Deepavali away from home leaves anyone with a pang of homesickness and it is worse if you are a foodie because the thought of all the mouth-watering your Amma would cook up back home can literally kill you a little. However, fret not, here are some simple microwave recipes you can try at your dorm. If it turns out well, invite your buddies and have a little Malaysian party and maybe with some practice, you can blow your Amma away with your cooking skills once you’re back home!

1. MICROWAVE CHICKEN BRIYANI

INGREDIENTS
•    1 Chicken (cut into 8 pieces)
•    2 tsp onions, grated
•    1 tsp ginger paste
•    1 tsp garlic paste
•    1 tsp cumin seeds
•    1 garam masala
•    1 tsp coriander powder
•    1 tsp chilli powder
•    1/2 tsp turmeric
•    1 1/2 tsp salt
•    1 cup tomato, grated
•    1/2 cup hung yogurt
•    1/2 cup coriander leaves, chopped
•    1 tsp biryani masala
•    3/4 cup sauteed onion slices
•    For the rice:
•    2 cup rice (washed and soaked)
•    2 tsp oil
•    4 Cloves
•    4 Peppercorns
•    1/4 tsp cinnamon (broken)
•    4 Green cardamoms
•    1/2 tsp salt
•    3 cups hot water
•    Saffron or color mixed in 1/2 cup warm milk

METHOD
1.Heat the oil in a dish, add onions, cumin and ginger-garlic pastes.
2.Cook uncovered on high for 6 minutes.
3.Add the garam masala, coriander and chilli powders, turmeric, salt and tomato.
4.Mix well and cook covered on high for 15 minutes stirring once.
5.Mix in the chicken and cook covered on high for 5 minutes.
6.Stir and cook at 70% covered for 15 minutes stirring once. It should be cooked through by now.
7.Mix in 1/2 cup of the sauteed onions, yoghurt, coriander and biryani masala.

To prepare the Rice:
1.Mix in the oil, cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon and cardamoms and cook on high for 7 minutes and then at 70%  covered for 7 minutes. Add the rice, water and salt, mix well and cook on high for 7 minutes and then at 70% covered for 7 minutes .

To Serve:
1.Put the chicken layer at the bottom of a dish.
2.Cover with rice and sprinkle with milk mixture over the rice.
3. Cook at 70% covered for 10 minutes.
4.Mix to break up the layers and serve hot, garnished with the remaining sauteed onions.

2. MICROWAVE TANDOORI CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS
•    1 Kg Chicken (cut into pieces and pierced)
•    1 tsp Garlic paste
•    1 tsp Ginger paste
•    1 cup Hung Yogurt
•    1 tbsp Salt
•    1 tsp Garam Masala
•    2 tsp Coriander Powder
•    1/4 tsp Black Pepper , powdered
•    Cream
•    Oil (to brush on the chicken)
•    For Garnishing:
•    Lemon Wedges
•    Onion Rings

METHOD
1.Marinate the chicken with garlic, ginger, yogurt, salt, garam masala, black pepper and cream for a minimum of 2-3 hours.
2.Place a saucer in a dish and arrange the chicken over it in a circle.
3.Cover and cook on high for 5 minutes, turning once. Brush with oil at every cooking interval.
4.Cover and cook on high for another 3 minutes.
5.Uncover and cook on high for 2 minutes.
6.Let it stand for 5 minutes before serving with onion rings and lemon wedges on the side.

3. MICROWAVE KESARI

INGREDIENTS
•  Semolina/Rava (1 cup)
• Sugar (1 1/2 cups)
• Water (2 1/4 cups)
•  Cashews and Raisins (as much as you like)
•  Ghee/clarified butter (2-3 tsp)
•  Food colouring  (a few drops) 
• Flavouring essence, I like to use vanilla. (1 tsp)
•  Salt ( a pinch)

METHOD
1.  In a heavy ceramic/glass bowl, add about 1 tsp of ghee and mix in the rava. Roast uncovered in the microwave for about 2-3 minutes. If you are using pre-roasted rava, skip this step. Stir every 30 seconds to ensure even roasting and prevent burning.

2. Once the rava is roasted (you’ll know it’s done when it stops smelling raw and becomes fragrant), transfer to another plate. In the same ceramic bowl, add another 1 tsp ghee and roast the Cashews and Raisins. (Raisins take 30 sec and the cashews take an additional 2 minutes).
 
3. Once the nuts have been roasted, transfer them to another plate. In the same ceramic bowl, combine water, sugar, food colouring, flavouring essence and the roasted rava.
 
4.  Cook covered for around 2-3 minutes (remember to stir every 30 seconds).

5.  If you wish, you may stir in a last teaspoon of ghee before serving.

6. Serve hot topped with the roasted cashews and raisins.

Think you can pull these recipes off? Let us know how it went in the comments and stay tuned to RAAGA for more yummy reads!