I love a good Aloo Gobi. It should be at once spicy and dry, but cooked through. My tests in the Instant Pot, however, were not quite meeting my high threshold for taste and texture. Until this recipe. A few tips for you. Keep the cauliflower and potatoes on the slightly larger side. Dice them too much and they will get mushy. You must add at least 1/4 cup of water. More than that and the dish gets mushy because cauliflower and the peas do release some moisture as well. I also don't mix the cauliflower until the dish is finished cooking to help avoid it from becoming mushy. Let me know what you think! Be sure to post photos of your dish with the hashtag #indianinstantpot - hope you like it!
RECIPE
Instant Pot Aloo Gobi, Spiced Cauliflower and Potato
Pressure Cooker Size: 3 quart or larger
Warm Up: 11 minutes
Cook: 1 minute
Cool Down: Manual release
TOTAL: 12 minutes plus manual release time
Makes: 3 cups
2 teaspoons oil or ghee
1 pinch hing (asafoetida) (optional)
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 (1-inch) piece ginger, minced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
½ - 3 Thai or serrano chiles, stems removed and minced
1 small potato (russet or yellow), peeled and roughly chopped
¼ cup frozen peas, slightly defrosted
2 teaspoons garam masala
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon red chile powder or cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons salt
¼ cup water
5 cups cauliflower, cut into 2-inch pieces, dried
1. Place the inner cooking pot in your Instant Pot. Select the SAUTE setting and adjust to MORE. When the indicator flashes HOT, add oil. Once hot, add hing and cumin. Stir well and cook 40 seconds until the seeds are reddish brown. Because the oil pools to the sides, push the spices into the oil along the border of the inner pot so they can cook fully.
2. Add turmeric. Cook 30 seconds.
3. Add onion. Stir and cook 1 minute.
4. Add ginger, garlic, and chiles. Stir and cook 1 minute.
5. Add potato. Stir and cook 2 minutes. Press CANCEL.
6. Add peas, garam masala, coriander, red chile, salt, and water. Stir. The water will help deglaze the pot.
7. Add cauliflower. Do not stir.
8. Lock the lid into place. Make sure the pressure release valve is set to the sealing position (upwards). Press the PRESSURE COOK button until the panel indicates LOW pressure, set the cooking time to LESS, and adjust the time to pressure cook for 1 minute.
9. Once the cooking is complete, release the pressure manually. Stir contents until the cauliflower is coated with spices evenly. Eat with Indian bread like roti or naan, serve with rice, or use as a stuffing for homemade Indian bread like paratha.
Warm Up: 17 minutes Cook: 0 minutes Cool Down: manual release
TOTAL: 17 minutes plus manual release time
Makes: 4 cups
2 teaspoons oil or ghee
1 pinch hing (asafoetida) (optional)
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped (1 cup)
1 tablespoon ginger, ground or minced
3 cloves of garlic, ground or minced
½ - 4 Thai, Serrano, or cayenne chiles, stems removed and minced
1 medium potato (russet or yellow), peeled and roughly chopped (1 ½ cups)
2 teaspoons garam masala
2 teaspoons coriander powder
1 teaspoon red chile powder or cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons salt
5 cups cauliflower, cut into 2-inch pieces, dried thoroughly
1 cup frozen peas, slightly defrosted
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
Place the inner cooking pot in your Instant Pot. Add all ingredients in the order listed above except the cilantro. Do not stir.
Lock the lid into place. Make sure that the pressure release valve is in place and set to the sealing position (upwards). Press the PRESSURE COOK button until the panel indicates NORMAL and adjust the time to pressure cook for 0 minutes on HIGH pressure.
Once the cooking is completed, release pressure manually. Once the float valve drops, let the dish sit for 2 minutes. This allows the internal steam to finish cooking the potatoes without overcooking the cauliflower.
Open the lid, add cilantro, and stir well. Serve over basmati rice or with Indian bread like roti or naan.
Note: These dishes are typically very dry, but with the Instant Pot you need a little water. To minimize the amount of moisture in the dish, be sure to dry the cauliflower and potatoes before adding.
Try this! For some plant-based protein, swap frozen and shelled edamame for the peas and/or add a ½ cup cashew cream at the end for the plant-based protein and to make it creamier.
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Linda
March 17, 2022
A favorite in my house! Thank you for easy to follow directions.