Today, it is hard to image a modern kitchen without a microwave oven. While the options for microwave ovens—solo, grill, convention—available in the market could overwhelm you, they all unite under the primary goal of heating food quickly and efficiently. Yes, even if the oven comes with a set of microwave-friendly cooking utensils and a recipe book, or better still—99 quick recipes sticker stuck on its door—many of us still use the humble gadget for 'only' heating food. In some cases, to defrost, perhaps. Anything beyond that is often considered to be either complicated or some other kitchen appliance's job.
Besides, popular expert tips—grilling in microwave makes food too dry, microwave, even in convention mode, is not a replacement for oven—bogs you down further, so much so that you willingly give up even before trying. If that is your problem, too, then feel defeated no more. Most probably, the problem was not your cooking medium, but that you tried your luck with a recipe originally meant for another medium. You cannot follow a cake recipe meant for a conventional oven in a microwave and expect same results. Actually, you might not get the same result even if you tweak the recipe because microwave is not a replacement for an oven.
Unlike conventional ovens that directly convert electric energy into heat energy, a microwave oven converts electricity into microwaves which are then channelised into water molecules present in the food. This results in increased friction between the water molecules which in turn results in heat and thus, the food is cooked in its own heat. This is the reason why microwave heats/cooks food faster and more evenly, compared to conventional ovens which cook food gradually with the rising temperature. Also, since microwaves excite water molecules in the food, a recipe has higher liquid content in the centre, such as an apple pie with crust, would cook inside out, while a recipe with evenly distributed liquid content may cook outside in, just like conventional ovens. So, exactly how the food cooks in a microwave oven depends on the recipe and ingredients.
While heating and defrosting in a microwave could be child's play, some basic understanding of the appliance and the way it works it way into uncooked food could help you become the MasterChef of microwave cooking. Here are some recipes for you to get going:
Mug cake
Blueberry mug cake
As master pastry chef Jacques Torres famously said, “Life is short. Eat dessert first.” Mug cakes are the perfect answer to the demands of your sweet tooth, your craving for a midnight snack, when you want to be a gracious host to unexpected guests, or well, your reason for frequent and not-so-sinful indulgence. The recipe for mug cakes is easy, simple and least demanding in terms of ingredients. And, the time it takes to cook is enough to make it your favourite dessert.
To make a mug cake, you need: 5 tbsp flour, 1/4 tsp baking powder, 3 tbsp sugar, 1/4 cup milk, 1 egg, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 2 tbsp melted butter, and of course, a microwaveable mug. Put all dry ingredients in the mug and whisk together. Mix liquid ingredients, including egg, in a separate dish before pouring it into the mug. Keep stirring until the batter is smooth. Microwave for roughly a minute. Be careful of over-cooking. You could tweak the recipe, with basics intact, to make cakes of varied textures and flavours.
Mug omelette
Sausage omelette in a mug
If you like taking shortcuts to delicious quick bites, then here's one you'll totally love. Unlike two-minute noodles, mug omelette is truly a two-minute cooking time recipe. It not only easy-to-make, but great to eat too. After all, who doesn't love a light, fluffy omelette with all your favourite add ons.
As with most omelettes, even mug omelettes do not have a 'no, you can't take a detour' recipe, except for constant basic ingredients: eggs, salt, a tbsp of water (to make it lighter) or milk (to make it rich). To which you may add sliced onions, chopped mushrooms, or any other veggies, crumbled bacon, diced ham, shredded cheese, dried herbs, or powdered spices—actually, anything to your liking. Oil the mug before cracking eggs into it. Add water and whisk well. Season with herbs, add salt and other add ons. Mix well. Microwave for 1-2 minutes, or until the mix is cooked and looks fluffy. Serve hot.
Dal fry
Dal with tadka
While dal fry could be an age-old recipe, new-age kitchen appliances could replicate it pretty well without the use of a stove. Cooking dal in a microwave may not come as a surprise to you, but what if I tell that you can microwave the tadka too?
Microwave 2 cups of dal, without adding water, on high power for 1 minute. Let it cool before grinding it into a coarse paste, again, without water. Transfer it back to the bowl, add 2½ cups of water and microwave it for 10-14 minutes. Stir the mix once every 5 minutes while it gets cooked. Next, put 1 tbsp of butter in another bowl, heat it enough to melt. Add cumin seeds and chopped onions to the bowl and let it cook for a minute. Then put chopped tomatoes, green chillies, ginger-garlic paste, salt, turmeric and chilli powder into the bowl, mix well and microwave it again for a minute. Now add the pre-cooked dal and one more tbsp of butter, mix well and let it cook on high power for another 3 minutes. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.
Khaman dhokla
Khaman dhokla
Who wouldn't agree that sweet-sour khaman dhokla is one of the best traditional snacks ever. With its fluffy texture and tantalising flavours, this Gujarati snack has found admirers in almost all parts of the country. What makes it even more especial is how the steam-cooked dhokla feels so light in your mouth and your tummy that you can go on eating it, plate after plate. While, by the looks of it, dhokla may seem like a tough-to-achieve-perfection dish, it is very easy to make and requires ingredients that are usually found in every kitchen. And with a microwave, it could be made in a jiffy, even without waiting for the batter to ferment.
Put 1 cup of gram flour (besan), 1½ tbsp semolina (rava), 1/2 tsp of citric acid, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp ginger-green chilli paste and 3/4 cup of water in a bowl. Mix well until no lumps remain. Add 1½ tsp of fruit salt (or ENO power)—pour a little water over it, enough to form bubbles—and mix gently. Pour the batter into a greased, shallow microwaveable pan and cook it for 2 minutes or until it achieves the fluffy texture. Set it aside. Microwave a little oil in a small bowl, add mustard seeds, sliced green chilles and a pinch of asafoetida and heat again for a minute. Pour tempering over the steamed dhokla. Garnish it with coriander. Slice it before serving.
Fish masala (dry)
Fried fish
Going back to the basics: microwaves stimulate water molecules in the food; more the liquid content in the food, the faster it will cook. Which also means that in case of thicker pieces of hard food, especially meat, microwave cooking could be uneven and may leave cold spots, making that part as good as raw. While there are many tricks to achieve absolute perfection in cooking meat in a microwave, let's keep that for an advanced course in microwave cooking. For now, we focus on easy-to-microwave fish. Microwaving fish is as simple as heating food. Well, almost!
The basic method is simple: add fresh herbs or your choice of seasoning to ready-to-cook fish, sprinkle salt (as per your taste), wrap it in microwave-safe plastic and cook for about 2 minutes. The cooking time would depend on the size of the fish and the power levels of your microwave oven. Didn't I say that it is as simple as heating food?
Going beyond the basic recipe, you could make fried fish with less oil. Prepare a thick marination of standard spices of your choice. For Kerala-style fish fry mix chilli, turmeric and pepper powder, salt, ginger-garlic paste and a little water to form a paste. Coat both sides of fish with thick masala paste and let it stay for at least 2 hours. To microwave, place the fish on a greased microwave-safe tray and wrap it, preferably, with a wax paper to make fish crunchy or a plastic wrap, if you like it moist. Do not seal the wrap completely and leave a little room for steam to escape. Microwave it in medium power for 6 minutes, followed by high power cooking for 5 minutes. Turn the fish and microwave it again on high power for less than 10 minutes. Let it cool. Before serving, garnish with onions and lemon wedges.
