Indian Slow Cooker Cookbook: Top 100 Indian Slo...
Although slow cookers are rightly associated with things like soups and stews, we cooked a wide variety of dishes during our testing, even successfully proving and baking a loaf of bread in a slow cooker.
Indian Slow Cooker Cookbook: Top 100 Indian Slo...
You can pick up a basic slow cooker for not much money at all but be prepared to pay extra if you want to be able to saute and brown food in the cooker or have additional functionality such as more precise control over cooking times and temperatures or to be able to use your slow cooker for sous vide cooking.
At 6.5l, the pot is quite a lump of stoneware to manhandle but is dishwasher safe, however the lid is not. At the price point, a timer and automatic keep warm function would have been a bonus, but if capacity is a more important consideration than extra functionality, this slow cooker is well worth considering.
Not only can slow cookers help you knock up some seriously delicious dinners, but they are also energy efficient, with energy company USwitch noting that they use a little more energy than a traditional light bulb to run. While they take a little while to cook food, they use just 1.3 kWh per meal cooked.
According to research by energy company Utilita, an electric oven is one of the most energy-intensive cooking appliances, costing on average 1.05 per day to run, whereas a slow cooker is typically five times cheaper to run.
There are many benefits to using a slow cooker, including that you can create delicious dinners with minimal prep and without spending hours in the kitchen. Once your ingredients are in, you do not have to check on or stir, because the pot warms up evenly and should never overheat.
Use the low setting on your slow cooker so that whatever dish your making can benefit the most from a slow, gentle heat which makes investing in and using a slow cooker worth it. It also is the safest option, should you be putting something to slow cook overnight or if you nip out to the shops with the appliance on and cooking a dish.
Instead of investing in a slow cooker, we recommend getting the Kuhn Rikon Stovetop Pressure Cooker, Instant Pot Pro, or Le Creuset Dutch Oven. They are all great at producing stews, rich sauces, thick and creamy soups, and hearty stocks.
absolutely delicious, i altered slightly, putting a fresh chilli & garlic in and at the end, along with spinach i put in coriander as i love the taste, but you nailed it, this is the best & easiest curry i have ever made, i will now see if i can find your page/website for any other delicious slow cooker recipes, thank you soooo much.
I have made this recipe twice now adapting it both times assisting to ingredients I had . We have enjoyed a chicken thigh version and a goat and sweet potato curry. Both were very successful in the slow cooker thick and full of flavour, just as good as a takeaway! Will definitely be part of my repertoire now!
I made this for the first time on Friday in my pressure cooker ready for a 30th surprise party on Satursday, i x3 the quality and slowly reheated in slow cooker most of the day on Saturday. It was a huge hit everyone raved about it and thoughy enjoyed it. So tasty, will definitely make again. Nice kick and meat melted in your mouth.
Made this yesterday and it was delicious! Put the ingredients in the pot the night before in the fridge so just had to switch on the slow cooker before I left for work and came home to a banging curry. Just chucked in some Cherry tomatoes and a green pepper for the last half an hour and served with naan and rice. So easy for a midweek dinner, thanks!
Pressure cooking is suddenly in the limelight again. It looks like it's the next new wave after slow cooking in the crockpot. If you grew up like me -- in a home where beans, legumes and pulses were eaten on a daily basis -- you're probably grateful that an efficient and effective cooking method is finally being recognized, and you're possibly also quite aghast at the various myths that are being repeated ad nauseam, especially the one that pressure cookers are dangerous because they explode in your face.releasing pressureThere's no doubt that they used to explode and there were two reasons for that: poor manufacturing and user error (which, unfortunately, continues even today). Modern pressure cookers, especially the kind that don't open until the pressure has subsided, are much safer but so are the old-style ones with a weighted pressure-release, if used properly. If you continue to hear stories about how they explode, then more often than not, it is user error.This reminds me of the recent article that said that immersion or hand blenders are dangerous because many people have almost lost their fingers to the blade. Well, it's only common sense that if the appliance is not unplugged, a blade that is jammed will start spinning as soon as the obstruction has been removed. But, since common sense is rather rare, it is easier to tarnish the appliance with the label: Dangerous.I am still wondering why the author of that particular article was using an immersion blender for butter that was meant to go into chocolate chip cookies, and how an article of that kind made it into The New York Times. And, if she will ever be able to live it down.I must say that I am rather surprised that such people still drive cars.Or use a knife.an Indian pressure cookerPressure cookers have come a long way but the Indian pressure cooker still remains under a cloud and continues to get a bad rap. Its design remains simple: a multi-ply aluminum or stainless steel pot, a lid with a safety valve and steam vent, a rubber gasket and a pressure weight. The weight can be pried off even when the pressure has not subsided. As can the lid. But if you have even an iota of sense, you know not to do that. Many home-cooks hold it under running water to cool it quickly. And when they think it has cooled but it hasn't really, they pry the lid open. And BOOM! They're being taken to the ER with third-degree burns. As for the pressure cooker, it is dangerous!The interesting thing is that neither the weight nor the lid open easily when under pressure. That, by itself, is an indication that a little patience could save you the skin on your face, neck and chest.In order to use a pressure cooker safely, it helps to understand how it works. It is elementary physics, not rocket science. To put it very simply: water is heated inside a sealed pot to create steam. As the steam builds up, it raises the pressure within the sealed pot. This pressure, in turn, increases the boiling point of water within the pot. The water and steam are now at a higher temperature and this combination of high heat and steam is used to cook the food in about one-half to one-third the time it would take in an open pot on the stove. Another advantage is that fewer nutrients are lost, not just because of the reduced cook time, but also because the pot is sealed.High pressure leads to high heat and can lead to accidents, if used carelessly. Stop to think about it. You're saving fuel by cooking food in a third of the time it would take in an open pot. You can, therefore, afford to wait for 10-15 minutes for the pressure to subside naturally. Tell yourself that over and over again and you won't be doing things that could get written about in an article in The New York Times that speaks more for your IQ, than your prowess in the kitchen.Also remember that if you fill it with too much water or food, typically more than half to two-thirds by volume, you might have your ceiling painted in all color and texture of food. Some people recommend adding a little bit of oil to foods that foam, like tur dal or beans. I generally do not bother as I cook my dals either directly in the pot with enough head space or in stacked inserts that go into the pressure cooker. Feel free to try this tip and tell me if it works!side-by-sideI have two Indian pressure cookers, both stainless steel. The bottom of each is a thick sandwich of stainless steel and aluminum as the latter is a better conductor of heat than the former. The smaller one is a 2-liter Vinod. A friend of ours bought it for me in Edison, NJ as he drove up from Fairfax, VA to meet us. Medha was then barely six months old. It came with two stacked stainless steel inserts and a handy lifter. So, yes, it is fourteen years old now!I also have a 5-liter Prestige pressure cooker that I bought in India about twelve years ago. I had to buy the stainless steel inserts for that separately.I use these on a near-daily basis. I have had to change the safety valve of each only once and the gasket, not more than a couple of times. I put all parts of my two pressure cookers through the dishwasher. I do not use the pressure cooker a second time without washing it, even if something was steamed in an insert and no food came into direct contact with the pot. I have lost one weight to the man-in-the-sink and almost lost another one recently. Luckily, it's a part that is easily replaced.My mother taught me how to use a pressure cooker when I was very young, about 9 or 10 years old. She wasn't a scientist or a genius who calculated the psi or pounds per square inch that were required to cook the food she had in mind. Adequate water in the pot, food that cooked in the approximately the same amount of time placed in the inserts, and depending on that, the number of pressure releases or "whistles" for it to cook. Typically, three for tur dal and potatoes, one for some type of beans that had been soaked overnight, two or three for other types of beans, one for rice, one for chicken, and so on. It wasn't an exact science but it worked.Now that I live at an altitude of 5320ft, I value my pressure cookers even more. Water boils at approximately 94C or 201F at my altitude. Add lower air pressure to the mix and you're looking at spending a lot of time in the kitchen to cook Indian food, especially dals and beans. A pressure cooker is, therefore, a necessity at my altitude. Tur dal can take up to four hours to cook in an open pot. It takes about 20 minutes in my Indian pressure cooker. Garbanzo beans that have been soaked overnight take about 15 minutes to cook. (I haven't tried cooking them in an open pot on the stove as that is a waste of precious fuel.) This is just the cook time. It takes a little longer for the pressure to subside, allowing me to open the lid safely. I don't recommend moving the pressure cooker while it is under pressure and therefore, I am not a fan of cooling it quickly under running water in the kitchen sink. I steam idlis in my pressure cooker, and in the past, have made caramel custard or flan in it, too.If I had to pick one indispensable kitchen tool, it would have to be one of my pressure cookers.I admit that I covet modern pressure cookers, the Fagors and the Kuhn Rikons. But I do not have a need for them currently, just a desire and no space to store them.Am I lucky that I have had no disaster thus far? Those who have had a bad experience may consider me lucky. But, to be honest, I have merely used my Indian pressure cookers safely for the last thirty-five years or so. It, therefore, irks me to hear that Indian pressure cookers are unsafe and that they regularly explode in people's faces. My friend Jaya is as upset as I am about this and is coordinating an event on her blog to dispel rumors about Indian pressure cookers.Whole Red Lentil CurryMasoorichi Amti2 cups whole masoor or whole red lentils
3-4 potatoes, peeled and diced large
2-3 tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
2in piece of cinnamon, broken in two pieces
1 tejpatta
2-3 green cardamoms
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
4-5 cloves
1-2 dried red chiles or fresh green chiles
1 onion, red or white, large dice
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chile powder
1 tbsp grated ginger
2 tsp grated garlic
1-2 tsp garam masala
2-3 cups of diced tomatoes or 3 blobs of tomato paste
Salt to taste
5-6 cups of water
Chopped cilantro for garnish
Clean whole masoor of any debris and rinse well with water a couple of times. Set aside.
Heat oil in the pot of your 5-liter or larger pressure cooker.
When it shimmers, add cumin seeds and turn down the heat so that they don't burn.
Add tejpatta, cinnamon, cardamoms, peppercorns, and cloves. Allow them to infuse the hot oil with their aroma, and then add the chiles. Toss so that all spices are coated with oil.
Add diced onions, turmeric powder and red chile powder. Sweat on high heat for a couple of minutes, stirring to prevent scorching or burning.
Add ginger, garlic, and garam masala. Turn down heat to medium and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring frequently.
Add diced tomatoes and salt. Stir to mix well.
Add washed whole masoor and diced potatoes.
Add at 5-6 cups of water, stir and raise heat to medium-high.
Seal the pressure cooker, add the weight and cook for three whistles.
Turn off the heat and allow the pressure to subside gradually. When the weight comes off easily and the lid opens without any resistance, open the pressure cooker, adjust seasonings and add chopped cilantro.
Serve over hot rice or with rotis, and yogurt.
masoorichi amti, ready to be frozen and put awayNotes:I prefer to buy masoor at the Indian grocery store. It is a lot smaller and more flavorful than the large lentils found in the regular grocery store.
This makes a lot of amti. We can make two meals out of it and I can usually fill at least 2-3 glass containers and freeze them for Medha's lunch. And, no, she doesn't get bored of eating the same thing over and over, simply because these are used over a period of 2-3 weeks.
You could cook this in an open pot on the stove but it won't be as flavorful. If I were to hazard a guess, I would say it is because the flavors are infused into the masoor at high heat in a sealed pot. In an open pot, a lot of the aroma is lost and you also lose some depth of flavor as the onions are not browned.
Add more chiles and/or garam masala to make it more spicy.
Squeeze some lemon juice at the end, if you like.
This is my go-to recipe for cooking whole masoor. Apart from the short and simple prep, it as good as cooks itself.
I've made this without tomatoes, or with just ginger or just garlic as I was out of the other, or without onions, or without the whole spices and just the garam masala. Needless to say, I haven't omitted all of these, just one or the other. This recipe is very forgiving. Unlike me, who won't forgive you if you continue to say that Indian pressure cookers are dangerous!I cooked this masoorichi amti in an Indian pressure cooker and it didn't blow up in my face!Update: Jaya's round-up. 041b061a72