No LPG? No problem: cook delicious food without a gas stove

I have always collected useful gadgets for the kitchen, from a variety of knives to pressure cookers. Now you will find stoves that are compatible with induction stoves. I bought Insta Pot as soon as it came in the market, because it has the system of roasting, pressure cooking and slow cooking like soup.

In the early years of my marriage I had an oven, part of a full cooking range, and a Kenwood Chef to make those mixing tasks easier. The microwave oven has been an invaluable gadget despite the myths surrounding it. I love the way vegetables retain their color when microwaved. Most of us nowadays use microwave only for heating, but due to lack of gas today it is also useful for cooking.

Assuming you’re a good enough cook, you can have a lot of fun planning meals without using gas.

With a variety of vegetables available in the market, all you need to do for soup is to fry them with a little oil on the induction stove, then cook them in an instant pot and liquefy them. An OTG or large oven is invaluable for cooking. Apart from cooked dishes, even stew can be made in a closed casserole dish which makes it much tastier as it takes more time to cook.

A sandwich toaster is a useful appliance for making breakfast with bread.

I have a rice cooker to make dum biryani, and an air fryer to fry brinjal slices or raw bananas using minimal oil. I also have a slow cooker for making soups or stock. I have also tried chicken curry in it. You turn it on before leaving for work in the morning and when you come back you find it is ready and very hot. the possibilities are endless!

Here are the recipes that require minimal cooking:

Sprouts Salad (without cooking)

Material:

Mixed sprouts (available in stores) 1 cup

1 large carrot, grated

Cucumber, cut into small cubes, 3/4 cup

Celery 1 large stalk finely chopped

Tomato, 1 medium size, cut into small cubes

Lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon

salt to taste

black pepper powder 1/2 teaspoon

Preparation

• Steam the sprouts lightly for 2 minutes in a steel steamer using an induction stove. You can use a steel strainer over a steel pot of water

. • Prepare vegetables as above

• Prepare dressing by mixing lemon juice, salt and black pepper.

• Mix all the ingredients in a salad bowl using a wooden ladle.

• Add dressing on top and mix gently

Dalia Khichdi (one pot meal using rice cooker or Insta Pot)

Material:

Dalia (broken wheat grains) 1/3 cup

Moong dal 1/3 cup

Water 1 and 1/2 cup

need to take salt

Mixed vegetables (carrots, beans, peas, potatoes, cauliflower) 200 grams

Tomatoes 2 medium sized

black peppercorns 4 nos.

green chilli cut 1

chilli powder 1 teaspoon

Ginger, grated, 1 tsp

For seasoning:

Ghee 1 tbsp

oil 1 tbsp

cumin 1 teaspoon

cinnamon, 1 inch piece

cloves 3 nos

Onion, medium size finely chopped, 1

Preparation

• Wash the porridge and lentils and soak them for 45 minutes.

• Add water, oatmeal and pulses to a multi pot or rice cooker, add salt.

• Cut the vegetables into small pieces and put them in the pot.

• Chop the tomatoes and add them to the others, also add black pepper, green chilli, chilli powder and ginger.

• Adjust timer for 5 minutes.

• In a small pan, add ghee and oil on low flame and add cumin, cinnamon and cloves.

• When it starts spluttering, add onion and fry until it becomes transparent.

• Add in the khichdi, stir and let it boil on SIM mode for a few minutes. If the khichdi is too dry, add hot water and cook on low flame for a minute or two. It can be served with raita in a meal.

Grilled Vegetables (Using the Oven)

Material

Vegetables (coloured capsicum, zucchini, onion, tomato) 250 grams

egg plant 1 big

Coating:

Chilli pieces, 1/2 tsp Chilli powder, 1/2 tsp

Ginger Garlic Paste 1 tsp

salt to taste

apple vinegar 1 teaspoon

olive oil 2 tbsp

Mixed dried herbs like basil and tarragon

Preparation

• Cut the brinjal into 1/4″ thick round pieces, flatten and keep aside

• Prepare vegetables. Remove seeds from capsicum and cut it lengthwise

Straps. Cut the zucchini into thin strips

• Cut onion thinly and tomato into four pieces

• Apply all the mixed spices on the vegetables and save some

Add more to the harvested egg plant

• Preheat the grill to 180 degrees, and place the brinjals on a baking tray.

Turn them over when done. (3-5 minutes)

• Remove and keep aside

• Apply the remaining coating paste over the vegetables and place

baking tray. Stir and turn after 5 minutes. Check for softness and remove

and plate, first cover the plate with egg plant balls and arrange

Top with grilled vegetables. garnish with halved olives

Sandwiches (no cooking, use sandwich toaster)

Material

Sandwich Bread 1/2 loaf

boiled eggs 1

butter as required

grated cheese 3 tbsp

Prepared Mustard 1/2 tsp

salt to taste

black pepper 1/2 teaspoon

Preparation

• Mash the eggs with a fork and take them out in a bowl. Mix butter, grated cheese, mustard, salt and pepper.

• Slice the bread and remove the crust if you wish.

• Spread egg paste generously on 4-5 slices

• Apply light butter on 4-5 slices and cover the bread slices with egg.

• Press down and cut into triangles.

• Cover it with a cloth soaked in water and keep it in a closed box.

• Have these delicious sandwiches with soup and one meal is over!

(You can use different fillings as per your wish. If you apply butter on the slices and add raw vegetables like capsicum, chopped tomatoes etc., add a slice of cheese on top of it and cook in a smooth sandwich toaster, it will also become very filling)

Grilled Mushrooms and Garlic

Material

Button Mushroom 200 Grams

1 head garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

olive oil 1 tbsp

black pepper powder 1/2 teaspoon

salt 1/2 teaspoon

chilli pieces 1 teaspoon

Vinegar or wine vinegar 1 tbsp

Coriander, minced, 1 cup.

Preparation

• Clean the mushrooms thoroughly to remove all dirt. I usually peel and wash them before cutting them.

• Heat the oven to 160 degrees, and place a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil.

• Add the mushrooms and stir from time to time until the moisture evaporates from them.

• Add the garlic and stir with the mushrooms until they brown and soften.

• Add pepper, salt, chilli pieces and vinegar and stir for a few minutes.

• Remove the tray from the oven and sprinkle chopped coriander and blend.

• Place on a flat serving dish or shallow bowl

(General Tips: Rice can be cooked in a rice cooker or Instapot. Dal can be cooked in an Instapot or in an open steel vessel on an induction stove with enough water. And masala as you like.)

Sabita Radhakrishna has written 10 books, 6 of which are cookbooks, some of which have received prestigious awards. As a textile expert she writes extensively on food, textiles and crafts. Sabita is the Founder Chairperson of UDHAVI which is a voluntary organization that focuses on the care of the elderly.