Microwave chow chow kootu recipe, Thengai burfi !!

Chow chow kootu recipe in microwave

I remember having pestered my hubby to buy a microwave for me some 3 years back promising to use it in a very good way.I had told him microwave retains the nutrients in food, and if it had a grill and convection mode , I will get to try a lot of cakes and other wonderful things and so on...
I did bake a few cakes in the beginning and then tried out some indian delicacies too. Of course then I did bake many cakes , not in the convection option of my microwave oven, but in a huge in built convection oven I had in my new house. Microwave was then left only for reheating the food.
But no, not anymore, I really felt bad about it and decided to use it in a proper way now. And I started with a tamil sidedish called kootu.It tasted good and I am looking forward to use my microwave for many other purposes. And you guys will be seeing this!!!

Ingredients-

Chow chow/bangalore kathirikai/chokos- 1 chopped in cubes(You can also use ridge gourd, bottlegourd,snake gourd, a combination of vegetables)
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder- 1tsp
Tuvar dal- 1/2 cup soaked in hot water for 1 hour)

Tempering-
Mustard- 1tsp
Udid dal- 1tsp
Channa dal- 2tsp
Oil- 2tsp
Curry leaves- 1 sprig
Asafoetida- a pinch

To grind to a smooth paste-
Grated coconut- 1/2cup
Green chillies- 2
Jeera/cumin seeds- 1tsp

Method-

Add the oil in a microwave safe bowl along with the other ingredients mentioned under the heading 'tempering'. Microwave this for a minute using 100%power.
Then add the tuvar dal with 2tbsp of water and microwave again at 100% power for 3 minutes. Stir in between. Then add the chopped vegetable,salt and turmeric powder. Mix well. Microwave at 100% for 8 minutes stirring in after every 2-3 minutes. Ensure that the vegetables and the dal(lentils) is cooked well. If not, microwave for another 2 minutes.
Now add the ground paste. Mix thoroughly and microwave at 100%for another 2 minutes. Mix well.
Serve hot with sambar rice. Goes well with chapatis too.


Coconut burfi/thengai burfi

I have already posted thengai burfi in my blog. But I saw the recipe mentioned in chitramma's kitchen and found it really good and it did not use ghee. The measurements given are very accurate and the burfis were really good. So basically , this is for my records and will be following this recipe in future. Thank you Dibs for the wonderful recipe.

Ingredients-
Grated coconut- 1 coconut
Sugar- 2 tumblers
Milk- 1tumbler
I used a pinch of yellow colour. Thats totally optional.

Method

Mix all the ingredients together. Place this on a low flame and stir till sugar melt. Just keep stirring in between. When it thickens, it forms into a ball. Place this on a greased plate and flatten it with a ladle or knife. Allow to cool. Cut into squares or diamond when its still warm.
Store in a air tight container.