Image: Cynthia Low
Serves six
INGREDIENTS
80g butter
80g dark cooking chocolate broken into pieces (80 per cent milk solids is the best)
180g caster sugar
200g self-raising flour, sifted
200ml milk
100g brown sugar
2 tbsp cocoa
500ml boiling water
DIRECTIONS
1. Melt the butter and chocolate in a small pot over low heat until melted.
2. Transfer the mixture to a microwave-safe bowl that is at least 12cm deep and around 20cm in diameter.
3. Stir in the sugar, sifted flour and then slowly add the milk, stirring until mixture is smooth. The mixture should fill only half the bowl.
4. Mix the brown sugar and cocoa together, then sprinkle on top of the pudding.
5. Pour the boiling water over the top. This sounds (and looks) a bit strange but it works itself out in the cooking process.
6. Place in a microwave oven on high heat for around 10 minutes or until just cooked in the centre. If it looks like it is going to boil over, pause the heat for five to 10 seconds, then continue.
Allow the pudding to stand for about 10 minutes, then serve with custard, cream or ice cream.
Before you try this recipe or any other microwave recipes - and I really encourage you to try - there are some things to remember:
Do make certain that dishes used are labelled as microwave safe.
Also, every microwave cooked recipe needs to stand for a specified time when it is taken out of the oven to finish the cooking process. The dish should be placed on a solid surface such as a chopping board, usually for about five to 10 minutes. That is because microwave ovens cook by making water, sugar and fat molecules vibrate, creating heat. Standing time allows the heat to spread, cooking to finish and the temperature of the food to stabilise.
It is also a good idea to stop the microwave and stir the dish at least once during cooking. This helps redistribute the heat so foods cook more evenly.
This article was first run in The Straits Times newspaper on August 3, 2014. For similar stories, go to sph.straitstimes.com/premium/singapore. You will not be able to access the Premium section of The Straits Times website unless you are already a subscriber.