We try cooking mochi and other snacks you wouldn't believe you could make with a microwave

For most people, ourselves included, the microwave is usually the go-to tool for heating up leftovers.

So when we were told that there are people who use it to cook, we couldn't help but do more research on this. 

While mug cake recipes are a dime a dozen, we stumbled upon interesting snacks that recipes online claimed could be done with just the power of the microwave. 

We were doubtful at first though – could you really make potato chips, mochi and chinese buns in the microwave? So we decided to try it out for ourselves and here are the results. 

Potato Chips

4 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 potatoes
• Salt
• Olive oil (optional)

Steps:

1. Slice the potatoes thinly and place immediately into a bowl of cold water.
2. Drain the potatoes and rinse thoroughly.
3. Dry them between two clean dish towels.
4. Arrange the slices on a paper towel on a large plate.
5. Coat the potato slices with olive oil on both sides (optional) and salt them. Ensure that the potato slices do not touch one another or they will stick while bring cooked.
6. Microwave on high heat for 3 mins.
7. Turn the chips over and microwave for another 30 secs, until they are golden brown and crispy. (Timing varies, keep watch so the chips don't burn)

Our verdict: It works and we'll make it again 

While the microwaved chips are not an exact replica of store-bought potato chips, the taste is pretty similar.

We also highly recommend watching your chips after turning them over and heating them for the second time in the microwave or they might burn.

It took us a a few failed attempts before we achieved success by making adjustments to the cooking timing and getting more palatable chips.

While peeling the potato skin and slicing the potato might take a bit of time, we'll make it again for the satisfaction of a homemade and delicious snack.

Find the original recipe here.

Peanut-covered Mochi

4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sweet rice flour
• 2 tbsp and 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1/2 cup peanut or vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup water (original recipe states 1/4 cup water)
• 1/2 cup unsalted peanuts, roasted and ground into powder
• 3 tbsp white sugar

Steps:

1. Combine rice flour, cornstarch and water in a microwave-safe mixing bowl.
2. Stir until smooth.
3. Heat the mixture up in the microwave in intervals of 20 secs, mixing in between cooking times, until the mochi is slightly transparent throughout. It will require five to six rounds of mixing.
4. Coat a plastic sandwich or ziplock bag with oil and place the mochi mixture inside.
5. Knead with hands until the mochi absorbs most of the oil. Let it cool to room temperature.
6. Mix the ground peanuts and sugar together.
7. Place mochi into the peanut and sugar mixture and cut the mochi into bite-sized pieces, coating with peanuts.

Our verdict: It's a fail but we'll try it again with some tweaks

Our attempt at making mochi with a microwave did not turn out as well as we had hoped. Our resulting mochi mixture was lumpy instead of smooth, and not as chewy as mochi usually is.

To make it easier to eat, we rolled the mochi into balls instead. While the taste was still not ideal, there was one saving grace: the peanut topping, which was absolutely delicious.

However, we suspect that success could be achieved by making slight adjustments to the recipe and would give the recipe a whirl again, with some changes of course.

Find the original recipe here.

Baos (Chinese Buns)

1 serving

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp condensed milk
• 3 tbsp fat-free milk

Steps:

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a microwave-safe cup or bowl with a whisk or a fork. The resulting mixture is thick and gooey. 
2. Pop into the microwave for 1 min till the top looks dry. Pop it out of the container with your fork.

Our verdict: We'll do it again in a pinch but not if other options are available

If you think you'll get a nice fluffy bun like the kind you will get in a char siew bao, you'll be sorely disappointed. The texture is closer to a mantou, but you'll need to have a good grasp of how long to heat it in the microwave.

Our attempt turns out harder than we would like, so we say, undercook it first and if it feels too gooey to the touch, pop it into the microwave again for a couple more seconds.  

One thing to note is that the mixture is really thick and you'll have to give it a really good mix to ensure all the flour is mixed in well — we found leftover flour at the bottom of our mug when we popped out our bun.   

Would we make it again though? If we wanted a bun to complement the leftovers we have in the fridge, perhaps. But as we have lots of options easily available, we wouldn't bother, especially if no one at home uses condensed milk — there's a whole can now sitting in our fridge. 

Find the original recipe here.

trining@asiaone.com
kailun@asiaone.com