Microwave Meals – Chef David Chang’s top recipes
The Michelin-starred chef explains why the microwave is essential in his kitchen.
The Times October 29th.
I could not live without my microwave. It is the single best piece of equipment in a kitchen. Microwaves are so often maligned among cooks and ignored in cookbooks and food magazines. Why? They are powerful, versatile tools that can make home cooking so much faster.
You want to steam vegetables? Do it in a microwave. You want to quickly roast a head of cauliflower? Microwave it and then pop it in the oven for a little while to get colour on it. Need to melt chocolate? You just need a microwave.
They significantly shorten the cooking process. An oven heats the air, then the air heats the food. Microwaves directly heat the food. They make quick work of steamed vegetables and grains by transferring energy to water molecules. They are great for cooking meat for those same reasons — just make sure you cover the meat to trap some of the moisture, which prevents it from drying out.
You can’t just pop anything into a microwave and expect a glorious meal, however. The key to success is knowing that it’s not going to do all the work. It is best used in conjunction with a stovetop or oven. It’ll get your broccoli steamed and your chicken cooked, but you’ll want to finish them in a hot pan to make them really delicious. What surprises some people is that anything fatty will get super-hot, which means that it can actually crisp up bacon. Microwaves are also phenomenal at coaxing flavours out of herbs and spices. So place your herbs in oil and microwave them for a few minutes — the heating will release the flavour compounds. I also put a lemon or lime in the microwave for a few seconds before using it to soften the membranes and maximise the output of the fruit — it will become much juicier.
What a microwave can’t do is make a crunchy exterior or cook foods that require steady, controlled heating, like a cake or a delicate pudding, although I did recently make a great mug cake in the microwave.
Remember, the energy waves are scattering all around in the microwave, and while they hit the food at every angle, they don’t do so uniformly. The Maillard reaction — the browning that gives seared meat its distinct flavour — or the caramelisation that turns onions from sweating to sweet can’t happen in a microwave because the temperatures don’t get hot enough. But that isn’t anything that a few minutes in a hot pan can’t fix.
The trick to successful cooking in the microwave is to use the power settings. High-moisture foods such as soups and vegetables work well on high settings. They are dense, though, so if you’re microwaving something like a dal or a thick soup, take it out every so often and mix it up to ensure even heat distribution.
Seafood and fish also cook well on high settings because of their high water content. Ice converts energy slower than water, so thawing is better on lower settings. These are also better for softening butter or melting chocolate because both can burn quickly. Use a medium setting to cook meat, grains and other dense foods at a slower rate to prevent drying. Whatever setting you choose, remember that microwaves heat unevenly and are drawn to the densest area, so distribute food across the container and let it stand for a few minutes after cooking so the temperature equilibrates. This may sound obvious, but make sure your container is microwave-safe; that usually means glass or ceramic. Don’t microwave in plastic unless it is labelled as microwave-safe.
In these recipes I have given a range for the time because the power can vary so much from microwave to microwave — so always be overly cautious to start, and you can always add more time. The last thing you want to do is turn your food into shoe leather.
Rice
For most recipes, basmati or other long-grain rices cook better in a microwave than short grain. For two people cook 210g rinsed and drained rice with 470ml water (less if you like it dried and firmer, more if you like it stickier and softer) for 15-25 min at full power. When the rice is done, the water will have evaporated; the grains will be soft and sticking up like grass.
Fish
I love steaming fish and prawns in the microwave — it’s hard to dry them out because you’re heating them gently, enclosed in a moist environment.
Vegetables
My favourite vegetables to microwave are broccoli, carrots, sugar snap peas, green beans, cauliflower, aubergine and potatoes. It steams them much more efficiently than in a pan on the hob.
Chicken Thighs
This makes chicken thighs extra juicy. It’s also fast, and by microwaving them straight out of the packet you’ll ensure they get cooked through. For three or four people, in a large microwave-safe glass bowl cook 450g boneless skinless chicken thighs for 8-10 min until they are opaque, soft and not pink. They don’t need to be completely done because you will finish them in a pan, perhaps frying them with some diced vegetables and aromatics such as onion, garlic or ginger.
David Chang’s Microwave Recipes
The no-stir ‘risotto’
You can make a microwave dish that tastes a lot like risotto. This is a bastardised risotto. I would not tell people to make it in restaurants this way, but it is delicious. In a large microwave-safe dish combine 300g short-grain rice, 470ml stock (vegetable, beef or chicken), 235ml water, half a chopped yellow onion and a splash of soy sauce. Microwave on high for 25-35 min until the liquid is mostly soaked up, removing the dish every 8 min or so to stir. Then add 235ml water and microwave for 5-8 min until creamy and porridge-like. Stir in a few knobs of unsalted butter, a big handful of grated parmesan, a splash of white wine and black pepper.
One-pot ginger chicken and rice
Marinate 450g uncooked boneless and skinless chicken thighs in seasoning (I like a mix of oil, minced garlic, ground ginger, fish sauce, lime leaves and salt) for about 20 min. In a large container put 200g washed, drained short-grain rice and 350ml stock or water. Set the marinated chicken on top. Cover and microwave for 20-30 min, removing the dish every 8 min to stir, until the rice and chicken are cooked through. Cut up the chicken with scissors, then garnish with chopped spring onions or herbs.
Japanese chawanmushi
This is a clean and light Japanese steamed egg custard, which works beautifully in the microwave if you cook it on low power. You can customise this however you want, adding prawns, mushrooms, spring onions etc to the mix.
This is the basic ratio: in a microwave-safe bowl combine 3 eggs, a little over 120ml chicken broth or dashi that has been seasoned with some kind of umami ingredient (mushroom powder, hondashi etc) and sliced spring onions. Use chopsticks to mix everything together until the mixture is uniform. Add a few frozen prawns chopped into small pieces (there’s no need to thaw). Cover tightly, making sure there is no room for air to escape, and cook until set (about 12 min at 30-40 per cent power, but it could take as long as 17 min). Top with extra sliced spring onions. Eat it warm or chill it and eat cold.
Perfectly steamed fish with ginger and soy
Marinate the fish for about 30 min in a mix of Shaoxing wine, chopped ginger, chopped spring onions and soy sauce; or salt, pepper and lime juice; or just season it with fish sauce. Then place the seasoned fish fillets (I usually do 3 fillets of 115g each) skin side up on a microwave-safe plate. Cover and microwave for 4-6 min until the fish is tender (a little longer if cooking from frozen). Peel the skin off and serve with a side of sauce, which could be plain soy sauce or chilli crisp.
The most delicious way to serve cauliflower
Cut a medium-size head of cauliflower into golfball-size pieces and microwave on a plate for 8-10 min until tender. In a small bowl combine 4 or 5 tinned anchovy fillets, 6 cloves of garlic, a pinch of sugar, a small handful of crushed nuts (almonds or macadamia work well) and 60ml oil, then microwave for about 60-90 seconds until the oil is quite hot. Mash everything together with a fork, then squeeze in the juice of half a lemon. Taste, season, then pour over the cauliflower. Serve with flatbread or rice.
Glazed carrots in honey and soy sauce
Cut lots of carrots into strips and toss them in a bowl with equal parts soy sauce and honey, and a few pieces of unsalted butter. Cover and microwave on regular power for 5-10 min until the carrots are tender and the liquid is a thick sauce that you can spoon over the top, like basting a steak. Finish with a squeeze of lime juice.
The tastiest lime and chilli Brussels sprouts
Halve a bunch of Brussels sprouts and microwave them, covered, for 5-10 min until soft but still containing a little bite. Squeeze lime juice over the top and drizzle with chilli crisp. Toss to coat. Taste and add salt and lime juice if needed. Serve over rice.
Greens with lemon-sesame dressing
Start with 950g vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, greens, corn, carrots) cut into bite-size pieces. Cover and microwave until crisp-tender. Transfer to a plate and drizzle with a sauce made as follows: whisk together the juice of half a lemon, 1 chopped dried red chilli, 1 minced garlic clove, a spoonful of soy sauce and a drizzle each of honey and toasted sesame oil.
Salt-crusted microwave potatoes
Wash 450g small potatoes, skin on. Toss them in salt while they are wet. Place in a container with a lid on and microwave for 5-15 min, depending on the size, giving them a shake partway through. When they’re cooked through, serve with mayo.
Creamy mashed potatoes
Poke 4 large potatoes (ideally russet) five times on both sides with a fork and put in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 5 min on each side, or until cooked through. Peel, then mash in a bowl, mixing in with 50-60g salted butter. In another bowl combine 570ml double cream, 1 minced garlic clove, black pepper and a pinch of thyme leaves. Microwave for a few minutes until cream is very hot. Strain through a sieve, then mix into potatoes a little at a time. Add a dash of olive oil, taste and season.
Extracted from Cooking at Home by David Chang and Priya Krishna (Clarkson Potter, published on November 8).