Jhinga Nariyal Wala

aka Shrimp Coconut Curry.

This recipe is ganked (almost verbatim) from the Indian Instant Pot Cookbook by Urvashi Pitre.

So, I like shrimp. But I was a little worried about shrimp curry. With coconut, no less. Coconut always reminds me of A) suntan lotion or B) Pina Coladas. Neither of which are good associations. What can I say, Florida in the 70's was a horror show.

However.

This is probably the simplest thing I've made in my Instant Pot (with the exception of hard boiled eggs, because, yeah, hard boiled eggs.) The most effort went into peeling the shrimp (leave the tails on.)

I have a couple of 8" stainless steel prep bowls that I bought for like a dollar at Ocean State. Turns out these are perfect for PIP (pot in pot) cooking. You're welcome.

Ingredients:

1 lb shrimp, shelled and de-veined. (I bought a 1lb bag of frozen raw shrimp at Big Y. They're already de-veined, and that process splits the shell, so they're wicked easy to peel once they're thawed.)

1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic

SPOILER: Or, you could go to the nearest market that carries Asian food and get something called Garlic Ginger Paste. It's exactly that - ground up garlic and ginger in a 50/50 ratio. You pull a spoonful out and you're done. It's my favorite thing so far this year. Keep a jar in the fridge.

1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon Garam Masala
1 cup (unsweetened) coconut milk

So, defrost and peel the shrimp. Throw them into whatever you're using that will fit inside your pressure cooker.

Into that bowl, throw all the other ingredients. Mix gently with a spatula to coat all the shrimp.

Put 2 cups of water in your Instant Pot. Put in the trivet. Cover your cooking bowl with foil, and place it on the trivet.

Now, here's where I go a bit off-piste. The original recipe calls for 3 minutes at high pressure, with rapid pressure release. I did that, and 2/3 of my shrimp were still grey and floppy. Another 2 minutes under pressure and they were fine. So, I'd do 4 minutes, with say 5 minutes natural release, then rapid release the rest of it. Problem solved.

I served it with basmati and some raita.

OH which reminds me - found a shortcut for raita. 4 tablespoons plain greek yogurt, and a hefty tablespoon of something called 'Bombay Sandwich Spread', which is nothing more than a slurry of coriander and mint that comes in a jar. Mix it, add some finely chopped cucumber, and you've got raita.

Aloo Gobi

Right, so here's another Indian recipe, best prepared in the Instant Pot or other pressure cooker type thingie. I'll warn you ahead of time that the result may not be pretty - but it tastes friggin' amazing.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp peanut oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 cups potato, peeled and sliced into 1/4" pieces (about 3 normal sized Russets, for example.)

Spice Mix: 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp garam masala, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1/4 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp ground coriander, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less depending on your heat tolerance)

1/2 cup diced tomato

1/4 cup water

(Note: I combined the two above ingredients and used a can of diced tomato without draining. Much easier, and it worked just fine.)

4 cups cauliflower florets. I used 1 medium cauliflower head, trimmed and cut into 1/8ths. You could also use frozen cauliflower florets with no change to the recipe.

Directions:

1) Using the 'saute' function, heat the Instant Pot. Add the oil. When shimmering, add the cumin seeds, saute for a bit until they start to make popping noises. Add the sliced potato and saute for a few minutes until they start to brown. Add the spice mix, stir and saute until the spices are fragrant. Add the tomatoes and the cauliflower, stir to coat everything with the oil/spice/tomato mix.

2) Seal the Instant Pot, and set for Low Pressure for 3 minutes.

3) When the cycle completes, use Quick Release to release the pressure.

4) Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

5) Serve with rice, chapatis or naan.

Instant Pot Punjabi Lobia (Black Eyed Peas with Spinach)

This is from the 'Indian Instant Pot Cookbook' by Urvashi Pitre. Highly recommended.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon ghee or peanut oil
1/8 tsp cumin seeds
1/8 tsp black mustard seeds (or omit and use 1/4 tsp cumin seeds)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger (NOTE: I found a jar of pre-minced garlic and ginger mix at my local Asian supermarket. Giant time-saver)
1 cup diced tomato (canned is fine)
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (adjust to your preferred heat level)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
1 cup dried black-eyed peas (no need to pre-soak)
2 cups water
4 cups raw spinach (I used a 5oz package of baby spinach)

Directions:
1) Preheat the Instant Pot using the saute function. When hot, add the ghee or oil. When shimmering, add the cumin and mustard seeds. They'll probably sputter a bit. Do not be alarmed. Add the garlic and ginger and saute for 30 seconds.
2) Add the tomato and cook for 1-2 minutes until they get a little soft.
3) Add the turmeric, cayenne, coriander, cumin and salt. Mix.
4) Add the black-eyed peas and water. Stir. Place the raw spinach on top of everything, don't mix.
5) Cook on High pressure for 10 minutes. Allow 'natural release' for 10 minutes, then release remaining pressure.
6) Stir, taste and adjust salt or cayenne if necessary.
7) Urvashi recommends serving with rice, naan or chapatis. Basically any starch will do. Even mashed potato.