How I make Upma & its renditions?

Simple Upma

1. Roast one small bowl of semolina (Rava/Suji) without oil/ghee till it spreads nice aroma. Semolina burns faster once it gets heated. So need to be more careful. Better keep the pan on medium flame and stir continuosly. Best way is to roast it in a pressure cooker, since the vessel of pressure cooker is very thick. This avoids the suji to get burnt faster, though left unattended for few seconds.
How to roast semolina for Upma/Sheera?
2. Keep water to boil on other stove.
3. Put 2, 1/2 spoons of desi ghee in a Kadhai.
4. Once the ghee gets heated, sprinkle in 2-2 pinches of cumin seeds and mustard seeds.
5. Now put in finely chopped onion & green chillies.
6. Saute till onion gets pinkish & nice aroma of onion-chilly starts spreading.
7. This is the right time to put in roasted semolina.
8. Keep stirring till the mixture spread nice aroma.
9. Then start pouring the boiling water slowly with continuous stirring.
10. Doing both the things Simultaneously at times seem difficult. In this case put in small amount of water, stir, then put more.
11. Ensure that all of your semolina gets cooked properly. Pour only that much water. Otherwise chances are that your upma turns into a paste.
12. Once done put in salt & sugar as per taste. Remember this is not a sweet dish. So sprinkle salt just to get light sweetness.
13. Now cover the pan with lid and let the upma steam for few minutes on low flame.

Doi Upma

'Doi' is curd in Bengoli, but upma is originally a South Indian dish.

1. Roast one small bowl of semolina (Rava/Suji) without oil/ghee till it spreads nice aroma. Semolina burns faster once it gets heated. So need to be more careful. Better keep the pan on medium flame and stir continuosly. Best way is to roast it in a pressure cooker, since the vessel of pressure cooker is very thick. This avoids the suji to get burnt faster, though left unattended for few seconds.
2. Put 2, 1/2 spoons of desi ghee in a Kadhai.
3. Once the ghee gets heated, sprinkle in 2-2 pinches of cumin seeds and mustard seeds.
4. Grated ginger strands, finely chopped green chillies, 2-2 pinches of chana dal, urad dal, 2 table spoons of peanuts. Stix it till 2 minutes. Let the peanuts and dals get roasted.
5. Put in finely chopped 1,1/2 medium sized onion and stir till the get pink.
6. Sprinkle on it few drops of water. This will ensure that the onion doesnot get brown.
7. Put finely chopped 1 medium sized tomato and stir till 2 minutes.
8. On the other side wash the frozen green peas, carrots, sprouted moong and cook it in microwave for 4 minutes by putting them in a microwave safe box with water.
9. Now put 1/2 table spoon of turmeric powder, 1,1/2 table spoon of salt, 1,1/2 table spoon of sugar on the tomato-onion mix and stir for 1 minute.
10. Put the peas, carrots and sprouts and cook for 2-3 minutes.
11. Till that time boil 2 small bowls of water on other stove.
12. Put 2 table spoons of curd in the boiling water and mix well.
13. Put the boiled water in the pan with peas, carrots, sprouts pan.
14. Allow the mixture to boil.
15. Now put the semolina slowly into the pan, stiring the mixture continuosly.
16. Once done, cover the pan and keep for 5 minutes till the semolina gets cooked properly.
17. Off the stove and keep for 2 minutes.
18. I like to serve the upma using moulds and garnishing it with nylon sev, finely chopped coriander, grated cocunut. Serving with coconut cutney and lime enhances the taste.

Vegetable Upma

Skip the curd from "Doi Upma" and you can make vegetable upma.

Masala Upma

1. At times I didn't had green chillies at home. Then I tried the upma using red chilly powder. It too tastes good.

Vermicelli Upma

1. Replace the semolina with vermicelli and make the upma.
2. Remember that roast vermicelli in ghee unlike semolina.
3. Nowadays you get already roasted semolina & vermicelli. But I would advice you to roast it again atleast for some time. This will free the odour which is generally observed with stored semolina/vermicelli.

Upma of Rice Noddles

1. Rice noodles are unlike vermicelli. These require boiling before putting to use.
2. The process for boiling these should be followed as directed on the packet.
3. But generally, it is like we have to pour boiling water on them and keep aside for some time.
4. Then drain the water and use them.
5. Now since they are already boiled the process of making upma differs.
6. Heat oil.
7. Put mustard seeds, green chillies & curry leaves.
8. Once the mustard seeds start crackling, put the noodles, tumeric powder & salt to taste.
9. Mix well, cover and keep for few minutes on low flame, so that the noodles steam properly.

How I make Korma and Vegetable Biryani?

Korma

"Korma" is a famous gravy dish in Mumbai and adjoining places of Maharastra during functions with more than 100 guests. It serves as a delicious, colorful cuisine to fill up the plates.

1. Cut each a bowl of potatoes, carrots and cauliflower in cubes.
2. Cook them in My Microwave for 12 minutes along with 4-5 cubes of ginger. Cook them partially and left over will be cooked later with masala in steam. If you opt to use soaked peas cook them along with other vegetables else if you are using the fresh ones you can directly use them when we cook these vegetables with masala. Since the tender peas cook in very less time.
3. In a pan, heat 3 table spoon of oil.
4. Put in mustard and cumin seeds two pinches each and half table spoon of dalcini powder.
5. Fry a finely chopped onion till golden brown in it.
6. Put in cubes of a tomato.
7. Cover the pan with lid and let it cook for a minute.
8. Put in half table spoon haldi, dhania-jeera powder, garam masala, 1 table spoon red chilli powder, salt to taste, 1/2 table spoon lime juice/amchur powder.
9. Mix it, cover the pan with lid and let it cook for a minute. Rather cook it till the masala separates from oil.
10. Remove the excess water from the vegetables and put them in the pan. Put in some entire green chillies without split. Just trim their heads.
11. Mix well, till the vegetables get covered with it.
12. Put the lid back and let it cook for 12-15 minutes.
13. Check it an interval of 5 minutes and stir upside-down, so that all the vegetables get cooked properly.
14. After 12-15 minutes put in coconut milk, cover again and let it cook for more 3 minutes.
15. The delicious, colorful korma is ready for the serving of 4 people.

The vegetables used can vary. You may opt for Capsicum, beans, mushrooms, parwal, Lady finger, tinda. I use to cook korma whenever I have to do a stock clearance for vegetables which were not much in their individual quantity.
To make the gravy more rich you can opt to fry the onion separately with very little oil till light brown. Let it cool and then grind it to paste and use.
The ginger cubes add an elegant taste to your preparation.

Vegetable Biryani

1. I cook the vegetables in same way as I do for Korma. Except for the coconut milk step.
2. Then follow the steps for Chicken Biryani.
3. The rice would be cooked in exactly the same way.
4. The layers would be put in exactly same way. The exception would be to use the Korma without coconut milk instead of Chicken masala.

How I Make Kaju Rice, Khichadi, Jira Rice and Chicken Biryani using Microwave?

How I make "Kaju Rice" using Microwave?

1. I take rice as much as my friends can stuff in to their bellys. Then wash it twice-trice till I am not satisfied.
2. I have a microwave safe glass jar, which I generally use for cooking rice.
3. I put the rice into the jar, put handful of cashew nuts cracked into 4 pieces.
4. Put 3-4 cloves, 2 sweet elaichis, 2 table spoon of Desi Ghee.
5. A half pinch of salt and mix it.
6. Add sufficient water. Safest measure is 1:2 i.e. 2 cups water for 1 cup rice. But you can vary depending upon your choice. Some like soft grain, some like hard. I prefer soft. For biryanis I prefer hard. For khichdi very soft.
7. Put it in a microwave for 30 mins. My microwave is pretty slow - 799W. My friend's one is really fast, just 12 mins.

You should read this, how I arrived at 30 mins?

First time I used a microwave. Tourchered my friend with silly questions. Twice happened to burn a tiffin box. Once tried heating a jalebi by keeping it in a plastic box which was suppose to be microwave safe. The next time heated a bread slice and happened to burn the box in a greed of making toast out of it.
So when I bought a new microwave, I kept the rice for 12 mins. My friends microwave cooks rice for him in 12 mins. After 12 mins I found that the rice was cooked partially. I went on gradually increasing the timer and finally found that on 30th min my rice was completely cooked.
So my micorwave cooks rice in 30mins.

"Smart Khichadi - using Microwave"

1. Take rice and daal(Tuwar/Moong) wash it.
2. Fine cut onion.
3. Fine cut tomoto if you like.
4. Small cut potatoes.
5. One table spoon of peanuts (peanuts can be fried, non-fried, roasted, non-roated..any).
5. Half table spoon haldi.
6. Half table spoon red chilli powder or fine cut green chillies (as much spicier delights you).
7. Salt to taste.
8. Ghee 2 table spoon.
9. Jira 1/4 table spoon.
10. I table spoon of mango pickle.
11. Mix it well, add sufficient water and I cook it in microwave (my microwave) for 30 mins.
12. People love soft grain for khichdi, so pour more water.
13. More water may dilute the taste, so take care of the salt and other spices.
14. After removing mix it well, since there are chances of onion and jira, to float above. But, don't worry about the taste, they leave their taste in water while boiling.

"Jira Rice - using Microwave"

1. Heat ghee in a saute pan.
2. Put 1 table spoon of jira.
3. When Jira spreads nice aroma, put the mixture on to washed rice.
4. Mix and let it stand for 2 minutes.
5. Put it in microwave (my microwave) for 30 mins.
6. If you like colors in it, sprinkle half table spoon mix of finely chopped spring onion, coriondar, curry leaves and green chillies.

"Layered Chicken Biryani - using Microwave"

For Rice: (4-5 people serving)

1. Put cashews nuts, 7 cloves, 7 black pepper,
    2 sweet elaichi, 2 badi elaichi, 2 bay leaves,
    2 dalchini sticks, pinch of salt, 1/4 table spoon sugar,
    2 table spoon of ghee in washed rice.
2. Mix it well. You may opt to put in haldi for color.
3. Cook for 20 mins (my microwave). Biryani looks and tastes good with stiff rice.
4. Keep aside.

For Chicken

1. 4 Onion cut in lengths.
2. 3 tomotoes cut in length.
3. Heat oil/ghee, put ginger-garlic paste or shreded.
4. Put on it onions.
5. Stir till onion gets rich brown and spreads nice aroma.
6. Put in tomotoes and stir till tomatoes get a bit mashed up.
7. Put haldi, red chilli powder, garam masala, dhania jeera powder, salt to taste and stir for 2 minutes.
8. Add chicken preferably marinated in curd, haldi, green chilli paste for atleast 1/2 hr. While cooking add the red chilli powder depending upon your delight for spicy food.
9. Mix well, cover the pan and let it cook on medium stove till chiken cooks well. Note that we are not using water at all.

Arrange Layers

1. Grease a pan.
2. Arrange a layer of rice.
3. Put a layer of chiken.
4. Arrange a layer of rice.
5. Put a layer of chiken.
6. Arrange a layer of rice.
7. Mix cup of milk with curd and kesar strands (optional to haldi).
8. Put the mix on the rice.
9. In a saute pan take 2 table spoon of ghee.
10. Once heated, put in 4 cashew nuts and onion cut in rings.
11. Stir the onion and cashew till crispy-dark-red.
12. Put the mix on the rice.
13. Put a lid and keep it on a very very low flame for 20 mins. Off the stove and keep it as it is.
14. Open the lid when ready to serve. I bet you will fall in love of the rich aroma.

The same stuff you can do it using microwave. Arrange the layers in a microwave safe jar and put it for 5-10 minutes. You can opt to cover the jar with plastic cling. But remember to pierce it with fork at random points.