Microwave Eggless Date and Walnut Cake

Ingredients
12 dates, pitted and chopped
1 1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup oil
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda (not baking powder)
12 walnuts, chopped

Method
1. Boil the milk in a saucepan. Remove from heat.

2. Add the dates and let it stand until cool.

3. When cool put into a blender or food processor and process or blend until the dates are ground.

4. Add the oil into blender/food processor and blend/process again until incorporated and mixture becomes thick. Add sugar to the mixture in the blender/food processor and blend until incorporated.

5. Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl. Seive flour and baking soda well. Fold in the flour until it is mixed well. Add chopped walnuts.

Note: You can at this point add a little more milk in case you find the batter a little thick. The batter should be of pouring consistency like most cake batters.

6. Pour batter into a greased glass microwavable dish.

7. Place in microwave and bake for 10 to 11 minutes on High.

Serve cake warm or cold with chilled Vanilla Custard for a dessert version of this cake.

Eggless Wheat Sponge Cake

Ingredients
2 cups Wheat Flour
1 and 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
2 tbsp Milk powder
2 tbsp Cocoa Powder
4-5 medium-sized chocolate chip cookies
1/2-1 tsp Baking Soda
1 and 1/2 cup Milk
1/2 cup White Unsalted Butter (you can use regular yellow butter too if you don't mind the salt) 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
1/2 cup grated semi-sweet chocolate

Method
Take a bowl and mix half of the milk, butter and essence properly. Seive the wheat flour, sugar, milk powder,cocoa powder and baking soda. Now add this to the milk and butter mixture and beat properly in one direction. Whisk continuously for 5-7 mins till the mixture starts to fold and form peaks. If it's too thick, add the reamaining of the milk slowly while stirring till desired consistency is achieved. Take a microwaveable dish and grease it with oil or non-stick spray. Dust it with some flour and pour the mixture into it. Bake in the microwave oven for about 8 mins, or until done. You can test this by inserting a toothpick in the center of the cake and see that it comes out clean. Remove from the microwave, let it cool for some time. Meanwhile, crush the cookies in a grinder. Then garnish the cake with the crushed chocolate chip cookies and the fresh shredded chocolate. You can also use dessicated coconut shavings. They go well with chocolate too.

Eggless Microwave Chocolate Cake

Ingredients
400 g sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup softened butter
1 3/4 cups self-raising flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/2 cup sugar (if you would like a richer cake, halve the sugar and use 50g of melted plain chocolate)
150 ml soda water

Method
1. Grease a ROUND microwaveable cake tin and line with greaseproof paper.
2. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda and set aside.
3. Cream together the butter and the sugar.
4. Add the condensed milk, melted chocolate (if using it) and vanilla essence and beat well to mix.
5. Add the dry ingredients (from step 2) and mix well together.
6. Slowly pour aerated soda into the mixture and mix in well.
7. Pour the cake mixture into the prepared tin.
8. Microwave on High for 4-5 mins (depending on the power of your microwave) and on Medium 4-5 mins (bake for on Medium for the same amount of time as you did in High).
9. Hold in dish for 2-4 after baking (MAKE SURE YOU DO THIS AS HOLDING IS VERY IMPORTANT BUT DO NOT LET IT REMAIN IN THE TIN FOR LONGER THAN THE HOLDING TIME).
10. Then, remove from the cake tin and place it on a wire rack to allow it to cool.
11. Decorate if desired before cutting into slices to serve.

Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients
1/2 cup maida
1/2 cup cocoa
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/3 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs
1/3 cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup walnuts.

Method
1. Sift maida, cocoa and baking powder together.
2. Melt butter and add. Mix well.
3. Lightly beat eggs and add. Mix in the vanilla essence.
4. Lastly add the chocolate chips and finely chopped walnuts.
5. Pour into a greased microwavable baking tray and microwave on high for 4 mins.
6. Can be served hot with vanilla icecream or drizzled with kahlua.

Chicken Chop Suey

Ingredients
2 chicken breast,
cut into small pieces
1/2 cup sliced celery
1 1/2 cup bean sprouts,
washed and drained
1 can water chestnut drained
2 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup mushrooms sliced
1/2 cup sliced bamboo shoots
1 tsp ginger paste
1/2 tsp garlic paste
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 1/2 cup chicken stock
salt as per taste

Method
1. Marinate chicken pieces with soy sauce, ginger, onion and garlic for 1 hours. Put in casserole and microwave for 8-9 minutes .
2. Dissolve cornstarch in chicken stock .Pour on the chicken .Mix in all the remaining ingredients .
3. Microwave it uncovered for 20 minutes till sauce thickens, stir 2-3 times in-between .
4. Serve hot with rice .

Gol Papdi

Ingredients
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (gehun ka atta)
1/3 cup jaggery (gur), grated
1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds (khus-khus)
1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder (elaichi)
4 tablespoons ghee

Method
1. Sprinkle the poppy seeds on a 100 mm. (4") diameter greased thali. Keep aside.
2. Combine the ghee and wheat flour in a glass bowl and microwave on HIGH for 3 minutes 30 seconds, till it turns golden brown in colour. Mix well.
3. Remove from the microwave and add the jaggery and cardamom powder while the mixture is hot. Stir well till the jaggery melts.
4. Pour the mixture into the greased thali with poppy seeds while still warm and spread it evenly with the help of the base of a small bowl (katori).
5. Cut into diamond shapes while still warm.
6. Store in an air-tight container when cool.

Paneer Tikka

Ingredients:
2 cups paneer, cut into 50 mm. (2") cubes
1/2 cup capsicum, cut into 50 mm. (2") pieces
1/2 cup thick curds
1 teaspoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon garlic paste
2 teaspoons chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
2 tablespoons chopped coriander
1 teaspoon chat masala
1 tablespoon oil
salt to taste

Method:
1. Combine the curds, ginger paste, garlic paste, chilli powder, kasuri methi, garam masala, coriander, oil and salt and mix well to prepare a marinade.
2. Add the paneer and capsicum to it and keep aside for 15 minutes.
3. Arrange the marinated paneer and capsicum pieces in a shallow glass dish and microwave on HIGH for 3 minutes.
4. Serve hot, sprinkled with the chat masala.

Microwave Til Burfi

Ingredients:
1 cup white sesame seed (whole)
1 cup milk powder
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1 can condensed milk

Method:
1. Dry roast the sesame seeds and grind coarsely in a grinder or blender.
2. In a corning dish or glass dish add all the ingredients including the ground sesame seeds.
3. Microwave for 3 minutes.
4. Grease a thali with butter and set aside.
5. Stir the mixture well and put it back in the microwave for another 3 minutes
6. Now keep watching as it tends to bubble and come out.
7. Stop it and keep stirring.
8. It will turn nice and thick.
9. Spread on thali, cool and cut in squares. Enjoy!!
10. This is using a 900 watt microwave, you may need upto 5 minutes each time if the wattage is less. It will stay in the fridge for a month if it is not eaten up by then.

Microwave Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
Eggs - 5
Sugar -175 gms.
All Purpose Flour -90 gms.
Cocoa powder - 40 gms.
Melted butter -30 gms.
Corn flour - 20 gms.
Baking powder - 1 tsp.

Method:
1. Sieve together the flour, cocoa powder, corn flour and baking powder.
2. Place the sugar and eggs in a mixing bowl.
3. Beat the eggs and sugar till it is light and fluffy.
4. Carefully fold in the sieved flour into this mixture.
5. Mix in the melted butter.
6. Grease a shallow bowl with an little oil and dust with flour, pour the mixture batter into this.
7. Cook on micro high for 8 min.

Microwave Rava Kesari

Ingredients
1/2 cup rava (cream of wheat)
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups boiling hot water
6 tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup cashew nut pieces, roasted in butter and set aside
1 1/4 tsp saffron
5 cardamoms (opened & ground up)

Method
1. Combine boiling water with the sugar in a bowl. Add the cardamom and saffron. Set aside.
2. Put the butter into a clear glass microwavable bowl. Microwave on high for a minute or until the butter melts.
3. Add the rava to the butter. Mix well, and microwave on high for about two minutes or until the rava begins to foam.
4. Stir in the sugar syrup mixture and add the raisins into the rava. Cover tightly with Saran Wrap and cook on high for about three minutes or until it starts to look a bit solid.
5. Remove the Saran Wrap. (Be careful - the steam can scald!) Cook for another minute or until the extra moisture evaporates.
6. Remove from oven. Stir in the roasted cashew pieces.

Note: The times are approximate. Your oven probably behaves differently from mine, so please watch the bowl through the glass throughout the process or else your rava kesari could turn out like a rock

Stewed Mangoes

Ingredients
5 large firm ripe mangoes
6 tbsp. sugar (varied as per sweetness of the fruit)
4 tbsp. water (varied as per juiciness of the fruit)
1/4 tsp. vanilla essence
3 cups vanilla icecream or whipped sweetened cream chilled

Method
1. Cut mangoes in four pieces and deseeded.
2. Place in 10" diameter dish cut sides down.
3. Place the pieces next to each other.
4. Sprinkle sugar over all the pieces.
5. Mix essence in water. Sprinkle the water on mangoes.
6. Microwave on high for 4 minutes.
7. Remove keep aside.
8. In individual bowls, place 2 pieces of mangoes.
9. Place a full scoop of vanilla icecream on top.
10. Place a canned or fresh cherry on top.
11. Serve immediately.

Sooji Seera

Ingredients
1/2 teacup semolina (sooji / rawa)
1/2 teacup milk
6 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons ghee
1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder

Method
1. Put the milk, sugar and 1 1/2 teacups of water in a glass bowl and microwave on HIGH for about 5 minutes, stirring once in-between after 2 1/2 minutes. Keep aside.
2. Put the ghee in another glass bowl and microwave on HIGH for about 15 seconds.
3. Add the semolina, mix well and microwave on HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring in-between after every 1 minute or until the semolina is light pink in colour.
4. Add the parboiled sweetened milk mixture. Mix well and microwave on HIGH for 1 1/2 minutes, stirring in-between after every 30 seconds.
5. Sprinkle cardamom powder on top

Carrot Halwa

Ingredients
500 gms. carrot peeled, grated
200 ml. milk
1/2 cup sugar ground
1/2 cup khoya or milk powder
1 tbsp. ghee
1 tbsp. almonds, pistachios, chopped
1/2 tsp. cardamom powder
1/4 tsp. saffron crushed

Method
1. Mix carrot and milk in a deep microwave proof bowl.
2. Allow for ample boiling space in the bowl.
3. Microwave on high for 8 minutes. Stand for 5 minutes.
4. Stir well, add khoya or milk powder and sugar and stir again.
5. Microwave on high for 8 minutes. Stand for 3 minutes.
6. Add ghee, cardamom powder and mix well.
7. Microwave on high for 2 minutes.
8. Garnish with chopped nuts.
9. Serve hot or cooled.
10. Reheat in in microwave for 1 minute before serving.