June is here, school's out for summer, the fireflies are lighting up our evenings, and the blog beckons. The big kitchen news since I last saw you is that my sweet sister gave me an Instant Pot for my birthday, and so I have much belatedly joined the ranks of IP enthusiasts.
The nice thing about being a late adopter of a cult favorite kitchen appliance is that someone has already done the homework for me. Generous souls have posted scores of resources and dozens of standardized recipes for me to try. Even right after unboxing the IP, I skipped the manual and used this handy article to test the appliance and start using it right away.
In the few weeks that I've owned the IP, I've made several different things in it. I tend to look up recipes for the (a) amount of water to be added and (b) pressure cooking time/steaming time and (c) instructions on natural pressure release or quick release or "wait x number of minutes and then do a quick release". Once I have this information or some sort of consensus from a few posted recipes, then I can adapt my own recipes to the Instant Pot.
My very first IP recipe was a one pot spaghetti, made by dumping in raw noodles, marinara sauce and some whole brown lentils into the IP. The lentils are not traditional, of course, but an easy way to add protein, fiber and heartiness to the dish. Not bad at all- it was a very kid friendly meal, served with a topping of Parmesan.
Another easy meal that turned out well was a tofu Vietnamese curry made by sauteeing veggies, curry powder, tofu and coconut milk, followed by a quick pressure cook.
For a special occasion, I made rice kheer in porridge mode using this recipe.
When I found fancy fingerling potatoes on sale in the grocery store, I knew dum aloo was going to be on the menu. I made the sauce on the stove top but used the IP to saute and pressure cook the potatoes, and they turned out absolutely perfect, well cooked but with more of a roasted taste rather than a boiled one.
Hard boiled eggs are easy and fool-proof in the IP- I made them yesterday using this recipe.
I've made vegetable pulao a couple of times, by sauteeing onions and whole spices, then adding mixed vegetables (carrots, peas, potatoes, zucchini) and salt, turmeric, garam masala, then 1 cup rinsed Jasmine rice and 1 1/4 cup water. Pressure cook for 4 minutes, wait 5 minutes and then release pressure.
Last night I topped this pulao with boiled eggs and fried onions to make a quick egg pulao. Two tips for this recipe are to use large chunks of vegetables so they don't get mushy, and to remove the insert from the base after the pressure is released and place it on a different surface, so the pulao doesn't just keep cooking.
I've also used the IP as a steamer to make idlis- my idli stand fits in it perfectly. So do the two stainless steel containers that came with my first (and since retired) pressure cooker. I'm glad I held on to the containers because they fit into the IP. I used them to steam a big batch of kobichi wadi (savory cabbage cakes) this weekend.
Kobichi wadi is a savory cabbage cake and a favorite Maharashtrian dish. The steamed cake is sliced and then pan fried (or deep fried) and served as a tea-time snack with green chutney and ketchup, or as a side dish with dal and rice and other everyday meals. Using cilantro instead of cabbage gives you kothimbir wadi, a recipe that I've posted 14 years ago!
This was a recipe made on the fly, but I'm noting down general proportions and steaming times here.
1/2 medium head of green cabbage, finely chopped
~2 cups besan (chickpea flour)
2 tbsp. rice flour
1 tbsp. sesame seeds
2 tsp. poppy seeds
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. red chili powder (or to taste)
Salt to taste
1 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. oil
The steamed and sliced kobichi wadi can be stored in the freezer to be thawed and fried later.
Send your favorite IP recipes my way, pretty please! What do you love using it for?
Have you ever wondered how much jam you could make out of exactly12 strawberries? My daughter went on a strawberry-picking field trip with her class and came home proudly clutching a little box of strawberries. After snacking on a few, she wanted to make jam with the rest, and she did:
Makes a third of a tiny 4 oz. mason jar, enough to top a few slices of hot buttered toast.
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| 6 quart duo plus Instant Pot |
In the few weeks that I've owned the IP, I've made several different things in it. I tend to look up recipes for the (a) amount of water to be added and (b) pressure cooking time/steaming time and (c) instructions on natural pressure release or quick release or "wait x number of minutes and then do a quick release". Once I have this information or some sort of consensus from a few posted recipes, then I can adapt my own recipes to the Instant Pot.
My very first IP recipe was a one pot spaghetti, made by dumping in raw noodles, marinara sauce and some whole brown lentils into the IP. The lentils are not traditional, of course, but an easy way to add protein, fiber and heartiness to the dish. Not bad at all- it was a very kid friendly meal, served with a topping of Parmesan.
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| Kheer |
For a special occasion, I made rice kheer in porridge mode using this recipe.
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| Punjabi dum aloo |
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| Veg Pulao |
I've made vegetable pulao a couple of times, by sauteeing onions and whole spices, then adding mixed vegetables (carrots, peas, potatoes, zucchini) and salt, turmeric, garam masala, then 1 cup rinsed Jasmine rice and 1 1/4 cup water. Pressure cook for 4 minutes, wait 5 minutes and then release pressure.
Last night I topped this pulao with boiled eggs and fried onions to make a quick egg pulao. Two tips for this recipe are to use large chunks of vegetables so they don't get mushy, and to remove the insert from the base after the pressure is released and place it on a different surface, so the pulao doesn't just keep cooking.
I've also used the IP as a steamer to make idlis- my idli stand fits in it perfectly. So do the two stainless steel containers that came with my first (and since retired) pressure cooker. I'm glad I held on to the containers because they fit into the IP. I used them to steam a big batch of kobichi wadi (savory cabbage cakes) this weekend.
Kobichi wadi is a savory cabbage cake and a favorite Maharashtrian dish. The steamed cake is sliced and then pan fried (or deep fried) and served as a tea-time snack with green chutney and ketchup, or as a side dish with dal and rice and other everyday meals. Using cilantro instead of cabbage gives you kothimbir wadi, a recipe that I've posted 14 years ago!
This was a recipe made on the fly, but I'm noting down general proportions and steaming times here.
Kobichi Wadi
1/2 medium head of green cabbage, finely chopped
~2 cups besan (chickpea flour)
2 tbsp. rice flour
1 tbsp. sesame seeds
2 tsp. poppy seeds
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. red chili powder (or to taste)
Salt to taste
1 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. oil
- Mix all the ingredients together. Add enough water to make a thick batter.
- Grease two containers and divide the batter between them.
- Stack the containers, cover, and steam in IP for about 35 minutes or until an inserted knife comes clean.
- Let the containers cool completely and refrigerate for a few hours.
- Use a thin knife to loosen around the edges, and remove the wadi.
- Using a serrated knife and a sawing motion, cut the savory cake into slices.
- Pan fry the slices until golden brown and serve them right away.
The steamed and sliced kobichi wadi can be stored in the freezer to be thawed and fried later.
Send your favorite IP recipes my way, pretty please! What do you love using it for?
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Have you ever wondered how much jam you could make out of exactly12 strawberries? My daughter went on a strawberry-picking field trip with her class and came home proudly clutching a little box of strawberries. After snacking on a few, she wanted to make jam with the rest, and she did:- Slice 12 strawberries, mix with 2-3 tbsp. sugar in a small saucepan and set aside for 20 minutes.
- Cook the saucepan on medium heat until the berries fall apart and start to thicken.
- Add 1-2 tsp. lemon juice and cook for a couple more minutes.
- Cool and store.
Makes a third of a tiny 4 oz. mason jar, enough to top a few slices of hot buttered toast.
* * *
We continue to volunteer at the animal shelter every weekend- here are some recent photos of the pups and kitties.
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| Miss Kitty is a big and beautiful Persian cat- it is a treat to brush her. |
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| It is kitten season over at the shelter- last week there were 10 kittens there, all about 8 weeks old. |
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| These three kits were siblings- frightened at first, then 5 minutes later, they were bouncing around playfully. |
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| Puppy season too- this is a litter of five (count 'em!) 2 week old puppies. |
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| Sweet kitty named Matilda |
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| We were surprised to see a trio of bunnies one week! |
