How To: Cook Rice in a Microwave
I usually make this on days when I have soo many dishes too cook, when all my stove tops are being used for other dishes. Or on days when I want to do other things and not necessarily watch my rice. All you need to do is put the rice in a microwave safe bowl, cover it with a lid that allows air to escape and that’s it. I was taught this by my cuz Cynthia one day when we were visiting her house. I bet she can not remember. But thanx girly. One of my readers, Wachu Wanjaria also suggested adding coconut oil or powder to make coconut rice. Have to try that next time.
Recipe:
Recommended times: 1/2 cup rice, 9 minutes 3/4 cup rice, 12 minutes 1 cup rice, 16 minutes 1 1/4 cups rice, 20 minutes 1 1/2 cups rice, 23 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup of rice
- 2 cups water or stock
- salt
- butter, oil (optional)
- Coconut oil or powder (optional)
Instructions
Rinse your rice under cold water a few times. If you’re using brown rice you might want to soak it for at least 30 minutes to make it easier to cook.
Mix the water and the rice in a microwave safe container in the ratio of 2:1 water:rice (2 cups of water for every cup of rice).
*Another way to do this is to put your rice in the container then pour water in till it covers the rice by about an inch, you can measure by putting your clean finger in the pot so that the tip of your finger touches the top of the rice, the water should cover up till your first knuckle
Season the water. Add salt, pepper, olive/ vegetable oil, butter, aromat or any other seasoning you usually use then stir the rice. Cover your rice BUT DO NOT USE an air tight lid, set the lid on the container. If the lid has vents to let out steam open those. Alternatively cover with cling wrap twice then poke holes on it to let out steam. Put in the microwave and set the time. Once done let the rice sit for about 3-5 minutes so that it finishes cooking then fluff it. EASY
https://www.themothershipvillage.com/how-to-cook-rice-in-a-micowave/
Chicken Pilau
There meals that are so typically Kenyan. Meals that you will rarely miss at most gathering. You know those meals that ALL Kenyans think they can cook just by virtue of them being Kenyan. Sort of like the way you imagine all Italians should know how to make great pasta meals or pizza or that a Spaniard should have their paella skills locked down. Well pilau is one of those meals for Kenyans. Its always in every wedding or party but only thing is they do not really make pilau but some version of it where they put meat and some pilau masala and call it pilau, HAA!! What a shame.
Then there my relatives from central who made the term pilau Njeri famous. What we do is add everything we have then some pilau masala and call it Pilau. BIGGER HAAA!! I was never really in this league but in the league of those who just used pilau masala and came out with something sort of, kinda like pilau. That was until a few years ago when my gal Angie’s mum tried to teach me how to make it right. I never really got the measurements right but she did make a mean Pilau and she told me that she would sometimes add pilau masala for the color. Well the knowledge she passed on to me kinda faded away and I forgot all about cooking a good pilau till sometime last year when I discovered Fauzia and begun to try again.
I promise you this is the simplest pilau recipe you will ever come across. And it’s really tasty too each time I make it I have to stop myself from eating the whole sufuria.
Ingredients
- 1 chicken cut up into pieces
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1 tablespoon garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
- 500 grams of rice
- 3 onions, chopped
- 3 potatoes, peeled and cut into 4 pieces each
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin/coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground roasted cumin powder
- 3 tablespoon butter
- 5 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste (extra)
- a bunch of coriander,chopped
- 1 level tablespoon whole cumin
- ½ teaspoon whole pepper
- 2 sticks cinnamon
- 2 cloves
- 2 cardamom
Instructions
Soak the rice in 4 cups of water for at least 30 minutes
Put the chicken with 1 tablespoon of garlic,1 teaspoon ginger, black pepper and salt. Add the water. Simmer on low heat for 15 minutes ONLY. The chicken will cook later
Put a big pot on heat. Once it is hot add the oil and butter. Once butter is melted add the spices in the spices coloumn. Stir and once they begin to splutter add onions and cook till they are translucent then add in the potatoes, turmeric and cumin/coriander powder. Stir and fru for a few minutes then add in the remaining garlic and the chopped coriander.
Add in the boiled chicken stir well then add the stock ( the ratio of stock:rice is 1.25:1, 1 and ¼ cups of stock for every cup of rice) and some salt. Let it simmer then taste for salt. It should be “too” salty for your liking so that it’s just right when the rice is cooked.
Drain rice and add to the pot, stir well then sprinkle with some coriander on top. Let it cook for about 2-3 minutes then reduce the heat to medium and cover with a lid. Once the water has reduced reduce the heat to very low. Let this cook for about ten minutes then switch off the heat.
Fluff rice with a fork and leave the lid on for about 3 minutes.
HAPPY EATING!!
https://www.themothershipvillage.com/chicken-pilau/Rice Flour and Coconut Pancakes (Vibibi)
I once heard that the best way to discover a new way of making something is to have a kitchen disaster. I never fully believed this until the day i tried making vitumbua.
I got the Vitumbua recipe from Fauzia’s Kitchen Fun and I was so psyked to go try it. I followed the instructions to the letter (or so i thought) and i could not wait to eat the Vitumbuas. I should have known something was very wrong when my batter did not really rise but i ignored that sign, when i put the batter in the pan it did not rise like it should to form a mandazi like snack but it instead made a well risen pancake, and boy did they taste GREAT. I made too many any I ate some gave out some BUT after a few hours they had a funny taste i think from the yeast fermenting.
When I reread the recipe I figure out my mistake, I was using dry yeast I think instead of the instant (or something like that) and I needed to activate my yeast first by putting it in warm water and sugar which I did not so that was why my vitumbuas turned into pancakes and why the yeast tasted bitter later.
Good thing was, I now wanted to try and make pancakes using the same recipe. That idea stayed on my mind then one day as i was shopping for my Foodie Penpal I saw that they had rice flour at Nakumatt so I bought it and made this using a slightly different recipe as the original one from Fauzia used rice that you soaked and blended. The pancakes were to die for. I am sure you will love it.
Do you have any Kitchen distastes that became w discoveries for you???
HAPPY COOKING!!
INGREDIENTS
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice flour (available in all leading supermarkets)
- 1/4 cup of sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1 teaspoon cardamon
- 1 cup coconut milk, plus a little extra if needed.
Instructions
Mix the first four ingredients well in a mixing bowl, once well blended add in the coconut milk and whisk to your desired consistency. Not to thin as you want the pancakes to rice well.
Heat some oil in a pan, pour batter into hot pan and spread out to desired pancake size, let the pancake cook till the top starts forming bubbles. turn the pancake and cook for about a minute and remove.Serve hot.
HAPPY EATING!!
If you do not have rice flour you can use about a cup of raw rice. Soak the rice overnightthen blend all ingredients in a blender