Chayote koottu

Ingredients:
Moong dal, split - 1/2 cup
Moong dal, whole - 1/2 cup
Chayote, cut into bite-size pieces - 2
Dried red chilies - 3
Salt - 1 tsp or to taste
Sambar powder (optional) - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 2 tsp
Coconut, grated - 3/4 cup
Oil - 3 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch

Method:
Wash and rinse the dal until the water runs clear. Soak for 10-15 min and drain. Add 2 cups of water, a pinch of turmeric and two drops of oil and mix.

Add 2 cups water to the Instant Pot.  Using a trivet, place a container with the dal and place the chayote pieces on top in another container. Pressure cook on high for 8 minutes.

In the meantime, blend the coconut and 1 tsp of cumin seeds along with 1-1.5 red chilies and enough water to make a thick paste.

Heat a saucepan and add oil. Add mustard seeds and the remaining cumin seeds and chilies. Add asafoetida. Mix well. Stir in the chayote pieces and coat well. Add the lentils and 1/2 cup water, mix well. Cook on a medium-low flame until the ingredients come to a boil. Add the sambar powder if using, and cook until the raw smell goes away. Add the coconut paste, mix well, and cook for another five minutes.

Serve hot with rice or chapati.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan

Instant Pot chhole (chickpeas)

Ingredients:

Chickpeas, soaked overnight and drained - 3 cups

Black tea - 1 bag

Onion, large, finely chopped - 1.5

Tomatoes, quartered (or use canned) - 5 small (or 4 small with juice from can)

Ginger-garlic paste - 2 tbsp

Salt - 2.5 tsp

Powdered spices

Chana masala or garam masala - 2 tbsp

Pomegranate powder (anardana) - 2 tsp

Red chili powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Dry spices

Cinnamon - 2 long sticks

Black (large) cardamom - 3 pods

Cloves - 6

Kasuri methi - 3 tbsp
Ginger, cut into thin strips - 2" piece

Green chilies, small, slit lengthwise - 7-8

Oil - 2 tbsp

Method:

Turn on the Instant Pot on sautée mode (high heat). Heat the oil. When hot, add the dry spices and stir for a couple of minutes. Add onions and stir to coat well. Fry, stirring occasionally, until the onions lose moisture and start turning golden brown. Add the ginger-garlic paste and stir for a couple of minutes. Add the tomatoes, stir well. Cook until the oil separates to the sides. Add the powdered spices and salt, mix well. Fold in the soaked chickpeas. Add just enough water to cover the chickpeas, and pressure cook for 6-7 min. 

 

Allow the pressure to release naturally. Add the kasuri methi and mix well. Heat ghee in a small pan. When hot, add the green chili pieces and fry until blisters appear. Pour over chhole and mix well. Serve with rice, chapatis, or puris.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan

Instant Pot French Dip

Ingredients:

Beef tenderloin - 1 kg

Onions, sliced - 3

Garlic, minced - 6 cloves

Hot water - 1 cup

Olive oil - 1 tbsp

Dried rosemary - 1 pinch

Thyme - 1 pinch

Bay leaves - 2

Method:

Heat a cast iron pan. Coat with olive oil. Season one side of the tenderloin with salt and pepper and place on the pan. Cook for 10 min. Season other side and flip and cook for 10 min. Set aside. Add onions in the pan and cook until soft. Reserve 1/3 of the onion for later. Add garlic, rosemary, and thyme to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes. Deglaze pan with hot water, scraping the pan with a wooden spoon.

Add the liquid to the Instant Pot and stuff the beef pieces in, submerging as much of the beef as possible. Pressure cook for 45 min and then allow natural pressure release for 25 min. Remove the beef pieces and shred. Turn the Instant Pot to sauté mode and heat the liquid. Add the reserved onion and cook for up to 10 min or until the liquid thickens. Separate the fat if required.

Note: if you use steak bones or beef ribs, set aside the bones after searing the meat. These bones can then be cooked along with veggies (carrots, celery, etc) and with some apple cider vinegar and (6 cups of) boiling water in the Instant Pot for ~45 min to make a stew/stock.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan

Source: This recipe.

Chow chow (chayote) mor kuzhambu (spicy buttermilk soup), Instant Pot version

Ingredients:

Chayote, cut into large pieces - 4 large

Buttermilk or diluted whisked yogurt - 2 L

Paste

Rice - 1/4 cup

Toor dal - 1/4 cup

Coconut, shredded or in strips - 1 cup

Green chilies - 3-4

Cumin seeds - 2 tsp

Ginger, chopped coarsely - 2" piece

Turmeric powder - 1/4 to 1/2 tsp

Salt - 2 tsp or to taste

Seasoning/garnish

Oil - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 2 tsp

Udad dal - 2 tsp

Asafoetida - a pinch

Coriander leaves, chopped fine - 1/4 cup

Method:

Cook the chayote in the Instant Pot on the pressure cooker setting for 6 min. Allow the pressure to release naturally.

In the meantime, wash and soak the rice and toor dal for 30 min, then blend into a thick paste along with the coconut, cumin seeds, green chilies, and ginger. Add buttermilk to this paste, mixing thoroughly to avoid lumps. Season with salt and add turmeric powder. Heat on low in a large pot until it starts to boil, stirring occasionally to check for deposits on the bottom of the pot. As the liquid heats, it will gradually change colour due to the turmeric. Turn off the stove.

In a small pot or pan, heat the oil. When hot, add the mustard seeds, udad dal, and asafoetida. When the seeds splutter, turn off the stove and mix this seasoning into the mor kuzhambu. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve with rice and papad.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan

Source: This recipe.

Malabar (Nadan) beef curry, Instant Pot version

Ingredients:

Purée the following without any additional water:

Onions, cut into large pieces - 1 to 1.5 large

Green chili - 2

{Sesame, poppy, and flax seeds} OR {cashew nuts} - 1/3 cup total (optional)

[Optionally, you can omit the seeds, slice the onions thinly, chop the chili finely, and fry them with the rest of the ingredients. You can also fry the cashews with them.]

Ghee or oil - 2 to 3 tbsp

Bay leaves - 2

Ginger, chopped fine - 2 tbsp

Garlic, chopped fine - 2 tbsp

Cloves - 4-6

Beef shank, cubed - 1 kg

Potatoes, diced - 1/2 kg

Carrots, cut into 1" pieces - 1/2 to 1 cup

Peas (optional) - 1 cup

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Garam masala - 1 tsp

Tomatoes, quartered - 1.5 to 2 large (I used 3 medium canned tomatoes)

Water - approx. 1 L

Coconut milk - 1 can

Salt - 1-2 tsp or to taste

Coriander leaves, chopped - 1/2 cup

Method:

Turn the Instant Pot on to sauté mode and add ghee. When hot, add the following in order: bay leaves, cloves, fennel seeds, ginger and garlic, and beef. Coat the beef well and fry until all sides are sealed. Add the onions and green chilies (or the onion purée). Mix well and cook until it loses most of its water. Add the dry powders, mix well, and add tomatoes. Finally, add the potatoes, carrots, and peas. Stir well. Add just enough water to cover the mixture. Pressure cook for 8 min and wait for natural pressure release.

Add coconut milk and simmer for 5-10 min, checking for salt. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve with rice OR baguette.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan

Chow chow (chayote) poriyal, Instant Pot version

Ingredients:

Chow chow, washed and cut into medium-sized pieces

Coconut, coarsely ground - 1/3 cup

Green chilies, coarsely ground - 1-2

Cumin seeds, coarsely ground - 1-2 tsp

Turmeric powder

Salt

Seasoning:
Oil - 1 tbsp

Udad dal - 1-2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Method:

Fill the Instant Pot with just enough water to submerge the chow chow pieces. Mix in salt and a pinch of turmeric. Cook on the pressure cooker setting for 7 min. Manually release the pressure after 30-40 min. The pieces show be soft and cooked all the way through without falling apart. Drain.

Mix in the coconut, green chilies, cumin seeds, and salt.

Heat oil in a small container and fry the udad dal and mustard seeds till they start spluttering. Add to the veggies. Mix well. Optionally, mix in cooked toor dal.

Serve with rice.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan

Chayote with Moong Dal

Ingredients

To pressure cook:

Chayote, cubed -- 2

Moong dal -- 1 cup

Water - 2 cups

Tomatoes -- 2 (I used canned)

Garlic -- 6-8 pods

Green chilies, slit lengthwise -- 2

Turmeric powder -- 1/2 tsp

Salt - 3/4 tsp or to taste

Seasoning:

Oil - 2 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Garnish:

Coriander leaves, chopped - 3-4 tbsp

Method:

Add all the ingredients in the "pressure cook" section into the Instant Pot and pressure cook for 6 min. Allow pressure to release naturally.

Heat oil in a small container, splutter the cumin and mustard seeds and add to the dal. Mix well. Check for salt.

Garnish with coriander leaves.

Additionally delicious option:

Heat some oil, add panchphoron and whole green chilies and fry until the seeds splutter. Add chundakkai and fry well. Add chopped onions and salt and fry until translucent. Add 2 tsp of sambar powder, mix well. Add 1 cup boiled water and 1-1.5 tsp tamarind paste. Cook until raw smell goes away, then add the cooked lentils and chayote. Mix well, simmer for five minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Author:

Shrinkingsodacan

Instant Pot Dal Makhani

Ingredients

Udad dal - 1 cup

Water - 2-3 cups

Cinnamon sticks - 2

Cloves - 6

Pepper corns - 6

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Butter, cubed - 50 g

Salt - 1 tsp

Seasoning

Ghee - 2 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

[Kashmiri] Red chili powder - 1 tsp

Garam masala powder - 1 tsp

Finish

Salt - to taste

Fresh cream - 2 tbsp

Cook the first set of ingredients in the Instant Pot on the chili setting for 1h30m.

Heat the ghee and stir fry the second set of ingredients. Pour the dal into this mixture and simmer for 20 min, mashing lightly at the beginning.

Season with salt if required, serve with a dollop of fresh cream.

Masoor dal fry

Ingredients:
Split masoor dal - 2 cups
Onion, sliced - 1/4 of 1 large
Ginger, chopped - 1" piece
Garlic pods, whole (from frozen batch) - 5
Serrano peppers, slit lengthwise - 2 medium
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Tomatoes, canned - 2 whole + 1/2 cup of juice
Garam masala - 3/4 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp or to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp
Kasoori methi - a fistful
Coriander leaves, chopped - a fistful

Method:
Cook the dal in the Instant Pot on Pressure Cook setting. Pressure releases in about 30 min, turn off immediately.

Heat oil. Add cumin seeds. When they splutter, add ginger, garlic, and chillies. Stir fry for a couple of minutes, then add the onions. Stir fry for a few minutes. Add salt, mix well, and add the garam masala. Fry for a couple of minutes, then add the tomatoes. Gently cut them into quarters. Cook covered on a low flame until the tomatoes soften. Add the kasoori methi and mix well. Add the dal and cook for a couple of minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan

Rajma and vegetable soup

Make soup with the water left from cooking the kidney beans.

Rajma
Ingredients:
Dry kidney beans, soaked overnight in lots of water -- 2 cups.
Red onion, coarsely chopped -- 1/2 of one.
Red onion, sliced -- one.
Cumin seeds -- 1 tsp.
Garam masala -- 1.5 tsp
Tomatoes, coarsely crushed by hand -- 3 medium (you can use canned tomatoes).
Coriander leaves, chopped fine -- 1 cup
Lemon juice -- from half a large lemon
Oil -- 2 tbsp
Salt -- to taste

Method:
Soak the kidney beans overnight in lots of water. Drain. Pressure cook the beans with 4 cups of water (if using Instant Pot, pressure cook for 5 min and allow the pressure to release naturally) until the beans are soft but not mushy. Drain and reserve the water.

Heat the oil in a wok. Add cumin seeds. When they splutter, add the sliced onions and sautée until golden brown. Stir in the garam masala and cook for a minute until fragrant. Add in the crushed tomatoes and some tomato juice. Mix well and fry until the tomato pieces are soft. Stir in the kidney beans. Cover and cook on low heat for 10-15 minutes.

Serve hot with rice/chapatis, garnished with coriander leaves and lemon juice.

Vegetable soup from leftover rajma broth
Ingredients:
Leftover broth from making rajma (recipe above) -- 2-3 cups
Potatoes, diced -- 3 small.
Paneer or panela, diced -- 200 g.
Peas and carrots, diced -- 1/2 cup
Green chillies, chopped -- 1 (optional)

Method:
Place all the ingredients in a saucepan. Cover and cook on low heat until the potatoes are thoroughly cooked.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan

Kala Chana (Black Chickpeas)

Ingredients:
Kala chana, soaked in water for 4-6 hours - 1 cup
Oil - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Red onion, sliced - 1 medium
Ginger, finely chopped - 1 tsp
Garlic, finely chopped - 1 tsp
Tomato purée - 1/2 to 3/4 cup
Coriander powder - 1.5 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Red chili powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - about 1 tsp
Water - 2 cups
Lemon, juiced - 1/2
Coriander leaves, coarsely chopped - a handful

Method:
Soak the chickpeas in enough water for 4-6 hours. Drain, rinse, and reserve.

Turn on the Instant Pot and select SAUTE mode. When HOT, add the oil then the cumin seeds and asafoetida. When the cumin seeds splutter, add the onions and green chillies. Cook until the onions start to brown. Now add the ginger and garlic and stir for a couple of minutes. Add the coriander powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, red chili powder, and salt, and stir fry the masalas for a couple of minutes. Mix in the tomato purée and cook covered for two minutes. Add 2 cups of water, stir. Close the Instant Pot, select the BEAN/CHILI mode and set the timer for 38 to 45 min, making sure the pressure valve is sealed. When cooked, allow the pressure to release naturally.  Garnish with lemon juice and coriander leaves and serve with rice or chapatis.

If not using the Instant Pot, sauté in a wok and cook covered in the wok or in a pressure cooker (Or transfer the contents to the Instant Pot and cook in BEAN/CHILI mode).

Author: Shrinkingsodacan.

Source: This recipe.