Microwave Cooking

Zaty only has the microwave oven in her apartment.The hotplate is not plugged meaning the landlord does not want the girls to be cooking on their own.Cooking could be a fire hazard if one is not careful.Or the landlord does not encourage excessive use of electricity.

After three weeks eating out, Zaty and her housemates are planning to cook.They have to plan their weekly budget well now that their sponsor has issued their scholarship for 6 months.I reminded Zaty that that should last 6 months and not 4 months or earlier.Staying on her own is a good practice for Zaty before she does likewise in a foreign land unlike her brothers who lived in a catered college environment where they need not worry what or where to eat for their next meal.

To cook with the microwave oven is easy.One has to learn to estimate the cooking time. It is easier if the microwave oven comes with a manual.Too long cooking time will make meat tough or bread hard as the microwave acts on the water molecules and dries the food.

The shortcut for Zaty to make dishes to accompany rice is to buy the sauces at the hypermarkets near her apartment or come home and make them, freeze and microwave when needed.The sauces can be added to steamed or microwaved fish, chicken, squids, prawns or meat.

Cooking vegetables would be easy too if you add a little stock to the cut vegetables.
You can use Maggi or Knorr cubes for stock.

The sauces you can buy or prepare before hand are:

Black Pepper Sauce

Sweet and Sour Sauce

Plum Sauce

Sambal Sauce

Asam Pedas ( Hot and Sour Sauce)and

Curry

Below is a simple recipe using asam pedas sauce bought at the supermarket.

Ingredients:

1 packet asam pedas

2 or 3 small fish (Kembong, bawal or selar.I am not suggesting the more expensive fish because it may be out of a student's budget). (You can get the fish gutted at the supermarket now)Clean and slit the fish on each side and season with a little salt.

3 or 4 okra or ladies fingers, cut into 2

1 onion cut into 4

Place the okra and onion in a microwave bowl or dish.You can use a ceramic bowl instead of the plastic microwave as the plastic will absorb colour with repeated use.Add the ready-made sauce.Microwave for a few minutes till the okra is half-cooked.Add the fish and cook for a few more minutes till the fish is cooked.

(Different ovens will cook at different rates depending on whether it is cooked at high or low.I prefer cooking at low.)

You can use the same technique for curries and other sauces.