Tips for cooking Indian foods in Electric Pressure Cooker

Electric pressure cookers are efficient in making Beans/Legumes, Chicken and Lamb Curries. They can also be used to make various rice dishes.

1. Onset Curry Masala

At the onset, most of the Indian curries start out with a sauté sequence: Heat oil, Add chopped onions and sauté till soft or brown, Add minced garlic/ginger sauté, Add dry spices and sauté. This is accomplished in Brown/Sauté mode. Read the manual to find out how to Brown/Sauté. It is different from brand to brand, and even within a brand from model to model. You may also brown chicken or meats in Brown/Sauté mode.

2. Operating Pressure

Electric PC may be able to operate at 3 pressure levels: HIGH, MED, and LOW. Most of the dishes are cooked at HIGH pressure. You should try to find out what these levels are. The cooking time is function of operating pressure. This knowledge would be beneficial when converting your recipes between different pressure cookers.. If the model does not state more than one pressure level, assume it is always HIGH.

3. Pressure Release

After the food is cooked for a time under operating pressure, it enters WARM mode and start to dissipate pressure. All PC are equipped with a manual Pressure Release Knob to release pressure. Many recipes would require for you to release after a give time after the pressure cooking is finished. Read the manual, the nomenclature for the Pressure Release Knob varies from vendor to vendor.

4. Rice

- For one cup of white raw rice, you need 1½ cups of water, two teaspoons of oil, and dash of salt. This remain same for most of the rice types: short or long grain white rice, and white Basmati rice.

- For one cup of brown rice, you will need 1½ cups plus 2 Tablespoons of water, two teaspoons of oil, and dash of salt

- Always wash and rinse rice. It is not needed to presoak rice before cooking in Electric Pressure Cooker

- Rice is cooked at HIGH pressure

- Cooking time varies according to type of rice. It takes longer to cook brown rice.

- After cooking time has expired, The PC will enter the WARM mode and start to dissipate pressure. It would be necessary to turn Pressure Release Knob to rapidly dissipate pressure after a given time to prevent over cooking

5. Dried Beans/ Legumes Cooking Time

- The beans/legumes do not need to be presoaked for cooking in Electric Pressure Cooker. They should be cooked at HIGH psi. You should add 2 teaspoons of cooking oil per cup of dried legumes to prevent foaming.

- Do not add salt, sugar, and souring agents (lime juice, dried mango powder, tamarind, vinegar) till the beans/legumes have been basically cooked.

- Do not add Garam Masala spices during basic cooking to preserve the aromatic flavor

- Older beans/legumes take longer to cook. Older beans take longer to cook.

Cooking Times at 11.6 psi are as follows:

Whole Black Beans (Urad): 32 minutes

Whole Moong: 30 minutes

Whole Brown Lentil (Masoor): 8 minutes

Chickpeas (Kabuli Chana): 50 minutes

Red Kidney Beans (Rajmah): 35 minutes

Popular North American Whole beans (Navy, Pinto, Great Northern): 35 minutes

Skinless Split Pigeon peas (Arhar): 5 minutes

Skinless Split Moong: 5 minutes

6. Tarka/Tempering Dal

The opening diameter of the Cooking Pots for the Electric Pressure Cooker is slightly larger than 8". You will need a small frying pan with a diameter of less than 6" to temper Dal. After the legumes have cooked and the Electric Pressure has gone in to WARM mode, and the pressure has been dissipated, turn the Pressure Release Knob to 'VENT/OPEN' position to release the remaining pressure. Un-lock and open the lid. Prepare your Tadka in the small frying pan on stove-top, and dump it into the Cooking Pot. Stir. Repeat with a second Tarka if desired. After tempering, you may close and lock in the lid, set the Pressure Release Knob to 'SEAL' position and set the cooking time for one minute. This will allow the flavors to fully disperse. For example see Sabut Masoor Dal Recipe

7. Lamb

Cooking time depends on bone-in, thickness and size of the lamb pieces and total weight. Bone-in lamb takes longer to cook than boneless. Normally shoulder or shank is cut into 1½" cubes. Cooking time for 2 pounds of 1½" cubes of boneless lamb will be about 25 minutes.

The 'Pressure Cooking' time will not change irrespective of whether the meat is at room temperature, right from the refrigerator or even frozen. The initial state only effects the initial heat time till the pressure has built up.

8. Chicken

Cooking time depends on bone-in, thickness and size of the chicken pieces and total weight. Bone-in chicken takes longer to cook than boneless. Typical cooking time are as follows

Boneless Skinless Chicken breast 2 pounds of 1½" cubes: 10 minutes.

Boneless Skinless Chick thighs 2 pounds of 1½" cubes: 12 minutes

Bone-in skinless thighs/legs 3 pounds: 15 minutes

Skinless Whole chicken cut-up 8 pieces 4 pounds: 30 minutes

RETURN TO ELECTRIC PRESSURE COOKING

Google Group | Disclaimer | What do you think!