🎓 University Kitchen – Recipe #7 🍚 Microwave Basmati Rice

🎓 University Kitchen – Recipe #7

🍚 Microwave Basmati Rice

Rice without a saucepan? Absolutely! A simple university-kitchen shortcut for perfectly usable basmati rice with minimal effort.

Ingredients

• 2 cups basmati rice – I used Tilda
• 5 cups boiling water

Optional: Add any flavouring you fancy — leftover chicken gravy, tomato gravy, curry sauce, stock, herbs or spices.

Method

1. Wash the basmati rice twice in tap water, draining well each time.
2. Place the washed rice in a large microwave-safe bowl.
3. Add 5 cups of boiling water.
4. Optional: If you want flavoured rice, add your chosen flavouring at this stage and stir.
5. Microwave on full power for 15 minutes.
6. Carefully remove the bowl — it will be very hot, so take care.
7. Gently fluff the rice with a spoon while it is hot, separating the grains.
8. Fluffing the rice helps prevent it from sticking together and forming lumps as it cools.

🎓 University Kitchen Tip

Don’t waste leftover gravy! Add it to your rice while adding the boiling water and turn plain basmati rice into something completely different every time.

Chicken gravy, tomato gravy, curry sauce — whatever you have and whatever you fancy!

Simple, flexible and very much University Kitchen cooking: use what you have. 🍚

Pasta payasam

🍝 Pasta Payasam

A creamy, indulgent twist on traditional payasam, made with pasta, whole milk, evaporated milk, caramel and fragrant cardamom.

Ingredients

• 1 cup fusilli pasta
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 can evaporated milk
• 1 can Carnation Caramel
• ½ cup sugar
• ½–1 tsp cardamom powder, to taste
• Water, as required

Method

1. Prepare the pasta:
   Blend the dry fusilli pasta briefly in a blender to break it into smaller pieces. Do not powder it completely.
2. Cook the pasta:
   Cook the broken pasta in water until soft. Drain and set aside.
3. Reduce the milk:
   Bring 1 cup of whole milk to the boil and simmer until it reduces to approximately ¾ cup, stirring occasionally.
4. Make the payasam:
   Add the cooked pasta to the reduced milk. Stir in the evaporated milk and bring gently to a simmer.
5. Add the caramel:
   Dilute the Carnation Caramel with a little water and add it to the payasam. Mix well.
6. Sweeten and flavour:
   Add ½ cup sugar and stir in the cardamom powder.
7. Simmer:
   Cook gently for a few minutes, stirring continuously, until creamy and well combined.
8. Serve:
   Serve warm or chilled. The payasam will thicken further as it cools.