Microwave Besan Laddoo

Hello dear readers,

I am back after a long break. We were busy shifting to our new home here. Yes, we bought a townhouse here in Ashland. It was a moment of great joy the day the papers were signed. I was busy for the last two months trying to arrange and decorate our nest :) .
Many friends kept asking me whether I stopped blogging altogether :) . I found that I was giving excuse after excuse, and yesterday night I decided, enough was enough, I am going to blog, because deep inside I was missing my blogging buddies a lot ! So here I am with a sweet start :D

Sweet start with Besan Laddoo. Did you know that this sweet can be made with ease in a microwave in few minutes? I was surprised too when I found this recipe at the following blogs:

Saffron Trail
Bhaatukli

I instantly fell in love with the mouth watering pictures of these laddoos on their blogs. I tried the recipe at Saffron Trail as she tells it takes 5 minutes only, and yes indeed it took only so much time when I prepared the laddoos. I also liked the tip given at 'Bhaatukli' by Tee, where she tells that 'the powder should not be too dry , else it will not hold shape'. Thanks Tee, it really helped.

Now let me share the recipe I used: I used butter instead of ghee as we don't use ghee in our house, but it didn't make a significant difference to us, as me and V enjoyed the delicate taste of melted butter and roasted Besan in the laddoo. You may use ghee as that's what the original recipe calls for in Saffron Trail's blog. I also added a little bit of Nutmeg powder to get an added flavor.

Ingredients:

1 cup Besan
1 stick butter (1/2 cup butter, or 8 tablespoons butter)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon powdered cardamom
1/4 teaspoon powdered nutmeg



Method:

1. Mix besan and butter (cut in cubes if there are straight from the fridge) in a microwaveable safe flat dish. If you have a dish where the food doesn't stick to the plate after microwaving , it would serve the purpose much better. For eg: I used my silicon baking pan (its freezer safe, and microwave safe too). It made the in between stirring easier.
2. Microwave for 5 minutes , stirring the mixture a little after every minute. As suggested at Saffron Trail, you may increase your time to additional 2 minutes if your microwave power is low.
3. At the end of 5 minutes, take the pan out of the microwave and wait until it cools down (it should be cool, not cold, so don't rush and keep it in the fridge ;) ]. It should take half hour to cool down.
4. Add powdered sugar, cardamom and nutmeg to the mixture and stir well and then make round laddoos ( don't worry the first time if you don't get it right, it takes a little practice, that's all. my laddoos didn't turn out the perfect round when I initially tried it).
5. I stored these laddoos in the fridge after there were formed for around 1 hour. This helps in setting the laddoo.
   
6. Store laddoos in the fridge if you are serving them at a later time.
7. Enjoy :)

Hope you too will like these when you make them !

Low calorie Banana (Plantain) Chips and Potato Chips (can be Oil-free , Salt free ) using Microwave

I love my Microwave (not exactly mine, but our apartment's) ! and the person who invented it too ! That's what I can say after I made these easy, low-calorie munchies last week. I was surprised to find that the crispiness was no different than when fried in oil. You can even use a low calorie oil spray and a wee bit of salt to enhance the flavor. After making these I swore, I would never deep fry Banana or Potato Chips in oil in my kitchen. Let me share my excitement with you now:


Here is how I made it: Its easy, breezy tasty :)

Gadgets needed:

• A microwave
• A mandolin slicer (in India its called 'Chips maker' in some places, popular brands include 'Anjaly'). You can get a Mandolin slicer in US too, I got these from a Calphalone store, but we just bought it as a side purchase after buying a gorgeous Calphalone Infused Anodised Stir Fry Pan. The Mandolin cost just $10, but its worth buying as its a great addition to your kitchen gadgets. This one even had a handle to hold the food while slicing, thus giving extra safety.
  

If you don't have a 'Chips maker' , no worries, you have your knife to your aid. Cut slices as thinly as possible , make sure they are of equal length as it helps providing uniform heat in the microwave while 'they turn to' Chips ;)


Plantain chips



Seasoning:

Oil just a pinch or can be totally avoided
Salt, a very tiny pinch, or can be totally avoided.
Chilly powder, Asafoetida - a pinch

Note: I have used very little seasoning, as while using Microwave , you should be very careful while seasoning, if you are doing it before Microwaving it, as a pinch of seasoning has very very potent flavor while cooking in Microwave. Its best to add these after the Chips are done and when they are just out of the Microwave.

Vegetables that can be used : Potatoes (Preferably Potatoes good for frying purpose, else they may lose color and turn brown, but taste is intact though), Raw Banana (Plantain), Taro, Bitter gourd.


Potato Chips (don't mind the color as I used a Red Potato variety which I didn't find quiet good for frying because of the color they turn into, but taste was equally good)


Method:

Slice the vegetable into very thin uniform slices. Spread the slices on a Microwave safe flat bottom vessel, (I used my Silicon Baking Pan which is also Microwave safe). Arrange in such a way that no two slices overlap each other . A little overlapping here and there is alright if space is a constraint.

Microwave under high power for 4 minutes if you have filled the plate with the slices in every nook and corner , or 2-3 minutes if less slices are used. Keep checking in between. This can give you an approximate time for cooking these.
Tadaa ! Your chips are ready to savor !




This way of making chips has more of advantages than disadvantages I feel:

Advantages:

• Control over the amount of oil, salt, or other seasoning
• Less power , as I read somewhere that Microwave consumes less energy than other electric appliance.
• Less fume and hence less cooling of the kitchen needed when compared to deep frying on a cooking range.
• Less cleanup, and nil wastage of oil
• No guilt feeling of storing the same oil for frying the next time, as no oil / very negligible amount of oil was used in microwave

The only thing I noticed was, if you have a small microwave/ small microwave vessel, then you can 'fry' only so much chips at a time. But then I don't think it matters so much.

Hope you all will like these.

I am sending these and one of my previous entries (look below this sentence) to (Microwave Easy Cooking)MEC-Savoury Snacks (started by Srivally of Cooking for all seasons) and hosted this time at Priya's Easy and Tasty Recipes.

My previous entry participating in this event are:

Bittergourd Fritters

I am planning to post a Cake recipe next time, so wait and watch dear readers :) Till then, wave a 'bye bye' to the Winter (today it snowed here in Framingham, I think this might be the last snow of this winter) and welcome crisp Spring !

Love
RV

V day with a Chinese touch - Sweet Corn Chicken soup, Chicken Chopsuey

This time for Valentine's day I decided to go Chinese. We have this Chinese restaurant called Eonoodles near our place. Both me and V do take-outs or have lunch occasionally and whenever we go there, we love to have the Chicken Chopsuey dish. The way they make it has never failed to amaze me. I always wanted to ask the restaurant owner about the secret recipe, but never did as I was too embarassed to ask. Have you people asked a restaurant chef for your favorite dish he/she makes?

I then started to analyze the ingredients visually and nasally ;). I found in Internet that the word Chopsuey in Chicken Chopsuey meant the veggies added to the dish along with Chicken. I kept up my determination to recreate it in my kitchen. It didn't satisfy my expectations the first time I made.

I realized it was mainly because of the substitute ingredients I used. In addition to Chicken Chopsuey, I decided to make Sweet Corn Chicken Soup for appetizer and Pumpkin Pie for dessert. Being Valentine's day I decided to use the exact ingredients. I made a quick stop at the nearest Stop n Shop and made the necessary purchases. This is how I made it:



For Sweet Corn Chicken Soup:

Ingredients:

• Skinless Boneless Chicken breasts sliced and diced into very small cubes : 1 cup
• Sweet Corn Cream Style: 1 can
• Corn: 1/2 cup
  
• Chicken Broth: 1 can
• Whole Mushroom stem and top (I purchased the canned version found in the Asian isle): 1/2 can
• Minced Ginger and Garlic: 2 teaspoons
  
• Olive oil: 2 tablespoons
• Soy Sauce: 2 tablespoons

Method:

1. In a wide bottom vessel, on medium high heat, add olive oil. When it heats up add the Chicken pieces. Saute it with minced ginger and garlic , 2 tablespoons of Soy Sauce , until chicken is cooked evenly.
   
2. Transfer the chicken to a separate plate.
   
3. Add Sweet Corn Cream Style Corn and Corn to the same vessel in which the Chicken was sauteed. When the contents are cooked, add the chicken-ginger-garlic to the corn mixture and mix well. Add the Chicken Stock and let the soup come to a boil, and then let it simmer for 10 minutes.
   
4. If the soup is too watery to your taste: Mix one tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water and add to the soup and lower the heat to minimum. Stir until the soup gets the desired thickness.
5. Add salt and pepper as desired. Serve hot.

*******


For Chicken Chopsuey:

Ingredients:

• Boneless skinless Chicken breasts cut in thin bite size slices: 1 cup
• Julienne sliced Onion: 1 small
  
• Canned/Fresh Water Chestnuts: 1 can
• Whole Mushroom with stem and top: 1/2 can
• Bamboo Shoots: 1/2 can
• Sliced Carrots: 1/4 cup
• Bean Sprouts: 1/2 cup
• Sliced Garlic: 1 clove
• Chicken Broth: 1 can
  
• Salt and Pepper
• Soy Sauce: 3 tablespoons
• Olive oil: 2 tablespoons

Method:

1. Follow the steps from 1 and 2 as in Sweet Corn Chicken Soup, excluding the part of adding Ginger.
2. Add the veggies onto the same vessel in which the chicken was sauteed. Saute them until the veggies are soft and almost cooked on medium fire.
   
3. Add the chicken to the veggies, add the chicken broth and bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Then let it simmer. Thicken the mixture by using cornstarch as I wrote in the Sweet Corn Chicken Soup above.
   
4. Add salt and Pepper as desired.
5. Serve hot with rice or noodles.

******



For Pumpkin Pie:

I followed the recipe on the back of a Canned Pumpkin puree. I also used a pre-baked Pie crust. The Pie turned out great. Here is Libby's Famous Pumpkin Pie recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY'S 100% pure Pumpkin
• 1 can (12 fl.oz) CARNATION Evaporated Milk
• 1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep dish pie shell
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 2 large eggs

How I made:

1. Mix sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir evaporated milk.
2. Pour into pie shell
3. Bake in preheated 425 degree F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degree F, bake 40-50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

*******

Sandya of http://www.third--eye.blogspot.com/ has tagged me for "25 random things about you".

The rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to link the person who tagged you.

1. Favorite movies: "Slumdog Millionaire" of course :) , "Father of the Bride", "The Odd Couple", "Bend it like Beckham", "Big"
   
2. Favorite TV channels: Food network, HGTV, DIYnetwork, LMN,CBS,USA
3. What I do during my free time: Try pencil sketching, go window shopping, browse diynetwork.com to see interesting projects such as clutter management, storage ideas.
   
4. I love spicy hot food, and this has caused me troubles sometimes. I recently swallowed a hot steaming piece of potato while trying to see if its cooked. As a result I have a small lump which looks like Adam's apple ;D . I am hoping it would go in another two weeks.
5. I love gardening, I have just started with container gardening and looking forward to growing a wonderful vegetable garden someday.
   
6. I used to have an ear infection as a child until late teenage. I never allow water to enter my ears, even now.
   
7. I used collect all things that smelled good as a child, such as bathing soap cover, incense stick cover, and store it in a box, so that I could smell them time to time.
   
8. Diary writing was an amusing play time for me as I used to quote so many amusing facts and incidents from my personal life. My brother used to have a fun time teasing me when I used to proudly show him my stories. I still write diaries.
9. I always used to have this thing for collecting names, girl name and boy names. Each year, I updated the list too. I don't know why I did this, but it was fun. Its like a database or something .
10. Long hair was what I had since I was in primary school. But I always wanted it to be short. I don't know , maybe I didn't know the value of what I had until I lost it, as my mom used to tell me those days. I cut my hair short just two years back, after marriage. Though it felt strange initially, I was glad I didn't have lot of hair to maintain.
    
11. Owning an aquarium or a bird as pet is what I am hoping in the future. We both love to have these, hence we always keep visiting Pet stores, just to gaze at the products and accessories available. We will soon own one as we are in the process of a major shifting process.
    
12. I am quiet impatient, but nobody will guess it if they don't know me well, as I appear to be very patient. It adds to the fact that I become touchy quiet easily. The only person who feels something is wrong when I appear to be patient, is my Better Half :)) .
13. Favourite kitchen gadgets: Sandwich maker, Mandolin slicer, Preethi Mixie, Microwave,Hand blender, Rose shaped Silicone Baking pan,Salt and Pepper grinder.
14. What I would like to learn: Pencil Sketching, Crochet stitching, doing Taxes, Machine stitching, Ballet dancing, Salsa
    
15. My challenge: Control my appetite for unhealthy spicy snacks, Too much worrying
    
16. I dream of living in a farm house with a spacious kitchen , with lot of fresh air, and quiet atmosphere, and a market at walking distance.
    
17. I would love to travel to Japan, China, and Thailand sometime as I love their cuisines.
18. I had worked for the call centre of a reputed computer manufacturer. The customers were US based when I was in India. Now after coming to US, I sometimes feel nostalgic when I call customer support and the call routes to India. I have even tried calling the customer support of the company I worked for and was thrilled when I spoke to a rep from Bangalore where I worked.
19. I dream of working a 8-5 job involving teaching or tutoring someday with a decent salary.
20. I talk loud, especially when I talk on phone or to someone I am close with. I have often found myself getting embarrassed when I talk over the phone in public, its as if I am talking to the entire world, and not just to the person on phone.
21. Snack I always crave: Vegetable Cutlet
    
22. I strongly believe that God does all in his/her power to help us and we should be thankful for even the shortest time of peace, relief , and happiness.
    
23. I don't like the smell of butter, ghee, or cheese, yogurt. I eat them when they are not served directly, such as in cakes, or sweets, shakes. I don't like the tangy flavour in food either.
    
24. I sometimes have fun taking online tests which tells you your personality traits. On one such test , it tells that I have hair pulling syndrome. Well, I didn't know it had a name until now ;)
25. I was born left-handed,its strange that my mother and my late father were not lefties. My dad didn't want me to be different , hence changed me to do some things with right. He did it so well without any scolding that I never remember regretting it or complaining about it. Hence I only write, eat, and, brush my teeth with my right hand. And rest of the things with my left hand. I wonder how my kids would be, but one thing for sure is I would not change them as I realize there are some serious risks involved which my dad didn't know about. And moreover its cool to be a leftie too :)

Ok, now I would like to tag these people for the "25 random things about you":

Ranji of Ranji's Kitchen Corner
Cham of Spice Club
Sudha of Bombay Bistro
Teena of Kaipunyam.com
Easycrafts
Varsha of Will-O'- the Wisp
Seena of Simple and Delicious
Divya of Easy Cooking
Priya
Ashwini
Yasmeen