Q: Since I got acquainted with ketchup and started using it as an ingredient for different dishes cooked on the stove and in the oven, I also prepared some easy sandwiches with ketchup in the microwave oven. I always feel dizzy thinking that I can cook lasagna or beef stroganoff in the microwave. Is it really possible? How can I microwave the other dishes that contain ketchup?
Beef Stroganoff with Ketchup in the Microwave
You can cook this dish in the microwave oven as well as on the stove. We recommend you to microwave it for two reasons:
- It will never burn and stick to the mold
- You need less time to cook it
Ingredients:
- Beef flesh – 500 g
- Vegetable oil – 3 tbs
- Onion – 1 pc
- Mustard – 1 tbs
- Flour – 1 tbs
- Sour cream or cream – 5 tbs
- Ketchup – 1 tbs
- Salt
- Pepper
Preparation:
Cut the beef flesh into thin slices (8-10 mm) and tenderize them. Slice again into thin long strands against the grain.
Oil the baking form and put the salted and peppered beef. Top with the onion rings and mix well. Cover the form with the lid.
Microwave the dish for three minutes at full power.
Take it out and add mustard, mix well and let it microwave again for three minutes.
Add flour and repeat the process.
Now is the turn of sour cream and ketchup. Mix the meat thoroughly and send back to the microwave oven for three more minutes.
Repeat the stirring twice and set the microwave oven to middle mode around 400 Watt. Let it cook for five minutes until readiness.
Can I Microwave Meat Loaf with Ketchup?
Yes, of course. My friends from the US and Canada often cook it in the microwave oven due to the speed of the process.
Meat has been traditionally cooked in the baking dishes for bread. That’s why it’s a ‘loaf’.
In fact, the dish resembles more a meat roll where the forcemeat is not rolled but brick-shaped.
The meat loaf can be cooked in a large mug or any other heat-resistant bowl that can go in the microwave oven.
Ingredients:
- Beef forcemeat – 120 g
- Onion – 1 pc
- Milk – 2 tbs
- Oat flakes – 2 tbs
- Ketchup – 1 tbs
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
Preparation:
Finely cut the onion and fry it in the olive oil until it becomes golden. Then you should mix the forcemeat with fried onion, oat flakes, milk and ketchup (you can take more than a tablespoon if you like). Salt and pepper the dish and mix thoroughly.
Put the forcemeat in a special microwaveable container and microwave for three minutes at full power.
The ready meat is usually served with meat sauce.
What About Microwaving Ketchup Alone or in the Packet?
This is a very bad idea to do so. The plastic bottle will get really soft, and the ketchup will run out of it leaving a mess all around your microwave oven.
The packet is usually made of the aluminum foil which is a metal, and you can’t microwave metals.
Ketchup, a condiment, is made from tomatoes, vinegar, and sweeteners; sometimes it contains spices and seasonings, water or citric acid. Microwaving the ketchup is not possible because you will spoil it. The liquids evaporate too fast in the microwave oven, and you’ll get a stuck together red mass which you, of course, don’t need.
How to Prepare Ketchup Hot Sauce “Dragon” Using Microwave
If you follow these instructions and take the number of the ingredients mentioned above, then you will get about a liter of sauce.
You can keep this ketchup sauce in the fridge for quite a long time, but we usually prepare it when we are going to go barbecuing. Men love this sauce and there’s nothing left to store.
Ingredients:
- Wood garlic – 2 bunches (200 g)
- Green apples – 2 pcs
- Tomato paste – 4 tbs
- Cinnamon – 1 tsp
- Black ground pepper – 1 tsp
- Garlic – 2 cloves
- Vinegar – 2 tbs
- Salt – 1 tsp
- Khmeli suneli – 1 tsp
- Dill and parsley – 2 bunches
- Boiling water
- Glass jars with the lids – 2 jars (0.5 l)
Preparation:
Wash the wood garlic, chop and put in a large bowl. Add vinegar and a teaspoon of salt. Pour in boiling water, stir, cover tightly with the lid and let it sit wrapped in a towel for about 20 minutes.
Pour out the liquid and rinse the herb to wash out the salt. Wash the jars, wipe and dry them.
Fill the jars with the tomato paste, pepper, cinnamon, and khmeli suneli. Mix well and add more salt if needed.
Pour in boiling water, stir and add some more tomato paste if needed.
Again, pour in boiling water up to the neck of the jars, stir and send in the microwave oven for a minute.
Take the jar out and screw the lid. Turn the jars upside down and keep in a warm place for two hours.
