have your cake and eat it too!

Kudos to Anamika Sharma of madcookingfusions for sending in these  Petals Beetroot Semolina Cakes. These little treats are so pretty... you won't believe they are edible!!

Nupur from UK Rasoi has created an eclectic blend of ginger and almonds with her Almond Ginger Macaroons.

Rasya Srinath of Vegetarian Food & Me has also tried some Ginger-Almond Biscuits as healthy vegetarian   alternative to cookies.

Had my laptop been 3D, I would have licked Rathais's Butter cookies straight of the screen. The cookies seem to be waiting to go in the mouth and melt into their buttery bliss.. Don't believe me, believe this pic!

Pradnya has also presented this vibrant Berry Souffle, an accidental surprise of delightful strawberry and raspberry.

Gayathri of Gayathri's Cook Spot sends these cute Vanilla and Chocolate Pops. A very creative and delicious   method to use those omnipresent left-over cake crumbs

Another innovative and practical entry is this gorgeous Banofee Pie by Umm Mymoonah of Taste of Pearl City. Ever since I've seen this recipe I am thinking Umm.......yummmm yummmm!

Nupur of UK Rasoi gives the traditional kheer (rice pudding) a healthy twist with her Brown Rice Carrot Kheer. A healthy and innovative pudding worth bookmarking immediately.

Princy of Spoonful of my Spicyfoood has sent in some crunchy Banana strawberry muffins. Just what I needed to make my day.

Resh of Daily Cuppa has share her recipe for the perfect tea time treat. This simple, soft and moist Butter Cake is a sure keeper

This hog-a-licious Chocolate Molten Lava Cake by AnzzCafe is simply to die for. A classic at its best!

Sravani of Srav's Culinary Concepts has sent in these delicious heart-shaped Nutella Brownies. This is a healthy "instant" dessert made with all handy ingredients. If chocolate is an aphrodisiac, then these brownies are just the recipe to make good evenings great...

More sweet treats from Vardhini- these little Jaffa Cakes hide the lovely surprise of soft jelly beneath a hard chocolate shell... Oh! how I am drooling over this one..

Kavi from Edible entertainment shares this easy Eggless Banana Chocolate Chip Cake
 Perfect for all those times when you are craving a mouthful but don't wan't to work too hard for it.

Kitchenkemistry's Cheryl has once again created some valentine magic with her Pink Lamingtons - Valentine's Day Treat. Try it to know it :).

Princy Vinoth of Spicy Food celebrates the valentine love with this refreshing Strawberry Yoghurt. My personal favourite for warm summer evenings.

Rathai from Rathai's Recipes has sent in a Dodol / dhodal, a rich, jelly sweetmeat of Malay origins, that has somehow managed to remain the best-kept secret of Malaysia

Srilekha shares the authentic moon-shaped Chandra-Kantalu and delectable Cashew Laddu on Sri's Cooking.

Deepa from Hamaree Rasoi made these yummy Eggless Wholewheat Cookies to share last christmas

Sudha from Malaysian Delicacies has shared this lovely French Vanilla Chocolate Brownies. For all those who love Chocolate, Vanilla and all things French, this one surely does the trick.

Each time I see the pride young mothers take in their little ones, I am bowled over yet again. Pradnya of The Pumpkin Farm shares a recipe of Cake Pops she prepared for her son's birthday. I am sure all the kids were delighted.

Sravani of Srav's Culinary Concepts has made these Chocolate Cookies from Wilton's Cookie cutter. An entertaining project for kids and grown ups alike :).

And so ends the Round-up to Love-Lock with sweets Part-2. Time to stop drooling and go back to some hands-on cooking guys!

"Dressing up" for the new year

I am not really sure how do I begin this post without the annual cliché of “Happy New Year” considering it is already 10 (did I just say TEN?) days into 2012. I, for one, am still recovering from the holiday fever. Lets face it... My beautiful holiday in the surreal south island of New Zealand seemed to last only a couple of days (even though my calendar believes otherwise; it says it was 2-week long), my mum and brother stayed back with me after the holiday for only a few hours (even though they insist it has been another week) and all these exhilarating and adventurous nuances seem to have happened months ago, even though I
know, you know and god knows they occurred within the last three weeks.

And now that all is done and over, I am back to the "routine". Not that I dislike my "routine", but after this short-long break I am a little wary of it. Just like one is a bit wary of those good ol' vegetables after a hearty binge on chocolate and chips. I guess its time I find something to spice my routine up- just the way my mother's zesty mustard dressing spices up this invigorating salad.


Recipe: Garden salad in mustard dressing

Ingredients:

4 cups vegetables, such as mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, pineapple, bell peppers, gherkins, olives, jalapenos, courgettes, babycorn/sweet corn, paneer, etc, cut into bite sized pieces 

For the Dressing:

3 tablespoons thick yoghurt 

2 teapoon vinegar 
1 tsp chilli sauce
1 tsp organo
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp mustard powder*
salt and pepper

Procedure:
Prepare the dressing by whisking the mustard powder with yoghurt smoothly. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk well.
Pour the dressing over the salad vegetables and serve.

*Note: The mustard powder (rai ki koori) used in this recipe is peeled and ground mustard seed. If you are unable to get hold of the powder, then grind some yellow (not black) mustard seeds to make it.


This delightful salad is now a part of Vardhini's New U

Carrot Cinnamon and Chocolate Cupcakes

I have to admit that till a month ago, I was among the large majority (or is it minority?) of people who scrunch their noses at the thought of a carrot cake. I mean really? A vegetable cake? Now that sounded something really bizarre, perhaps a treat on rabbit farms, perhaps a valiant attempt by a die-hard food nutritionist to make something sweet?  But that was until a month ago, when a friend of mine "enlightened" me that no, carrot cake does NOT smell like salad, no, carrot cake is NOT orange and yes, carrot cake CAN BE finger-licking delicious.

Hence this humble effort to tackle the mighty carrot cake. I was still a bit apprehensive of diving head-long into a carrot cake which had heavy potential of turning out into a fiasco (considering it is me), so I tamed the carroty flavor with chocolate and cinnamon. 

If you could overlook the unapologetic and unpoetic alliteration, the Carrot Cinnamon and Chocolate Cupcakes (maybe I should have named this post "The Penta-C) were delightful. They came out of the oven super-soft and moist and are adapted from here to make with wholemeal wheat flour and Oh yes, they are eggless too.

Ingredients:

(makes 6)

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (I used Champion Wholemeal Wheat flour)

1 cup sugar (I used white granulated sugar)

1/2 cup melted butter (if using unsalted butter, add 1/4 teaspoon salt)

1 cup grated carrot

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder 

2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Method:

(explained in detail for dummies, since i myself am one)

• Preheat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F).
• Blend the wholemeal flour with sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon powder.
• Add the vinegar, vanilla essence and grated carrots and mix thoroughly. 
• Add butter, followed by milk and stir well with a wooden spatula, ensuring that there are no lumps. The batter will be somewhat thick and not really pour-able, due to the grated carrot in it. This is perfect! Yes, it is okay to lick a bit of it now ;).

• Place the cupcake liners in a muffin mold. To be extra cautious you may want to grease around the edges of the molds so that it is easy to pry the cake off once it has expanded on the top
• These cup cakes rise reasonably, so fill the molds only to 3/4th their capacity with a spoon.

• Bake at 180 °C (350 °F) for approximately 30 minutes, till a toothpick comes off clean.
• Once out of the oven, let it cool COMPLETELY. I was quiet impatient so I placed the entire mold in the fridge after 5-10 minutes at room temperature
• Once cool, the cupcakes come off the mold pretty easily.
• Its now time to dig in!

and so it is for me :). I am off to dig in some more!!

 This sinfully delightful Carrot Cinammon and Chocolate Cake is off to zesty palette's Sinful Delight event

and Tickling Palates Baked Goodies.


And extending the alliteration, carrot cinnamon and chocolate cupcakes as Christmas treat to http://whatkatebaked.blogspot.com/ and http://lavenderandlovage.blogspot.com/ hosted by whatkatebaked

and sweet new zealand hosted by Bron Marshall

and and and Kavi's Jingle All The Way

Avocado Guacamole

As if Sunday evenings themselves are not depressing enough, its raining today... again! A wet sticky climax to a wet sticky week spent swatting flies, watching movies, eating popcorn and motivating ourselves (quiet unsuccessfully) to complete our chores. As with most Sunday evening, this one too ends with the now frustrating realization that MOTIVATING and WEEKEND simply do not maintain pace, because by the time "motivating" finally happens, the "weekend" is as good as gone.

Imagine I have been harping about the oh-so-green avocado all Friday, reminding you how the 50 (or was it more like 20?) nutrients along with heaps of vitamins, antacids and blah blah is so much better than the popcorn you are munching on. Come Saturday, I am all the more convincing, what with my best efforts to describe the bright green buttery flesh that can moisturize even the driest of deserts with its freshness. By Sunday afternoon, I am at my very best, rendering tempting (and 10 fold economic) versions of Avocado Guacamole, yes that smooth buttery melt-in-the-mouth guacamole offered in  Mexican joints, $2 per mouthful. And now that I finally  have your attention and you do want to try something with the Avocados- if only to shut me up- you realize that its late Sunday evening, not the perfect time to be all worked up about Avocados, but perhaps something simpler? See what I mean? That's the kind of depressing gloom Sunday evenings bring.

But then, whichever moron implied that avocado guacamole isn't simple (not me I hope)!

Ingredients for Avocado Guacamole
makes about 300 g
2 Ripe Avocados
3-4 green chillies, (we prefer our guacamole very hot, but you can adjust as per your taste)
1/4 cup mint leaves
2 teaspoon vinegar
1/3 cup sour cream or thick yoghurt
1-2 Jalapeno pepper (optional); pickled jalapeno can also be used
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
salt and pepper

Method to make Avocado guacamole in 2 simple steps

• Peel the avocados and remove the flesh in a blender. The best way to do this is slice the avocados in two halves and scoop the flesh out with a spoon. Make sure you peel out the flesh from right under the skin. This part is the greenest. 
• Add the remaining ingredients and blend the mixture in a blender till it is smooth and creamy  and your own blend of creamy delicious guacamole is ready.
• Taste it. Add some lime juice if required

We just love using this guacamole as a dip for fries and rice cracker, as a topping on our pizza and with enchildas. Mmmmm, am off to dip in it!

This brilliant green guacamole is now adding colour to Simply sensational Food's Red and Green Christmas event