Often, the simplest pairings make the most fabulous dishes. South Indian carrot curry (or porrial, as it is sometimes called) is the simplest Indian vegetable stir-fry that you could possibly make. Carrots are not that alien to Indian cooking. In fact, they are originally from neighboring Afghanistan and have been incorporated into Indian cooking for quite some time. However, the current variety of carrot that is widely used in Indian cooking is a domesticated version of a wild carrot originally believed to be from the Netherlands.
In this dish, the goal is to make the spicy chile taste stand out ever so slightly against the backdrop of the subtle sweetness of the coconut and the carrots. The Instant Pot provides an excellent way to steam the vegetables without losing their nutrients.
Carrot curry is a pure vegetarian and a vegan dish. You can also make this dish gluten free, if you avoid the hing. Hing in its pure form is gluten free, but many vendors add wheat flour to reduce the intensity of its flavor.
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Carrot Curry (Porrial, Stir-fry)
Often, the simplest pairings make the most fabulous dishes. South Indian carrot curry (or porrial, as it is sometimes called) is the simplest Indian vegetable stir-fry that you could possibly make. Carrot curry is a pure vegetarian and a vegan dish. You can also make this dish gluten free, if you avoid the hing. Hing in its pure form is gluten free, but many vendors add wheat flour to reduce the intensity of its flavor.
Peel the carrots' outer skin and dice them into small cubes. Dice the green chilies into small pieces.
Add 1.5 cups of water into the Inner Pot of the Instant Pot (IP). Insert a stainless-steel steamer basket. Place the diced carrots and the green peas in the steamer basket.
Select ‘Steam’ with vent sealed, cook for 1 min. Once the steam cycle is done, release the pressure by venting the steam out.
Pour the contents of the dry spices into a wide non-stick frying pan (put the spices in one small area of the frying pan).
Pour vegetable oil over the spices (enough to soak the spices plus a little more).
Heat on medium. When you first hear the sound of the mustard seed "popping," add the curry leaves, ginger and green chilies, and stir for a few seconds.
Pour the contents of the cooked carrots and the green peas into the frying pan and spread evenly across the surface of the pan.
Add salt, and let the carrots cook on medium heat. Since the carrots are already cooked, just fold the cooked carrots in with a spatula until they are coated/mixed well with the spices.
Add the shredded coconut and stir until the coconut is mixed and blended with the rest of the curry.
Sprinkle a few cilantro leaves on top as garnish and serve hot.
Upma is the humble Indian version of a polenta or a spicy porridge. However, despite its modest beginning, it takes on multiple incarnations thanks to the many forgiving ways you can forge its recipe. For example, Floyd Cardoz, a Bombay-born New York chef, recently won the coveted Top Chef Masters contest in Los Angeles by taking this dish and upping it to an haute cuisine. Its unassuming nature starts with its name, which simply translates to ‘salty flour.’ It has always been a breakfast for sadhus, and aam aadmis and is the go-to food for train journeys and school lunches. However, by the time you are old enough to get out of your parents’ home, you, like me, had such an overdose of Rava Upma that you want to be miles away from any kitchen that serves this dish for the rest of your life. But the secret allure of this dish cannot be denied, and you eventually crave for it. This recipe goes back to the basics, and presents its classic taste by keeping it very simple. Please give it a try.
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Rava Upma, the common man’s polenta.
Upma is the humble Indian version of a polenta or a spicy porridge. However, despite its modest beginning, it takes on multiple incarnations thanks to the many forgiving ways you can forge its recipe. This recipe goes back to the basics, and presents its classic taste by keeping it very simple. Avoid butter in this recipe to make it a vegan dish. Please give it a try.
Pour the contents of the dry spices into a wide non-stick frying pan (put the spices in one small area of the frying pan). Pour the vegetable oil over the spices (enough to soak the spices plus a little more).
Heat on medium. When you first hear the sound of the mustard seed "popping," add the diced green chilies, curry leaves, butter, and ginger into the pan. Stir until the butter melts. Mix all the spices together well for a minute.
Add onions to the frying pan. Stir occasionally until the onions become translucent. They don’t need to be cooked to a 'golden brown' color.
Add two cups of water to the frying pan. Add green peas and salt. Bring the water to a first boil.
Add soji (rava) slowly while constantly stirring so that it does not form any lumps.
Keep stirring the mix until all the water is absorbed. It should happen fairly quickly.
Reduce the heat to low, and close the pan with its lid for a few minutes, until the soji is cooked and becomes fluffy and moist.
Sundal is a signature TamBram stir-fried dish. While I love a home cooked sundal, which is usually a simple version without any fanfare, what I really crave for is the Marina Beach version with its trademark ‘thenga-manga-pattani’ (coconut, mango and garbanzos) sundal. It is a very simple dish that is high in protein and a perfect one to make it in the Instant Pot. I think it is best served as an appetizer along with some masala vada. No wonder then that this has become a famous bar food in some of the elite Chennai ‘clubs.’ So here is a recipe for a hipster’s version of this famous dish. But if you would rather prefer a simple ‘sadhu’ version, just drop the onions, ginger and mango part of the recipe.
Peanut Sundal – The Spicy Indian
This is a vegan dish. It can also be prepared as a gluten free food, if you avoid the hing while garnishing/cooking.
You can replace garbanzos with peanuts and the recipe is identical.
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Peanut Sundal
Best Appetizer for a party. Here is a recipe for a hipster’s version of this famous dish. But if you would rather prefer a simple ‘sadhu’ version, just drop the onions, ginger and mango part of the recipe.
Rinse the peanuts thoroughly and soak them for about 20 minutes.
Dice the green chilies and the onion into fine pieces. Peel the mango skin, and grate it into small pieces.
Rinse the peanuts and pour them into to the Inner Pot of the Instant Pot. Add about 3.0 cup of water. Make sure that the water level is enough and over the surface of the peanuts. Close the lid, and cook for 25 min at high pressure. Cool down naturally. Open the lid and drain the water. Set the peanuts aside.
In the Instant Pot, press ‘sauté’ and ‘adjust’ to ensure the digital display is on ‘more.’ This is the high setting for sauté.
Add oil to the Inner Pot. When it is hot, add hing, curry leaves, mustard seeds, and the red chilies. When the mustard seeds start to pop, add cumin seeds and the urd dhal. Stir for a few minutes.
Add, salt, green chilies and the ginger. Add one half of the cut onions. Continue to stir until they blend in with the rest of the spices. It is not necessary to cook the onions completely.
Add the drained peanuts and stir it constantly until the peanuts and the rest of the spices are mixed well with the spices. Add the rest of the onion and slowly fry the peanuts for one to two minutes. Add coconut and the shredded mango and mix well.
Set the Instant Pot on ‘saute’ mode with high heat. Fry them together for a minute.
Press ‘cancel’ to get out of the sauté mode. Set the Instant Pot on slow cook set on ‘normal’ (medium) heat, and put the lid on. Cook for 30 minutes.
Garnish with long cut onions, green chilies split along the length, and cilantro.
Leave the Instant Pot on slow cook on medium heat and serve the sundal hot from the dish, just the way it is done in the Marina Beach.
Sundal is a signature TamBram stir-fried dish. While I love a home cooked sundal, which is usually a simple version without any fanfare, what I really crave for is the Marina Beach version with its trademark ‘thenga-manga-pattani’ (coconut, mango and garbanzos) sundal. It is a very simple dish that is high in protein and a perfect one to make it in the Instant Pot. I think it is best served as an appetizer along with some masala vada. No wonder then that the peanut version has become a famous bar food in some of the elite Chennai ‘clubs.’ So here is a recipe for a hipster’s version of this famous dish. But if you would rather prefer a simple ‘sadhu’ version, just drop the onions, ginger and mango part of the recipe.
This is a vegan dish. It can also be prepared as a gluten free food, if you avoid the hing while garnishing/cooking.
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Thenga, Manga, Pattani Sundal
This is a vegan dish. It can also be prepared as a gluten free food, if you avoid the hing while garnishing/cooking. Here is a recipe for a hipster’s version of this famous dish. But if you would rather prefer a simple ‘sadhu’ version, just drop the onions, ginger and mango part of the recipe.
Rinse the garbanzos thoroughly and soak them for about 20 minutes.
Dice the green chilies and the onion into fine pieces. Peel the mango skin, and grate it into small pieces.
Rinse the garbanzos and pour them into to the Inner Pot of the Instant Pot. Add about 3.0 cup of water. Make sure that the water level is enough and over the surface of the garbanzos. Close the lid, and cook for 25 min at high pressure. Cool down naturally. Open the lid and drain the water. Set the garbanzos aside.
In the Instant Pot, press ‘sauté’ and ‘adjust’ to ensure the digital display is on ‘more.’ This is the high setting for sauté.
Add oil to the Inner Pot. When it is hot, add hing, curry leaves, mustard seeds, and the red chilies. When the mustard seeds start to pop, add cumin seeds and the urd dhal. Stir for a few minutes.
Add, salt, green chilies and the ginger. Add one half of the cut onions. Continue to stir until they blend in with the rest of the spices. It is not necessary to cook the onions completely.
Add the drained garbanzos and stir it constantly until the garbanzos and the rest of the spices are mixed well with the spices. Add the rest of the onion and slowly fry the garbanzos for one to two minutes. Add coconut and the shredded mango and mix well.
Set the Instant Pot on ‘saute’ mode with high heat. Fry them together for a minute.
Press ‘cancel’ to get out of the sauté mode. Set the Instant Pot on slow cook set on ‘normal’ (medium) heat, and put the lid on. Cook for 30 minutes.
Garnish with long cut onions, green chilies split along the length, and cilantro.
Leave the Instant Pot on slow cook on medium heat and serve the sundal hot from the dish, just the way it is done in the Marina Beach.
When it is gloomy, cold and raining, it is time to reach for my pot. Oh shush, I am speaking of my Instant Pot!
Pongal
When I was growing up in my village, during the winter months of December/January, if we went to the temple early in the morning, the priest would serve us a hot cup of Pongal. Ever since then, I have always associated winter mornings to the taste of a good Pongal. Over the years, I have ever so slowly perfected my own homemade Pongal. Recently, I have updated my recipe to make this cooking very simple using an Instant Pot.
For my non-South Indian friends, Pongal is the South Indian equivalent to a spicy western porridge. It has become a national breakfast food in India, and a very popular dish in the South. You can make this recipe a vegan dish by simply substituting the butter with a suitable vegetable oil. It is gluten free if you avoid the hing.
Here is my recipe. Give it a try and let me know what you think.
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Pongal
Pongal is the South Indian equivalent to a spicy western porridge. It has become a national breakfast food in India, and a very popular dish in the South. You can make this recipe a vegan dish by simply substituting the butter with a suitable vegetable oil. It is gluten free if you avoid the hing.
Put moong dhal in a small pot on medium heat and dry roast until it is hot to touch. Do not over roast it. Make sure you turn the moong dhal over constantly so as to make the roasting uniform.
Plug in the Instant pot, press ‘sauté’ and ‘adjust’ to change the digital display to ‘more.’ This is the high setting for sauté. In the Instant Pot inner pot, add the butter. Once it is melted, add hing, add finely chopped ginger, sauté for 2-3 seconds, then add pepper (best if you have freshly ground pepper) and cumin seeds. Add salt. Add the green chilie. If you want to add more flavor, add a bit of ground cumin powder. Adjust the ‘sauté’ temperature down if needed. Sauté for another 1 min. You can add fresh curry leaves. Make sure nothing burns or stick to the bottom of inner pot. Add roasted moong dhal and the rice.
Add three cups of water. The amount of water you add would vary based on the rice you use. I use Thai Jasmin rice for my cooking. Adjust as needed.
On manual, under high pressure, with vent sealed, cook for 8 min. Let it cool down naturally.
Open the lid, add the Cashew nuts, and thoroughly mix.
Of course, a dish as popular as Sambar must have a real tall tale to showcase its mighty origin! One day, Sambaji (none other than the son of the great Maratha warrior Sivaji), who also happens to be a great cook, finds himself without his favorite ingredients in his cousin’s kingly court kitchen in Tanjore. He magically creates this world-famous dish with local ingredients and aptly names it after himself – Sambar! Whether you relegate this to the great storytelling ability of our people or assign it to historians for further research, it is in general agreed, that the origin of this dish must have been from a modest Tanjore Brahmin’s kitchen and has since spread across South India over time. In doing so, it has incorporated elements of local cuisine, such as adding coconut in Kerala or even jaggery in Karnataka. But the real credit goes to the Udupi hoteliers who popularized their version of Sambar, which is sometimes referred to as ‘Hotel Sambar.’ It is this version that has ‘traveled the world and seven seas’ to become ubiquitous in all Madrasi restaurants and kitchens alike.
Sambar – The Spicy Soul
When my mother heard that I am going abroad for my studies, she immediately made sure that I learned to cook Sambar, and she sent me off with a packet of Sambar powder. Ever since then, I have been evolving my Sambar recipe. Now it contains all the key elements of all the Sambar recipes that I have come across. Try it for yourself…I think you’ll really enjoy it!
It is a pure vegetarian dish and almost a vegan one but for the butter in it. You can also make this dish gluten free, if you avoid the hing. Hing in its pure form is gluten free, but many vendors add wheat flour to reduce the intensity of its flavor.
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Sambar (Vegetable lentil stew)
It is a pure vegetarian dish and almost a vegan one but for the butter in it. You can also make this dish gluten free, if you avoid the hing. Hing in its pure form is gluten free, but many vendors add wheat flour to reduce the intensity of its flavor.
Pour the contents (except the curry leaves) of the dry spices into the Instant Pot Inner Pot (put the spices in one small area of the pan).
Pour the vegetable oil over the spices (just enough to soak the spices plus a little more).
Plug in the Instant Pot, press ‘sauté’ and ‘adjust’ to ensure the digital display is on ‘more.’ This is the high setting for sauté.
When you first hear the sound of the mustard seed "popping," pour the diced green chilies, butter, and ginger/garlic paste into the pan. Add the curry leaves. Stir until the butter melts and chilies and garlic/ginger paste mixes well together.
Adjust the ‘sauté’ temperature down if needed. Sauté for another 1 min.
Add onions to pan. Stir occasionally until the onions are soft, just until they are translucent.
Add salt, sambar powder, and tomatoes. Add 1 cup of water to the pan, mix them well and let them cook together. Ensure you stir periodically for uniform cooking and mixing of spices (just fold it over using a spatula). Bring it to a boil. Adjust the sauté temperature as needed.
Turn off the Instant Pot
Add (1 cup) Dhal to the Inner Pot, add (6 cups of) water
On manual, under high pressure, with vent sealed, cook for 20 min. Let it cool down naturally.
In a bowl, add the tamarind, and add a cup of water and microwave for 2 minutes. Once cool, make a puree by squeezing. Remove all pulp. Dilute the tamarind, if needed, for the right consistency and keep 1 cup of tamarind juice aside.
Add all the ingredients (except the coconut) for the paste to a small frying pan and add 2 tsp of oil. Fry them on medium heat until the lentils become slightly brown.
Grind the fried spices into a fine paste using a grinder and by adding enough water to achieve a paste consistency.
Open the grinder, add the coconut and grind them together for a few seconds. Set aside the paste.
In a small frying pan, add a bit of oil, some salt and gently sauté the cut vegetable until it is about half cooked. Add a small amount of water if necessary.
Add the tamarind juice, and the ground paste to the pan and cook them all together until they come to a boil. Turn off the stove after it has reached a boil.
Once the IP has cooled down, make sure there is no pressure in the cooker and that the (pressure) pin is down. Open the Cooker lid -- be careful, as the dhal will be extremely hot.
Add the cooked ingredients to the inner pot. Add water, if needed, for consistency. Set the IP for ‘slow cook’ high for 30 minutes. Close the lid, with the vent open.
Once done, taste and add salt if necessary. Add Jaggery (optional), if preferred.
Add in fresh cilantro for garnish. Serve hot over rice.
This dish was developed purely out of necessity as a utilitarian dish in our villages when they had plenty of milk and yogurt without much of a distribution or refrigeration system. Typically, when yogurt was getting old, they needed to utilize it rather urgently. The result was a superb, and yet a simple dish. By design, they used only sour yogurt that gave the dish its characteristic taste and its lingering tang. However, the biggest problem is that when the yogurt is heated, it curdles and separates as the denatured milk protein starts to separate from the liquid (whey). This can be prevented using a combination of slow (low heat) cooking, a high fat yogurt, and by adding some starch. The Instant Pot (IP) is fantastic for low heat cooking and this recipe is guaranteed to keep the yogurt intact!
Wash and soak the ingredients for grinding (without the coconut) for at least an hour. Grind them into a paste and add the shredded coconut and grind them all together for a few more seconds. Set the paste aside.
Plug in the IP, press ‘sauté’ and ‘adjust’ to change the digital display to ‘more.’ This is the high setting for sauté.
Pour the contents (except the curry leaves) of the dry spices into the IP Inner Pot (put the spices in one small area of the pan). Pour the vegetable oil over the spices (just enough to soak the spices plus a little more).
When you first hear the sound of the mustard seed "popping," add the curry leaves. Add the cut chayote into the inner pot, add salt and add ¼ cup of water to moisten the mixture. Cook the vegetable until it is partially cooked (until it is just starting to get soft) and press ‘cancel’ to shut down the heating. Turn on the IP to ‘slow cooking’ high and set the time for 30 minutes.
Add the paste and three cups of water and mix them well with the other contents of the pot. Finally, add the yogurt and gently stir all of the contents well once. Close the IP and ensure the steam release to the venting position. Periodically check to see if the chayote is cooking well.
Once the time runs out, press ‘cancel’ and unplug the IP.
It is time to seek refuge in the kitchen and cook some ‘rasam’ for the soul! Rasam, as we call it, ‘the very essence’ as it translates, is as fundamental to our food as the very air we breathe, and yet it is the simplest form of a soup. It is a comfort food for us, and to all our South Indian neighbors. When we were a kid, it is the first solid food we ate and the go to food when we were sick. When the British came to India, it was the first Indian food that got anglicized. They called it mullaga (chile) water, which eventually evolved into Mulligatawny Soup. Apparently, they liked it so much so that today, in its varied incarnations, it is available the world over. Warning it is very spicy and tone it down if you like and you do need to have the Instant Pot.
Pour the contents (except the curry leaves) of the dry spices into the Instant Pot Inner Pot (put the spices in one small area of the pan).
Pour the vegetable oil over the spices (just enough to soak the spices plus a little more).
Plug in the Instant pot, press ‘sauté’ and ‘adjust’ to ensure the digital display is on ‘more’. This is the high setting for sauté.
When you first hear the sound of the mustard seed "popping", pour the diced green chilies, butter, and ginger into the pan. Add the curry leaves. Stir until the butter melts and chilies and garlic mixes well together.
Adjust the ‘sauté’ temperature down if needed. Sauté for another 1 min.
Add salt, pepper, rasam powder, turmeric powder and tomatoes. Add 2 cup of water to the pan. Mix them well and let them cook together. Adjust the sauté temperature as needed.
Ensure you stir periodically for uniform cooking and mixing of spices (just fold it over using a spatula). Stir just enough until all the spices are mixed with the tomatoes. Bring it to the first boil. Wait for a minute.
Turn off the Instant Pot
Add (1cup) Dhal to the Inner Pot, add (5 cups of) water,
On manual, under high pressure, with vent sealed, cook for 20 min. Let it cool down naturally.
On a bowl add tamarind, add a cup of water and microwave for 2 minutes. Once cool, make a puree and remove all pulps. Dilute the tamarind, if needed for the right consistency and keep 1.5 cup of tamarind juice aside.
Make sure there is no pressure in the cooker and the pin (pressure) is down. Open the Cooker lid, and be careful the dhal will be extremely hot.
Add the tamarind juice. Taste and add salt if necessary. Stir once, and close the lid. 'Slow cook' in high for 30 min.
Once done, squeeze ½ a lemon without seeds. Add in fresh cilantro for garnish.
This is one of my favorite ways to make Dhal. It is very simple to make in the IP and has served as a complete meal on way too many occasions. This dish also happens to be the very first one that I really mastered. It’s inspired by the ever so popular Andhra Tomato Pappu. Over the years, this has become my go-to comfort food, and I often crave for this Dhal on rice along with a few (or more) fresh potato chips. Sometimes life’s “most simple things can bring the most happiness.”
It is a pure vegetarian dish and almost a vegan one but for the butter in it. You can also make this dish gluten free, if you avoid the hing. Hing in its pure form is gluten free, but many vendors add wheat flour to reduce the intensity of its flavor.
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Andhra Tomato Pappu (Lentil Soup)
It is a pure vegetarian dish and almost a vegan one but for the butter in it. You can also make this dish gluten free, if you avoid the hing. Hing in its pure form is gluten free, but many vendors add wheat flour to reduce the intensity of its flavor.
Pour the contents (except the curry leaves) of the dry spices into the Instant Pot Inner Pot (put the spices in one small area of the pan).
Pour the vegetable oil over the spices (just enough to soak the spices plus a little more).
Plug in the Instant Pot, press ‘sauté’ and ‘adjust’ to ensure the digital display is on ‘more.’ This is the high setting for sauté.
When you first hear the sound of the mustard seed "popping," pour the diced green chilies, butter, and ginger/garlic paste into the pan. Add the curry leaves. Stir until the butter melts and chilies and garlic/ginger paste mixes well together.
Adjust the ‘sauté’ temperature down if needed. Sauté for another 1 min.
Add onions to pan. Stir occasionally until the onions are soft, just until they are translucent.
Add salt, sambar powder, turmeric powder, and tomatoes. Add 1 cup of water to the pan, mix them well and let them cook together. Ensure you stir periodically for uniform cooking and mixing of spices (just fold it over using a spatula). Bring it to a boil. Adjust the sauté temperature as needed.
Turn off the Instant Pot
Add (1 cup) Dhal to the Inner Pot, add (4.5 to 6 cups of) water. Adjust water based on the consistency you are looking for.
On manual, under high pressure, with vent sealed, cook for 20 min. Let it cool down naturally.
Once the IP has cooled down, make sure there is no pressure in the cooker and that the (pressure) pin is down. Open the Cooker lid -- be careful, as the dhal will be extremely hot.
Add in fresh cilantro for garnish. Serve hot over rice.
