Thursday 29 March 2012

Bulgur Wheat Pilaf

Practice makes Perfect..
Dumplings makes Daring...
Microwave makes Meals...
and Privish makes Pilaf!!

I decided to try a slightly funkier twist to the humble "daliya" or bulgur wheat for my Microwave Easy Cooking Event, and the results pleasantly surprised me.

RECIPE


Ingredients:
serves 4
1 cup cracked wheat/ bulgur wheat or couscous
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 cup onions, diced
1/2 cup green beans, diced
1/2 cup carrots diced
1/4 cup green peas
1 inch piece of ginger, grated
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp cayenne pepper
salt 
1 tsp lime juice


Method:
Microwave the oil and cumin seeds in a glass bowl for 30 seconds on HIGH.
Add the Bulgur wheat and mix well. Cover with a lid and microwave on HIGH for 1 minute, stirring once in between.
Add all the other ingredients and mix well. Microwave on HIGH for 1 minute, stirring once in between.
Add 1.5 cups hot water and mix well. Cover with a lid and microwave on HIGH for 8 minutes. 
Stir well and microwave for another minute.
Drizzle some lime juice on top and serve with mint yogurt or guacamole

This is my second entry to my Microwave Easy Cooking Event.


 Vegan Diet-Only plant based

Tuesday 6 March 2012

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.


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