My experiments with cooking

So today “Plain Chocolate cake” steals the show. This recipe is from Mrs Varma. She was my teacher for Microwave cooking. Those classes came free with my Microwave.

Her measurement is 1 mug throughout. 1 mug = 1 small glass nearly. It was a cup which you normally get free along with Nescafe or products like that.

Recipe:
1 mug maida or all-purpose-flour
1 tea spoon cooking soda*
1/2 mug sugar**
1/2 mug thick dahi***
1 egg
1/2 mug oil or butter****
3 table spoons cocoa powder*****
1/2 mug lukewarm water******
*Also called as mitha soda. It is normally put in idli batter and while boiling palak (so that it stays green)

**This can actually vary. When I made it for the first time then I put 1/2 mug. My mother said that it’s not that sweet so I put 3/4th mug the next time. She again said it’s not that sweet so I guess I should use 1 mug next time. Another idea is to use your cake recipe(The one which you’ve made loads of times and like a lot). Use the same Flour:Sugar ratio. Say the recipe asks 1:1 then go for the same.

***1 mug dahi for eggless cake. I used Nestle Dahi both the times. If your dahi is not thick then reduce the amount of water that you are going to put.

****Any oil that’s NOT smelly…like mustard oil.

*****I used Cadbury’s cocoa powder.

******Water addition is just to make it to pouring consistency.

Important Note:

For a cake prepared in convection oven, the batter should be of ribbon consistency(Thick. When the beater or spoon is held high…batter will fall in shape of ribbon) and for the microwave oven it should be of pouring consistency. It’ll flow freely when the beater/spoon is held high.

Procedure:

This will not take more than 3 minutes.

Beat the egg in a bowl. Add dahi, sugar and oil. Beat until it forms a nice mixture.

Sift maida+soda. Add maida+soda to the egg mixture. Then add cocoa powder. Beat well. The batter will come together nicely due to oil.

This mixture is ready for a normal convection oven but this one will not work for a microwave oven. We’ve to add water to make it to pouring consistency.

So…Add water and mix well.

Put it in microwave oven on full power for 5 mins. That’s it. My oven’s power is 900W so it takes 5 mins. Adjust your time accordingly. Don’t make it go more than 8 mins. Cake might turn into a stone due to dehydration. Be careful and please check after every 3 minutes by putting a knife inside. It should come out clean that means the cake is done.

Mrs Varma says you can add nuts, fruits in the recipe. You can add them to the batter or spread them on the bowl and pour the batter on top so you’ll get a nice upside-down cake. (I think this is the term to use)

Verdict:

The cake came out soft both the times. In my mum’s words it was like a flower(The idea is to convey that it was very soft and delicate). My husband didn’t like it much as it was not sweet at all according to him. I liked it though as it was perfect for me and my sis-in-law.

Till the next post…
C’est votre coquette!!

Our teacher/chef a lovely lady called Mrs Varma cooked…

Cake in 5mins (Amazingly soft and fluffy chocolate cake )
Rice Pulao in 12 mins
Aloo cabbage curry in 8 mins
chicken curry in 8 mins

I was so awed and spell bound that I was dancing the whole evening. I was just dying to cook in Microwave oven.

It was easier, faster and cleaner to cook in it.

My oven’s power is 900watts so adjust the timing in your oven accordingly. Else check in batches of 2-3 mins and stir the ingredients well (you’ve to stir else hot spots will set in..few portions will cook well and few will remain raw).

Gyan by Mrs Varma:

• Never cook for more than 4 mins at once in a microwave oven.
• Check after every 4 mins. Mix the ingredients and microwave again. This way you’ll know what’s happening.
• Once the dehydration sets in the food. you can’t help it.
• You’ve to keep checking till you get to know your machine well. Once you get used to it you can cook things at once for 10 mins(for rice etc).
• Using tomato puree is better than tomatoes itself. I forgot the reason why!. She also mentioned that Stuffed tomatoes shouldn’t be made in Microwave. They don’t taste good.
• Baking soda/Mitha Soda should be used while baking cakes in Microwave oven. Baking powder should be used while baking cakes in Convection oven (or) microwave oven in convection mode.
• Mustard seeds don’t splutter in the tadka in Microwave oven as heat comes from all the sides and not just from the bottom(in case of pan/kadai).
• If you think the curry, rice or anything is not yet cooked completely(just before perfection) then leave it aside for sometime as the food gets cooked in the standing time also.
• Microwaves penetrate only for 2 inches so it is better to use flat dishes to cook more.

I remember only this much. I’ll keep updating this as and when I remember more…

Please feel free to metion your observations also. I will be glad to add them.

Till the next post…

C’est votre coquette!!