Whole wheat bread in Microwave

Have you ever noticed the ingredients of the whole wheat bread that you buy from the store. Many believe that they are having a healthy breakfast by replacing white bread with brown one. But it is often made with refined wheat flour, and the color comes from caramel.Or in most companies, they just add 20 % wheat flour, the remaining big chunk is still maida. So its always a good thing if you could make one at home. Yes it may not be as tasty as those you get from market. But you can rest assured that they are totally healthy. I am sharing here a recipe to make whole wheat bread in a microwave.  

Microwave whole wheat bread

Ingredients 

Whole wheat flour- 2 cups

Yeast- 2 teaspoons

Sugar-1 teaspoon

Water- lukewarm- 1/2 cup

Salt- 1/2 teaspoon

Oil- 1 tablespoon

Milk- 1/2 cup

Procedure

Dissolve sugar and yeast in half cup lukewarm water. Keep it aside to rise for about 10 minutes. In a vessel take flour and make a dough by adding the yeast mix to it. Also add salt, oil and milk while kneading. Make a soft dough.

Now keep this to rise for 3 hours. Cover the container well with a plastic cover. After 3 hours, knead the dough again and transfer to a greased microwave proof dish. Set the dough by leaving space from the sides of the dish. This allows room for the dough to puff up. Now cook on high power in microwave. To check if your bread is done try pricking with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, then your bread is done.

Let it cool. Cut into slices and refrigerate. When warm, the texture won't be that perfect. But, after refrigerating, it becomes more crumbly.

Idiyappam (Noolputtu)

Idiappam is a traditional breakfast dish of Kerala. Also known as noolputtu or sevai, it  is also made in tamil, andhra,kannada households. It is steamed rice noodles had with stew, chickpea curry or any other spicy gravy. Though I could have it even without any side dish. I loved idiappams when i was a kid as it was made at our home on rare occassions and I really looked forward to such mornings.

Ingredients

Rice flour- Very fine powder- 2 cups

Water- 2 cups

Grated Coconut- Half of a coconut

Salt- As required

Procedure

Be sure to use very fine rice powder. Sieve the flour and if any larger grains are there, just grind them again finely. Mix the flour with salt and add boiling water to it. Add little by little water taking care not to exceed. Mix the dough with a spatula and try to form it into a ball. Once the dough is slightly cool, knead with your hands to make the dough smooth and even.

Keep the dough covered with wet cloth for a few minutes. Grease an idli mould and sprinkle a little coconut shavings on top.Now take out small portions and fill into the idiappam press or sevanazhi. Now start pressing the idiappam noodles onto the mold. Go in a circular fashion Going on top of the previous circle two more times. Don't overdo as it may not get cooked properly.

Sprinkle a little more coconut on top and place onto the steamer. Cook on high flame until you could see steam coming out of the sides. Now cook on low flame for about 6- 7 minutes. remove to a serving plate and serve hot with any curry of your choice.

It is so yummmy and everyone were so very hungry that we attacked the food immediately and there's no time to take pictures and I ended up with just a few photos. I will add more pics when i make this next time, for sure.

Uzhunn vada/ Medu vada

Medu vada/ Uzhunnu vada is a staple South Indian snack.Its a crispy Black gram fritters loved throughout India. Its a south Indian snack which has become popular among other parts of the country like idlis and dosas. Generally its had as breakfast but i love them as evening snack with piping hot tea.

The recipe is easy you just have to fry the dough. But the problem is in shaping the vada. The consistency must be right for the holes to form properly. The dough must be stubborn one. What i mean is when you try pouring it with a spoon you should have to literally give a big throw to make them fall. Dont over grind the dal or else vadas wont be fluffy.

Ingredients

Urad dal/ Uzhunnu vada/ split black gram- Soaked in water for 4 -5 hours- 1 cup

Onions- Chopped very fine

Ginger- 1 inch- chopped

Green chilli- 2 - chopped

Ground pepper- 1 or 2 pinch

Hing powder- 1/2 teaspoon

Rice powder- 1 tablespoon

Sooji- 1 talespoon

Salt- as required

Oil- For frying

Procedure

After soaking in water for about 4 hours, drain the excess water and grind the dal to a coarse paste. Try to grind it by adding minimum water. Don't soak the dal too long or it may become too soggy and the batter would become runny.Now add all the other ingredient to the batter except oil and mix well. Heat the oil in a deep bottomed vessel. Add enough oil or the vada will stick to the bottom. 

In a small bowl keep cold water ready to dip and wet your hands before shaping the batter. take a scoop and place on your hands. 

Make a hole in the middle and drop into the oil. keep the flame on medium heat.Fry till golden brown. Drain and drain excess oil by placing on tissue papers.serve hot with coconut chutney or sambar.

Soft spongy Idli

Rice idli
My favorite comfort food...soft and spongy idlis dipped in sambhar with an accompaniment of coconut chutney...there is no other food that satisfies me as much as this humble idli. Moreover as its steam cooked its a very healthy breakfast. The rice and urad dal in idlis compliment each other, making it a completely balanced meal. The vegetables and dal in sambhar are also good supplements. Though there are many variations in idli, the most delicious one is the simple rice idli.

Ingredients

Idli rice-4 cups 

( One can also use 2 cups raw rice and 1 cup parboiled rice. This makes more perfect idlis. If you dont have paroiled rice then you can add a owl of cooked rice instead.)

Urad dal/black gram- 1 cup

Salt- as required

water- as required

Oil for greasing

Procedure

Wash rice and dal thoroughly. Soak the rice and dal separately for about 5 hours. Dont throw away the water used for soaking as it contain some washed off nutrients. you can use this water while grinding.
Grind rice and urad dal separately in a grinder. Its better to grind dal first as dal paste which does not come off from the grinder will come out with rice. Make sure that batter has a grainy texture. It should not be too runny.
Idli batter should preferably be thicker than dosa batter. Mix the batter well. Now keep the batter overnight. Next day you will find a nicely risen batter which has a fluffy texture. The hardest and crucial part of a successful idli is preparation of the batter. Any mistake in the ratios could either make a hard idli or soggy one. Remember, urad dal makes the idlis soft but too much of it could make it sticky. So always maintain the rice-dal ratio. Another crucial point is giving the batter proper time as well as heat to rise and get a fluffy texture. I remember that my mother used to cover the vessel with a woolen cloth and keep it out in the sun during winters. You could also add a pinch of yeast to the batter if you think the temperature at your place is not enough for the atter to ferment.

Grease the idli moulds and fill 3/4 th with batter. Steam for aout 15 minutes and your idlis are ready.Check by inserting a tooth pick. It should come out clean, or else cook on low flame for a few more minutes. Take care not to overcook. Dont let the idlis remain inside the steamer once the gas is turned off. The cooling of the steam would make droplets of water fall on them and would make them soggy. Scoop the idlis out with the help of a butter knife or a flat spatulaEnjoy this delicious white dumplings along with sambhar or chutney.