I do cook...okay

I apologize that i've not been posting any new receipes which i had tried / been trying at home...

I had saved many pictures in my album. Hence will release one by one.

Here we go with a cup cake receipe:


1 cup of maida
1/2 cup of butter
1/4 cup of milk
3/4 cup of powdered sugar (lessened or increased according to one's wish)
1 tbsp of vanilla essence
1 tbsp of baking powder
2 egg
food color - yellow (optional)




Mix the butter and sugar thoroughly till the sugar has dissolved. To this add the eggs and beat it well. Add the maida little by little to the above and mix it well so that no lumps are formed. Add baking soda and vanilla essence and milk to this and stir it in the same direction for sometime. Add some more maida/all purpose flour to get it in the required consistency.

Pour the dough in microwave safe small cups. I used the idly making trays. Cook this for 4-5 mintues in microwave mode.

Masala peanuts…on a rainy day!!!!

First of all, sorry guys…had been off from the blogland for quiet sometime because of my tight schedule in my project…second…there is restrictions in accessing net from work as I’m fortunately/unfortunately in a project which has strict policy from accessing net…so you guys may not get a menu from me on a daily basis..i will try to post atleast on weekends….I do cook you know and take pictures of those….so…there will be some interesting posts infrequently from my end…so watchout…

And offlate, It has been raining in Chennai for past few days....as part of “karthika deepam” …...and I thought of enjoying my hot tea with something spicy….....so…here I go with a spicy and crispy masala peanut…


Ingredients:

1 cup of raw groundnut
2 tbsp of kadala maavu(gram flour)
½ tbsp of pepper powder
½ tbsp of chilli powder
A pinch of Asafoetida powder
Salt to taste
1 pinch of food color (optional…I’ve not added as it was not available at home..it gives a nice and red color coating)


Method of preparation:

1. Wash the raw groundnut with water and keep it aside
2. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients mentioned above and to it add the washed groundnut. Mix them well so that a uniform coat is formed on the wet peanuts
3. Microwave the above for 3-4 minutes. Stir it once after 2 mintues..



Enjoy with your evening tea…

Tandoori Chicken - Microwave cooking

I was lamenting about the microwave that we got very recently. yep..I went for couple of microwave cooking class and the trainer showed me this dish.

I tried as soon as i got back home. It came out well.

Ingredients:

Chicken - 1/2 kg
1 tbsp cooking oil
1/2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tbsp chilli powder
1 tbsp garam masala powder
1 tbsp turmeric powder
2 tbsp curd
1 tbsp pepper
Little soyasauce
Food color (optional)
Maida for binding
1 tbsp salt

Method of preparation:

Mix all the ingredients mentioned above and marinate for 1-2 hours.

Smear some oil on top of the pieces and in convention mode, preheat the oven to 180 degree C for 20 mintues and then when the beep sound comes, load the oven with chicken and cook for another 20 mintues. After 10 mintues, turn over the chicken piece.


It came out nice and crispy…I garnished with capsicum.

My daughter said that it will tastes better if you have squeezed some lemon juice on top of it..yeah..i forgot...She is a definitely a critic...i have to watchout.

Mixed vegetable rice

When i came back from office, i found that the rice which had been cooked for lunch remained untouched. I decided to make a quick vegetable rice. This is one way by which i can forcefully make my children eat all the veggie's...

I used microwave for this.

Here is how i made:

Ingredients
1. 2 chopped carrot
2. 2 chopped onions
3. few beans
4. 1 chopped potatoes
5. 1 chopped capisicum
6. ginger and garlic - small pieces
7. somphu, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves - little
8. cooking oil - 1 tbsp

Method of preparation:

1. Steam the already cooked rice with a pressure cooker/ outside to make it hot.

2. In a microwave safe bowl, pour some oil and put the onions, somphu, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves and cook it for 2 - 3 minutes. stir the contents in between.

3. Added the chopped vegetables, salt to taste, 1/2 tbsp of gram masala powder. Mix it well and cook for 6-7 minutes.

4. I transferred the whole content to a mudpot and also added the already warmed rice to it and mix the whole content and cook for another 5-6 minutes.


It came out very well. It looked colorful and tasted yum...



My daughter tasted and said "Emh...Delicious"..and my children finished the whole plate...Not bad....

Vegetable biriyani - (using Microwave oven)

Remember I've been nattering about my new purchase for Deepavalli this year..The Microwave oven..I attended a session on Microwave cooking ..The first dish they showed is Vegetable biriyani...Here goes the ingredients and method of preparation:


Ingredients:

1. 1 chopped onion
2. Cooking oil
3. Cloves/cinnamon/Somphu/Bay leaves/Kasakasa seeds
4. Basmathi rice - 1 cup (soak it in water for 20 mintues). I used boiled rice instead.
5. Ginger garlic paste/chopped and crushed ones
6. 2 chopped carrot
7. 1 chopped potatoes
8. few green peas
9. few chopped beans
10. chilli powder - 1 tbsp
11. Salt - 1/2 tbsp
12. gram masala powder - 1 tbsp
13. turmeric powder - 2 pinch
14. 1 chopped tomatoes
15. curry leaves


Method of preparation:

1. In a microoven safe big bowl, add chopped onion and all Cloves/cinnamon/Somphu/Bay leaves/Kasakasa seeds and 2-3 tbsp of cooking oil and mix it well. Microwave on high for 10-12 minutes. In between, mix the contents. The onions will become golden brown in color.
2. Add ginger garlic paste and cook for 2 minutes or till the raw smells of ginger and garlic is gone
3. add the chopped carrot,potato, green peas and chopped beans to the above. Mix it well and cook for 6 mintues
4. Then add chilli powder, salt to taste, gram masala and tumeric powder and cook for 2 more mintues
5. To this add tomato and curry leaves and cook for 2 more minutes
6. To this add the soaked rice and add 2 cup of water and cook it for 20 - 25 mintues. Add salt if required.

I used very little oil ..just 1 tbsp...and used boiled rice instead of basmati rice..So as the picture speaks for itself, it does not have much oil as one can see in the usual biriyani...Nevertheless, it was tasting delicious and the whole family loved it. My DH gave 90/100...Not bad ..My daughter and son loved it too...They cleaned their plate!!! Good feedback, is it not? ;-)

Emmh...yummy vegetable biriyani is ready!!!!