Tag: #Instantpot

Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
Tryin’ to Squash A Cold! (Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup)

Tryin’ to Squash A Cold! (Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup)

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How does that old adage go? Feed a cold, starve a fever?  The thought crossed my mind as I was miserably lying in bed, achy, congested, and generally feeling like crap.  Thank goodness for laptops and search engines…I found a Scientific America article that addressed this very proverb and whaddya know, going all Mythbuster, Scientific America, not only debunked it, but concluded it really should be “Feed a cold, FEED a fever”.  Yeah baby, I love science.

What is the perfect antidote when it is cold, when you are sick, when you crave comfort, but you are too tired to fuss?  SOUP.  Am I right?  Yep, bowl therapy to the rescue.  It didn’t take long to find a soup that fit the bill.  From the blog Creative Bites, Pressure Cooker Creamy Butternut Squash Soup.  Lucky for me I had bought a butternut squash at the market and had all of the ingredients handy.  “Kold karma” pointed me to this quick (thanks to my Instant Pot) and easy, delicious soup.

Here’s the HARD part.  The PREP.  Yeah, no getting around peeling that butternut squash and dicing ALL THOSE vegetables.  Well,  I suppose you could buy pre-cut squash, diced onions and minced garlic, but that’s your call. It’s part of cooking therapy for me.

Butternut Squash soup Prep

NOW, the EASY part.  Prep was 90% of the game.  You’re now sitting pretty on 3rd base ready to score, just a mere minutes from homebowl. Get it?  I love the apples and red bell pepper, they add a nice sweetness.   Saute the veggies in your Instant Pot.  It’s important when you add the stock, really stir the bottom of pot to release all those bits of saute goodness.   The pot is very sensitive to bits stuck on the bottom and will turn off as a safety precaution if the bottom isn’t clean.  Add the stock, seal the pot, and then set the timer for 5 MINUTES.  Yep, five minutes and quick release at the end.  With the time it takes to come to pressure, you’re still only looking at 15 minutes of cooking time.  Not bad.

I used an immersion blender in the pot to puree the soup.  There are a lot of comments online about how it doesn’t work as well as a blender.  BUTTERNUTS.  Not creamy enough?  Throw the immersion stick back in and blend some more.  I’m willing to sacrifice a bit of creaminess (though I don’t think I am) to do this, as oppose to pouring HOT soup, in batches, into my blender.  I’m saving my blender for smoothies and Margaritas.

Butternut Squash Soup in Mugs

Go ahead and play around with this soup recipe. It’s very forgiving.  Got thyme?  Substitute for sage.  Got time?  Skip the Instant Pot, roast the vegetables instead.  See the prepped veggies above? Throw it all in a roasting pan, give it a good swig of olive oil, toss, salt and pepper and roast at 425 for about an hour).  The vegetables caramelize in the oven and add a sweetness to the soup that’s “souper” yummy.  Creative bites calls for goat cheese or cream cheese.  I like cream cheese because it adds a whole lot of mouth feel and just a slight tanginess.  You could probably use sour cream, creme fraiche or even just a touch of heavy whipping cream instead.  This would lighten the soup but you might lose that creaminess.

FINISH WITH TOPPING MADNESS.  Once your soup is done, garnish with ANYTHING your little heart desires.  Toasted nuts or pepitas, bacon, sliced apples, or more BACON, croutons.  Did I mention bacon?  I was sent a mix of nuts as a soup topping by my Food52 Holiday Gift Swap buddy- it was perfect.

Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
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Creamy Butternut Squash Soup Instant Pot

Course Soup
Cuisine American
Keyword butternut squash
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion diced
  • 1 red bell pepper chopped
  • 2 tsp. diced garlic
  • 1 tsp. fresh ground ginger
  • 2 lb. butternut squash peeled and cubed 1 medium squash
  • 1 medium apple peeled cored and chopped
  • 1 tsp. sage Substitute thyme or curry powder
  • 1/8 tsp. chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp. sea salt
  • 3 c. chicken stock I used additional cup to thin down the soup a bit
  • 3 oz. cream cheese Sub goat cheese
  • 1/3 c. Parmesan cheese
  • Salted Pepitas for garnish Or anything you like, like BACON BITS, spicy nuts, chives, sliced apple, sautéed wild mushrooms...
  • 1 Tbsp Brown sugar, optional To add roasted squash’s sweetness

Instructions

  • Turn on the Saute function on Instant Pot. Add the olive oil, onions and bell pepper. Saute on high for 4 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute. Add the cubed squash, apple, sage, chili powder, sea salt and chicken stock.
  • Place the lid on your Instant Pot and move the knob to seal. Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes and do a quick release of the pressure.
  • Using an immersion blender in the Instant Pot, puree the mixture. Add the cream cheese and Parmesan, stir to melt and continue to puree until very smooth.
  • Garnish and serve.
buta kakuni banner
Rainy Day Eats: Braised Pork Belly ala Instant Pot

Rainy Day Eats: Braised Pork Belly ala Instant Pot

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I am a sucker for rice bowls and noodle soups, especially when the weather turns cold and dreary. There is something comforting about eating out of a bowl. I love sitting by the window watching the falling rain and listening to the blustering wind while holding a bowl of deliciousness.  My Dad’s stew, my Mom’s won ton soup, spicy Thai curry or gooey mac and cheese all come to mind.

Yep, living life one bowl at a time.

Japanese braised pork belly, Buta Kakuni falls neatly into this scenario.  Simmered in soy sauce, sake and sugar, the pork becomes so tender it melts in your mouth and has that sweet salty flavor that I love.  It is rich and flavorful, so a little goes a long way.  Grab a good sized bowl, add a big scoop of steamy hot rice, lay 2-3 pieces of the pork on top and drizzle the braising liquid over it.  Serve with a ramen style soft boiled egg and vegetables.  Yep, a bowl of rockin’ goodness.

Normally, this dish takes a couple of hours to make, but thanks to the Instantpot, you’ll be sitting down to eat in less than an hour.

pork belly ingredients

This recipe is adapted from the blog Just One Cookbook, another favorite for Asian recipes. Slab pork belly can be found in most Asian markets or ask your butcher to save you a piece.  If time is tight, you can forego browning the pork, but I think it does add flavor and color.  Reduce the Mirin to 1/4 cup and increase the sake to 1/2 cup to cut the sweetness. The recipe calls for adding soft boiled eggs to the pork to finish cooking.  Instead, cool the braising liquid and put the peeled soft boiled eggs in to seep overnight a la ramen style eggs. Love oozy runny egg yolks.  Feel free to follow the recipe or try Serious Eats’s recipe for ramen eggs, both are delicious!

This is classic comfort food.  I stir-fried some shredded cabbage and onions with the braising liquid as an accompaniment.  Another option is a super simple Asian Cucumber Salad. The crisp cucumbers provide a nice contrast to the soft pork. Plus, it’s nice to get some veggies in for a “well-rounded” bowl.

Enjoy!

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PRESSURE COOKER PORK BELLY (KAKUNI)

Braised Pork Belly in a fraction of the time with an Instant Pot.  Delicious with a bowl of rice or ramen. 
Course Main Course
Cuisine Asian
Keyword Instant Pot, Pork Belly

Equipment

  • Instant Pot or pressure cooker

Ingredients

  • 3 green onions/scallions use only the green parts
  • 1 inch ginger
  • 1 Tbsp neutral flavor oil vegetable or canola
  • 2 lb pork belly block 2 lb = 907 g
  • Water for cooking pork belly
  • 4 soft/hard boiled eggs See Notes
  • Shichimi Togarashi Japanese seven spice (for taste, optional)
  • Chinese Mustard

Seasonings

  • 1/2 cup sake 1/2 cup = 120 ml
  • ½ cup water ½ cup = 120 ml
  • 1/4 cup mirin 1/4 cup = 60 ml
  • ½ cup soy sauce ½ cup = 120 ml
  • ¼ cup sugar ¼ cup = 50 g

Instructions

  • Cut pork into 1-inch pieces
  • Peel and cut ginger into slices.  Using the green part only, cut scallions into 2 inch segments
  • Switch Instant Pot to Saute' function and add oil to pot.  When the oil is hot, add pork and brown (3-5 minutes).  Add water to pot to cover the pork.  Add green onions and ginger to pot.
  • Cover Instant Pot and seal, make sure the knob is set to sealing.  Cancel saute' function and set function on stew/meat (35 minutes)
  • When the pork is finished, carefully vent to quick release pressure.  Drain pork.  Add seasoning ingredients to the Instant Pot and return pork to pot.  Add soft boiled eggs to pot unless seasoning them separately.  See notes.
  • Seal and set pot on stew/meat function and set time to 10 minutes.  When finished, quick release vent pot.  
  • Remove pork and eggs from pot. Taste the seasoning liquid, if it seems to dilute, set pot on saute' and reduce.  Reserve sauce for serving.
  • Serve pork and eggs over rice or ramen. Garnish with Shichimi Togarashi.  Drizzle sauce over rice and serve with mustard. Enjoy.

Notes

If you don't have Mirin, increase Sake to 3/4 cup and add 1 tablespoon sugar.  If you like a soft runny egg, do not put it in the Instant Pot to cook.  Cook your eggs separately. You can cool the cooking liquid and place the peeled soft boiled eggs in the liquid to seep for a couple of hours or overnight.  You do not have to seep the eggs.  You can serve the eggs in your rice bowl drizzled with the cooking liquid and sprinkled with seaweed seasonings (furikake) if you want.
 
Instant Pot Easy Kheema Pulao (Spicy Indian Rice Dish)

Instant Pot Easy Kheema Pulao (Spicy Indian Rice Dish)

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Sometimes other events dominate your life for a bit…but I’m back!

After weeks of knocking on doors to get out the vote, I was ready for some downtime.  I drove home from Bakersfield (four hours each way, ugh) and wanted to chill and enjoy some home cooked food.  As yummy as it is, (Wo)”Man”(me) cannot live on taqueria fare alone. I arrived home right around the dinner hour so I needed something quick and easy to make, but still comforting and delicious. I pulled out my Instant Pot, clicked on Ministry of Curry “Kheema Pulao” (think Indian version of a mixed rice dish) in my saved links, and voila’ 40 minutes later I was curled up on the couch, watching my favorite K-drama (Goblin), spooning hot, spicy pulao into my mouth.  Ahhh, my reward for doing my part to save Democracy…and that’s all I will say about that (thanks, Forrest).

Kheema Pulao

I love Biryani, a spicy Indian Rice dish that is both complex in flavor and in preparation. That means going to a restaurant and letting them make it for me. My job is to enjoy every bite. On the other hand, pulao is a simple version of a biryani, easily made at home and delicious.  Vegetables, ground meat, aromatics, and spices are sauteed, then rice is added along with water or stock. A touch of sweetness from the cinnamon and onions, spicy from the ginger, garlic, and chili, then finished with cilantro and lime.  Welcome to Flavortown.  So good.

Kheema means minced or ground, in this recipe, ground chicken is used but you could use turkey or beef.  The flavors are infused into the meat and the ground chicken cooks quickly, win-win.  The rate-limiting step would be the time it takes for the rice to cook which, ta-da, is shortened by using your Instant Pot, PLUS the entire dish is done in one pot…no muss, no fuss, I’m doing the happy dance now.

Saute’ ingredients in the pot.

 

Add liquid and rice, cover, seal, set for 5 minutes, wait 5 minutes then quick release and done.  How easy is that?

Kheema Pulao finish

Garnish with cilantro and lime to make it pretty.

Add this to your things to make in my Instant Pot.  Really.

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Kheema Pulao

A one pot meal made with long grain basmati rice cooked with ground chicken and a host of aromatics ginger, garlic, onions, bay leaves, black pepper, cumin seeds and cinnamon.  A flavor explosion. Adapted from Ministry of Curry
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Keyword Kheema Pulao
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 4 people
Calories 422kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons ghee
  • 1 teaspoon shah jeera or cumin seeds
  • ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 2 inch cinnamon stick
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 medium onion thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon ginger grated
  • 1 teaspoon garlic grated
  • 1 pound ground chicken can use , beef or turkey
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • 1 teaspoon red chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric
  • Handful of mint leaves chopped
  • 2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup long grain Basmati rice
  • 1 ½ cups water

Garnish

  • 1 lime
  • ½ cup cilantro chopped
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground

Instructions

  • Set the Instant Pot to sauté(more) mode and heat ghee. Add cumin seeds, black peppercorn, cinnamon and bay leaves. Saute for 30 seconds.
  • Add onions and sauté for 5-8 minutes or until the onions start to brown. Add ginger, garlic and chicken. Sauté, breaking the chicken and browning it for a minute. Add tomatoes, red chili powder, turmeric, mint leaves, and salt. Mix well.
  • Add rice and water. Gently mix making sure all the rice is under the liquids. Close the Instant Pot lid with pressure valve to sealing. Cook on Manual /Pressure cook (Hi) 5 mins with 5 min NPR.
  • Open the Instant Pot and gently fluff the top rice (Note, if the rice looks uncooked on the top, just mix it with the rice under and close the Instant Pot for 5 minutes)
  • If rice seems a little wet, let it sit for a couple of minutes, top open.
  • Add lime juice, cilantro and black pepper. Turn the Instant Pot off and take the insert out so the rice does not overcook or get mushy. Enjoy hot.
Instant Pot Easy Jook (Rice Soup) Soul Food Breakfast

Instant Pot Easy Jook (Rice Soup) Soul Food Breakfast

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Last weekend Jamie played her version of NYT’s 36 Hours. We picked her up at the airport (SFO NOT SJC, grrrr) at 1:00 am Friday night (ok Saturday morning, delays) and dropped her off Sunday at 11:00 AM.  Her first words upon seeing her bleary-eyed parents? DID YOU BRING MY SUSHI WITH YOU?  I AM STARVING!  Lucky we like her.

Happy Hour Any Hour

With Jamie coming home, the call went out for a happy hour, which, due to schedules, morphed into a Saturday morning breakfast happy hour.  Any time of day is Happy Hour when it involves friends, food, and fun.  It just means tweaking the menu that’s all. We decided on a bowl of fresh strawberries and summer peaches, Belgium Waffles, candied bacon, Jule’s Granola and yogurt.  Jamie chimed in with “I want Jook (rice soup) too”  Rice Soup is soul food, comfort food, each bite reminds one of being home.  With its addition and the various toppings like shredded chicken, assorted sweet and salty pickles, and slivers of green onions to go along, our breakfast menu was complete.

A small stumbling block to this plan, who was going to make Jook (Rice Soup) in the morning? Ugh, the last thing I wanted to do was get up early after a late-night airport pickup.  Then it hit me, hello…you have an INSTANT POT, Deb.  A quick Google search yielded plenty of recipes so I decided on a mash-up of my Dad’s Jook and a couple of Instant Pot recipes I found online.  Yay, I’ll get forty winks and have rice soup ready for breakfast.

Jook in an Instant Pot is so stupid easy it’s a crime.  Saute a couple of slices of ginger in the Instant Pot add the washed rice, give it a few good stirs, add skinned chicken drumsticks, fill the pot with water and seasonings, seal it and set the timer for 20 minutes. That’s it.  Jook Time.  If you have chicken stock, use it for an extra rich and flavorful soup.

I have a confession, if I don’t have homemade stock or even low-sodium commercial chicken broth, I’ll add a tablespoon of a chicken stock base such as Better Than Boullion, or Chicken Powder by LKK or Knorr (a Chinese kitchen staple) just to kick it up a notch.  It’s not necessary but it will add some depth of flavor.  The soup will look thin when you first take off the lid.  Stir it a couple of times to combine the rice and stock, hit the saute’ function, and bring it to a boil. Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the Jook is the consistency you want.

*Notes from a Thanksgiving Table

My favorite post-Thanksgiving meals aka “What to do with your leftovers”.

Turkey Rice Soup (Congee or Jook)

DON’T THROW AWAY THE BONES AND CARCASS. 

Get out your stockpot (or any really, really big pot).  Throw the carcass, wings, drumsticks (sans stuffing) in and fill with water. Add a smashed chunk of ginger (2-inch piece) 1/2 cup of rice wine, a bunch of scallions, a large pinch of salt and bring it to a boil.  Once it boils, reduce heat to a nice energetic simmer.  Cover and fuggetaboutit for a couple of hours.  You will end up with liquid gold to make any delicious soup you want.  For a non-Asian bent, omit ginger and scallions and throw in carrots, celery, yellow onions instead.  But honestly, it doesn’t matter, you could make jook with either stock.

I do make the stock separately so that I can strain the stock and remove all those little nasty bone fragments and seasoning vegetables.  They have all done their job and can now exit stage left.

The stock will keep in the fridge for about a week or longer in the freezer.

Now go back to the top or to the bottom for the recipe on how to make jook….you’ll thank me, so so good.

Hello….Turkey Sammies a la Dagwood style which means all your Thanksgiving leftovers in between two slices of bread.  Yep, turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy, and a couple of slices of cheese from the appetizer plate.  Don’t forget the leftover greens from the salad no one ate because WHO eats salad on Thanksgiving-puulease.  Oh man-so good.

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Instant Pot Chicken Congee Recipe (Jook)

Jook or congee, the ultimate comfort food, when its cold outside, when you have a cold, anytime.
Course Soup
Cuisine Asian, Asian-American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Calories 140kcal

Ingredients

For the Soup:

  • 1 cup long grain Jasmine rice honestly you can use any kind of rice, long, medium or short grain
  • 1.5 Tsp vegetable oil
  • 3 Slices thinly sliced fresh ginger size of quarters
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3-4 skinless chicken drumsticks or thighs or 2 whole chicken legs, can also add pork such as pork butt 2-3 2 inch pieces
  • 8 to 10 cups water, fill to the 10-cup mark on your IP or use stock and water 1:1
  • 1/8 cup rice wine
  • 1 tbsp Better Than Bouillon (optional) Skip if you are starting with stock

At the Finish Line

  • 2 tsp sesame oil toasted, Asian sesame oil
  • 1/3-1/2 cup scallions-sliced on the bias garnish
  • 1/8 Cup finely shredded fresh ginger garnish
  • Salt and pepper to taste preferably white pepper

Instructions

  • Wash rice. Add the rice to a bowl, and add enough water to cover the rice. Swirl the rice around. Drain and repeat a few times until the water is clear. Let drain and dry.
  • Turn on Instant Pot with Saute function.  When hot, add 1 -1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil and ginger.  Saute for 30 seconds, add rice and 1 teaspoon salt.  Stir to coat rice with oil approximately 1 minute.
  • Add chicken pieces, bouillon, and rice wine to the pot . **If you are in a rush or feeling lazy, skip sauteing the rice and ginger.  Just throw them into the pot, fill with enough water until it reaches the 10 cup mark in the Instant Pot.
  • Turn off saute, close the lid and make sure the knob is on "Sealing". Choose the "Porridge" button and set the time to 20 minutes.
  • While congee is cooking, shred ginger and slice scallions and place in small bowls for serving.
  • When the time is up on the timer, turn the Instant Pot off. Wait 15 minutes natural release before turning the knob from 'Sealing' to 'Venting'. Rice soup tends to splatter a lot, do not do a quick release.
  • Remove the chicken from the pot, when it is cool enough to handle, shred the meat and discard the bones. If the jook seems thin, turn saute' function on (without the lid on) and cook until desired consistency.  If it is too thick, add water or broth.
  • Add the chicken back into the congee or put it in a bowl and let folks add at the table. Taste, add salt if necessary.
  • Ladle into bowls and top with desired amount of ginger, white pepper, sesame oil and scallions. Let folks add their own.

Toppings and Fixins'

  • My Dad's Jook calls for potatoes, I love them in my soup. Any kind of potato will work, peeled and quartered for large potatoes. Add at the same time as the chicken when making the soup.
  • For meatballs, follow instructions under Dad's Jook. This can be added at the end after pressure cooking.  Remove lid and press saute function.  When the rice soup comes to a boil, add meatballs and cook until done 2-3 minutes.
  • Additional toppings include cilantro leaves, fried garlic slivers, shredded fresh ginger, salted peanuts, shredded lettuce (iceberg works well)...the list goes on. Anything you eat with rice can be added.  NO Rules!
Instant Pot Pho Ga
Fast, Flavorful, Pho-tastic(Instant Pot Pho Ga, Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup )

Fast, Flavorful, Pho-tastic(Instant Pot Pho Ga, Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup )

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I can’t think of anything more comforting than a steaming bowl of noodle soup.   If marooned on an island, what would you eat and what 3 books would you want to have with you.  My response would be immediate, a no-brainer, noodle soup.  The caveat being noodle soup would include Pho, Ramen, Udon, Won Ton Noodle Soup, Guksu, Laksa….  and one of my 3 books would be Andrea Nguyen’s The Pho Cookbook.

I have always wanted to try my hand at making Pho. But the stock for this popular Vietnamese Noodle Soup is a labor of love.  Hours of simmering on the stove coaxing the flavors out of chicken, beef, and aromatics like ginger, onions, and cilantro. Intimidating to say the least.  Andrea’s recipe for Pho Ga (Chicken Pho) made in a pressure cooker was the “kick in the pants” I needed.  Pho in less than an hour?  I immediately headed to the store for ingredients. Slurp City here I come. Thanks to Andrea Nguyen and Instant Pot, I was about to make Pho in a fraction of the time.  Ms. Nguyen has written quite a few cookbooks on the cuisine of Vietnam and I snapped up her ode to soup noodles after an interview on KQED.

Instant Pot Pho Ga

This makes homemade Pho eminently doable. One pot cooking, woohoo.  Increase the cooking time if you have an Instant Pot.  It works at a slightly lower pressure (11.5psi) than a conventional pressure cooker.   Remove the cilantro and ginger after the cooking process as both herbs continue to flavor the stock and may overpower the flavor of the broth. Modify the natural pressure release by letting your Instant Pot sit for 5 minutes before venting and opening. Once you remove the chicken, place it in a cold water bath.  This keeps the chicken tender and moist. If you like your chicken a bit more done, leave it in the pot for about 15 minutes before removing. The chicken can be shredded or sliced whatever your preference.

With your broth done, your noodles softened.  It is now Topping Time!  Toppings, toppings, toppings galore. You can be traditional and top your pho with basil, mint, and bean sprouts or you can keep going and add ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING YOU WANT.  I didn’t have bean sprouts so I used shredded carrots and cabbage. Thinly sliced red onions add a nice bite.  Delicious.  Mushrooms, let those fungus fly..into your bowl.  Condiments include Siracha for spice, Hoisin for a bit of sweetness and a squeeze of lime.  S cubed-sweet, salty, spicy and so good!

Now you and I can make our own bowls of deliciousness.

Instant Pot Pho Ga

Instant Pot Pho Ga
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Fast, Flavorful, Pho-tastic (Instant Pot Pho Ga)

Ingredients

BROTH

  • 1 whole chicken 4 lbs.
  • 1 rounded tbsp. coriander seeds
  • 3 whole cloves
  • 1 medium yellow onion peeled, halved, and sliced 1/2 in. thick
  • 1 3- in. piece ginger peeled and thickly sliced
  • 1 small Fuji apple peeled, cored, and cut into thumbnail-size chunks
  • 1/2-3/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro sprigs
  • About 2 1/4 tsp. fine sea salt
  • About 1 1/2 tbsp. fish sauce
  • About 1 tsp. organic sugar* or 2 tsp. maple syrup if needed to round out flavor

BOWLS

  • 10 ounce dried narrow flat rice noodles*
  • About half of cooked chicken from the broth
  • 1/2 small red onion halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced and soaked in water 10 minutes
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion green parts only
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
  • Pepper
  • Vietnamese Herb Garnish Plate
  • Vietnamese Ginger Dipping Sauce

Instructions

  • Step 1
  • Make broth: Rinse chicken and set aside to drain. Put coriander seeds and cloves in a dry 6- to 8-qt. pressure cooker. Over medium heat, toast until fragrant, shaking, several minutes. Add onion and ginger and cook, stirring, until browned on edges, 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Step 2
  • Add 4 cups water, then the chicken, breast side up. Add apple, cilantro, salt, and another 4 cups water. Lock the lid in place.
  • Step 3
  • Following your cooker's instructions, bring to low pressure (8 psi) over high heat. Lower heat to maintain pressure. Cook 15 minutes, or a few minutes longer if your cooker's low setting is less than 8 psi. If your cooker has only a high-pressure (15 psi) setting, cook 12 minutes. The Instant Pot setting is approximately 12 psi so I increased the time to 14 minutes. If you like your chicken falling off the bone leave the chicken in the Instant Pot for 20 minutes before pressure release. I waited 5 minutes and then did a quick release. The chicken was tender much like white cut chicken.
  • Step 4
  • Transfer the chicken to a bowl; if parts fall off in transit, don’t worry. Add cold water to cover the chicken and soak for 10 minutes to cool and prevent drying. Pour off the water, partially cover, and set the chicken aside to cool.
  • Step 5
  • Skim some fat from the broth before straining it through a muslin-lined mesh strainer positioned over a medium pot. Discard the solids. You should have about 8 cups. Taste and season the broth with the fish sauce, extra salt, and perhaps a bit of sugar.
  • Step 6
  • Use a knife to remove the breast halves and legs from the chicken. Set aside half of the chicken for another use. Reserve the remaining chicken for pho bowl assembly.

Prep and assemble the bowls

  • About 30 minutes before serving, ready the ingredients for the bowls. Soak the noodles in hot tap water until pliable and opaque. Drain, rinse, and drain well.
  • Step 7
  • Cut or tear the chicken breast and leg into pieces about 1⁄4 inch thick. Place the onion, green onion, and cilantro in separate bowls and line them up with the noodles, chicken, and pepper for a pho assembly line.
  • Bring the broth to a simmer over medium heat as you are assembling the bowls. At the same time, fill a pot with water and bring to a rolling boil for the noodles.
  • For each bowl, use a noodle strainer or mesh sieve to dunk a portion of the noodles in the boiling water. When the noodles are soft, 5 to 60 seconds, pull the strainer from the water, shaking it to drain excess water back into the pot. Empty the noodles into a bowl.
  • Top with chicken, then garnish with onion, green onion, cilantro, and pepper and any toppings you want.
  • Check the broth flavor once more, raise the heat, and bring it to a boil. Ladle about 2 cups broth into each bowl. Enjoy immediately.
NOM-NOM-licious Chicken and Gravy (Instant Pot Chicken and Gravy)

NOM-NOM-licious Chicken and Gravy (Instant Pot Chicken and Gravy)

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AN HOUR AND A HALF commute home from work left me cranky and hungry.  I slammed my stuff down on the kitchen table and headed to the fridge, yanked the door open and searched for something quick to make for dinner.  I found a whole chicken I had bought the day before and thought ugh, that will take a while…I WANT TO EAT NOW.  Lightbulb moment, I remembered I had saved an Instant Pot recipe for Chicken and Gravy from NOM NOM Paleo.  Quick and easy, the perfect solution for my dinner dilemma. Though not a strict Paleo diet follower, I do like the NOM NOM cookbook and blog and I have an affinity for the NOM NOM author (plus I love saying NOM NOM).  Like me, she is a pharmacist by trade, a fellow drug pusher-legit ones, lol.  There is a natural crossover between being a pharmacist and being a cook or baker.  Numbers, measurements, proportions, being a bit OCD- all part of both professions.

A few easy steps and dinner is on the table in 44 minutes and 37 seconds at most.  See, pharmaceutical precision.  While the chicken is cooking, make some rice or egg noodles to go along or if you want to keep this a paleo meal, make cauliflower rice or potatoes (Po-ta-toes! Boil them, mash them, stick them in a stew. Lovely big golden chips with a nice piece of fried fish-that line pops in my head every time). The sauce is so yummy you will want something to soak up every drop.

The recipe calls for browning the chicken in your pressure cooker, taking it out and sautéing onions, garlic and a bit of tomato paste, putting the chicken back in the pot, on top of the onions, adding a bit of broth and setting the pot timer to 20 minutes cooking.  Yep, that’s it.

Saute onions and garlic until soft.

Add tomato paste and broth to pot. Place a wire rack on top to hold the chicken.  You can add a bit of herb for additional flavors such as a sprig of thyme, oregano or rosemary. Just to kick it up a bit.

After removing the chicken (and fresh herb sprigs), use a hand blender to puree the onion-garlic mixture which becomes the luscious gravy-yum yum. The original recipe calls for thickening the sauce but I didn’t bother.  I wanted to dig in!  So delicious!!!!!

Dinner is served and definitely elevated my mood, happy, happy, happy.

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NOM-NOM-licious Chicken and Gravy

Ingredients

  • Adapted from Nom Nom Paleo
  • 1 4-pound organic chicken (a bigger chicken won’t fit in a 6-quart Instant Pot)
  • 1.5-2 teaspoons kosher salt if using table salt, cut amount to 1 teaspoon
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons of ghee or vegetable oil divided
  • 2 large yellow onions diced (or use 1 yellow, 1 red)
  • 6 garlic cloves peeled
  • 2 teaspoons tomato paste
  • ½ cup chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 T water

Instructions

  • Sprinkle 2 teaspoons salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper all over the chicken, inside and out. Tuck the wings behind the back.
  • Add 1 tablespoon of ghee or oil to the pressure cooker, press “Sauté” function on your electric pressure cooker.
  • When the fat is shimmering, sear the chicken breast-side down in the center of the pot for approximately 5 minutes or until lightly browned.
  • Flip the bird breast-side up. Cook for another 5 minutes or until browned on the back. Don’t worry if the skin sticks and tears—the skin won’t be crispy when you’re done cooking anyway. You’re just browning the skin to deepen the flavor of the gravy.
  • Transfer the chicken to a plate and add the remaining tablespoon of ghee or oil to the pot. Once it is heated, toss in the chopped onions, 6 garlic cloves, and a sprinkle of salt.
  • Cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until softened.
  • Stir in 2 teaspoons tomato paste and cook for about 30 seconds.
  • Turn off the sauté function. Pour in ½ cup broth, scraping up any browned bits.
  • Add steamer insert to the bottom of the pressure cooker, and lay the bird on top of it, breast-side up. Cover and pressure-cook on high for 20 minutes).
  • Turn off the electric pressure cooker, and immediately release the pressure manually. Open the lid and transfer the chicken to a plate or carving board. Tent the cooked bird with foil, and rest it for 10 minutes.
  • Use an immersion blender to purée the contents of the insert to make a smooth gravy. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  • If you want to thicken the gravy, mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water. Then, turn on the sauté function and bring the contents to a simmer. Stir in the arrowroot powder slurry and cook until thickened.
  • Carve the chicken and top with gravy. Garnish with parsley if desired.
  • Make sure to have a ginormous bowl of rice or buttered noodles to serve along side..just for the extra gravy!
Showstopper When You InstantPotter Some Cauliflower Soup

Showstopper When You InstantPotter Some Cauliflower Soup

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Sorry if the title made you groan. But as the weather turns cooler and the days grows shorter all I can think about is soup. My perfect fall meal is a bowl of hearty soup, a chunk of warm crusty bread spread with sweet butter, a bottle of Chianti and some nice fava beans…just KIDDING, no Chianti or fava beans.  I came across a recipe on Pressure Cooker Recipes for a cauliflower soup that #1-looked and sounded delicious and #2-can be made in a snap in an Instant Pot- WIN-WIN.

Pressure Cookr Recipes (not the most original title but spot on) is a great resource not just for recipes but for tips and info on how to use your pressure cooker.  There are quite a few soup recipes but this one stood out since I really like cauliflower. For the soup I used red potatoes but any waxy potato will do such as white rose or Yukon Gold. If cauliflower doesn’t float your boat, I think broccoli would work well also. To lighten the soup  you can use half and half or whole milk in place of heavy cream or decrease the amount of cream by half and add a bit more stock.  A nice green salad, a baguette and a bowl of this soup…yep, living the good life.

 

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Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients

  • 1 head of cauliflower floret
  • 2 small red potatoes chunked
  • 4 cups 1 L of unsalted homemade chicken stock
  • 6 cloves of garlic minced
  • 6 slices of bacon chopped
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 1 cup 250 ml of heavy cream
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 stalks of green onions chopped
  • Optional: 2 tablespoons 30 ml fish sauce
  • Optional: freshly grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

Instructions

  • Place chopped bacon in your Pressure Cooker and turn heat to medium (Instant Pot: press Sauté button). Stir occasionally and allow the bacon bits to crisp (~4 mins). Remove bacon bits from pressure cooker and place on paper towel to absorb the excess fat.
  • Sauté onions in bacon fat for roughly 1– 2 minutes until soften. Add in garlic and half of the green onions. Season with a pinch of kosher salt and pepper if you like. Sauté until fragrant.
  • Deglaze: Pour ~ ⅓ cup (100 ml) chicken stock. Scrub all the brown bits off the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Keep the brown bits as they are very flavorful.
  • Pressure Cook the Cauliflower Potato Soup: Add 2 bay leaves, cauliflower, and 2 red potatoes in the pressure cooker. Pour the remaining chicken stock into pressure cooker.
  • Close the lid and cook at High Pressure for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and use a 10 minutes Natural Release. Open the lid carefully.
  • Remove Bay Leaves. Blend cauliflower soup into desired consistency with an immersion hand blender. Add 1/2 -1 cup (250 ml) of heavy cream. Taste the soup and season with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of fish sauce and kosher salt.
  • Serve: Garnish with green onions, crispy bacon bits, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy immediately. I think you will love it 🙂

Notes

  • Thinner Consistency: If you like a thinner soup consistency, add hot homemade unsalted chicken stock to adjust the thickness of the soup.
  • Smaller Cauliflower Florets: break the larger pieces into smaller florets, so it'll be easier to blend.
  • Crispy Bacon: It's important to place the bacon in the cold pot before turning on the heat (see tips section in the article).
FALL Into One Pot Meals (Instant Pot Korean Beef Stew)

FALL Into One Pot Meals (Instant Pot Korean Beef Stew)

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As summer winds down I head to the back of my closet to pull out my sweaters and jeans. I also start yearning for comfort foods like stews and hearty soups. Over the weekend we made the rounds to our favorite food marts. We find short ribs for a delicious hearty Korean stew called Khal Bi Jim and right next to the short ribs…oxtails!

Are you thinking what? Oxtails?  Are they really swish, swish, in the back of the …yep, they are. Haven’t tried them?  The meat is rich and flavorful. It has a bit more texture than short ribs and if you like chomping on bones, you’ll love oxtails. There is another reason to give this recipe a whirl…

INSTANT POT

I google oxtails, pressure cooker and the blog Korean Bapsang pops up with a recipe for Koriijim or braised oxtails. Bingo. Normally oxtails need quite a bit of time braising to get to the tender fall-off-the-bone stage (which is generally around 3 hours). This means starting pretty darn early in the day to have dinner on the table at a decent time. This time?  Brown the oxtails, pour the marinade/sauce over the meat, top it with carrots, potatoes, and onions.  Then, twist the lid on and set the cooking time to 45 MINUTES. Yep, not a typo-45 MINUTES. Whoa, less than half the time to cook this dish. WOOHOO.

The recipe calls for onions, mushrooms, and carrots. I like lots of vegetables so I added potatoes and extra carrots.  I might even add squash or another root vegetable like parsnips next time. If you don’t have dried shiitakes you can use fresh mushrooms. The recipe calls for a Korean plum sauce, maesil cheong, a sweet-sour sauce often used as a sweetener.  Not having any I used Chinese plum sauce, which may be totally off base but it’s what I have and it is sweet and a bit tart. You can skip it altogether and use sugar and honey, 1 tablespoon of each.

Classic Asian flavors-soy sauce, sesame, garlic, ginger, and onions in a hearty, down-home stew. Delicious. As the weather starts to cool try this dish. If you are really not thrilled with oxtails try this with bone-in short ribs cut into 2-3 inch pieces (ask your butcher) just as tasty.  I love autumn.

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FALL Into One Pot Meals (Korean Beef Stew)

Ingredients

Adapted from Korean Bapsang

  • 3 to 4 pounds oxtail
  • 1 medium onion cut into large chunks
  • 2-3 carrots cut into large chunks
  • 1 white potato cut into large chunks Yukon Golds for a less starchy, russets for starchy
  • 3 to 4 dried shiitake mushrooms briefly soaked and quartered (use fresh mushrooms if not available)

Braising liquid

  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup rice wine or mirin a sweet Japanese cooking wine
  • 1/2 medium Asian pear or 1 bosc pear or apple, grated
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 1 inch ginger grated (about 1 teaspoon)
  • 3 tablespoons honey or sugar
  • 3 tablespoons maesil cheong or 1 more tablespoon honey or sugar
  • pepper to taste

Garnishes

  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 2 scallions roughly chopped (and some finely sliced for optional garnish)
  • sesame seeds-toasted

Instructions

  • Trim off excess fat. Rinse the oxtail pieces and let them sit in cold water for 10 to 20 minutes to draw out excess blood. Drain well, and pat dry with paper towels.
  • Press the “Saute” button on the Instant Pot. When the pot is hot, add 1 tablespoon of canola or vegetable oil. Sear the oxtail pieces in two batches, browning all sides. Or sear in separate pan and place in Instant Pot
  • Combine ingredients for braising liquid and pour the braising liquid over oxtails. Add the vegetables.
  • Close the lid tightly. Press the “Meat” function, and using the “+” button, increase the time to 45-48 minutes. 48 minutes for softer meat. When finished, the Instant Pot will automatically turn to the “Keep Warm” mode. Leave the pressure cooker alone for about 10 minutes before opening the lid.
  • Stir in the scallion and the sesame oil. Remove the meat and vegetables from the pressure cooker. Strain the cooking liquid into a bowl to skim off the fat. Pour sauce over the ribs.
  • Garnish with the optional scallions and sesame seeds. Serve with hot rice.
A-Looo? Anybody there? It’s Gobi time! (Cauliflower and Potato Curry)

A-Looo? Anybody there? It’s Gobi time! (Cauliflower and Potato Curry)

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Do you remember Bend It Like Beckham?  A little movie about soccer and following your dreams that launched a couple of careers (Kira Knightly for one) and was a sleeper hit.  Though a certified sports nut I really loved the scenes of the family gatherings and delicious food.  It reminds me of my own crazy family gatherings where down home food and “sage advice” from elders are the order of the day.  In between bites of fried noodles or dumplings my cousins and I nod in respectful agreement at our aunties and uncles then turn our heads to each other and roll our eyes when the inquisition begins.  Boyfriend? Girlfriend? When you getting married?  The food and their good intentions make the interrogation worth it.

Hidden in the DVD of the movie I found an entertaining bonus clip of the mom and auntie demonstrating how to make Aloo Gobi. A cauliflower and potato curry flavored with onions and tomatoes and spiced with garam masala, chili, ginger, garlic and cumin.  Inspired by the clip I made their version but this time went searching for another recipe.

So I turned to a favorite blog, Ministry of Curry and typed in Aloo Gobi. BINGO, up popped not just a recipe for Aloo Gobi but an Instant Pot version.  The pressure cooker makes short work of the dish.  Perfect for a quick weekday meal.

Prep the ingredients and have them ready to go into your pot.  I cut the cauliflower in good sized chunks and sliced the potato into wedges.  If you are a spice wimp like me use half the amount of garam masala.  Saute’ the spices and vegetables in the pot, cover, pressure cook for a couple of minutes. Voila’ dinner is on the table in the blink of an eye.  If you like your cauliflower with a bit of bite cook for 2 minutes.  I prefer them softer so I use 3 minutes.   Quick release the pressure or the veggies will be too soft.  Tasty dishes like this make it so much easier to focus on eating more vegetables and less meat.  Good for us and for the planet.

This dish can also be cooked on the stovetop.  Saute the onions, garlic, ginger and tomatoes. Add spices except salt and garam masala just like the IP recipe.  Stir in the cauliflower and potatoes, add water and  reduce heat to medium. Cook for 6-8 minutes stirring occasionally.  Add garam masala and salt, stir, cover and continue to cook until potatoes and cauliflower are at desired doneness approximately 10 minutes.  Stir in cilantro reserving some for garnish.  For conventional cooking cut the vegetables smaller or par-boil them halfway this will shorten the cooking time.

A shortcut to peeling and cutting your tomatoes, grating!

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A-Looo? Anybody there? It’s Gobi time! (Cauliflower and Potato Curry)

Ingredients

  • 1 medium onion thinly sliced
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger minced
  • 2 plum tomatoes grated
  • 4 cups cauliflower florets cut into 2 inch pieces
  • 1 medium russet potato peeled and cut into wedges
  • 1 tbsp cooking oil or ghee
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • 1 tbsp mild Kashmiri red chili powder Less if using a spicier chili powder
  • 1 tbsp cumin-coriander powder spice blend
  • 1-1/2 tsp garam masala Add 1/2 to 3/4 tsp for a mild to medium spicy curry
  • 1 tsp salt
  • cilantro for garnish lots

Instructions

  • Turn Instant Pot to Saute mode.
  • Once the hot sign displays add oil and cumin seeds. Sauté for 30 secs.
  • Add onions and mix well. Cook covered with a glass lid on for 3-4 min.
  • Add ginger and garlic, stir and cook for additional minute.
  • Add tomatoes, mix and cook covered for 2 minutes.
  • Add turmeric, red chili powder, cumin-coriander powder, garam masala and salt. Mix well.
  • Add potatoes and cauliflower florets. Add ¼ cup of water. Mix well.
  • Put Instant Pot lid on with pressure valve to sealing. Cook on Manual(Hi) for 3 mins. Note: Cook for only 2 mins if you like cauliflower to be more firm.
  • Quick Release and stir gently. Garnish with cilantro.
  • Serve hot with naan. I like mine with rice.