Pressure Cooker Beef Curry

Despite being in the month of April, having had a taste of warm and sunny weather, and equipping the kids with new bikes, we're still slowly inching our way out of winter. The temperature is still hovering around freezing, and we're still getting a fair number of grey and drizzly days.... Which means it's time for another pressure cooker curry dish!

Cooking curry in a pressure cooker makes for very tender meat in a relatively short period of time. This recipe uses red lentils to help thicken the curry and also adds some tasty protein and fiber. I like to add potatoes to turn this into a one-dish meal for those who don't like rice in my family, but it can also be made without the potatoes, keeping all other quantities of ingredients the same.

The pressure cooker I use is the Instant Pot which is an electric cooker. It's possible that cooking times may vary depending on your method of cooking.

Pressure Cooker Beef Curry
inspired by this recipe

 

Ingredients in order that they go into the pot:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or 1 tablespoon ghee
• 1 teaspoon cumin seed
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 2 tablespoons crushed or minced garlic 
• 2 tablespoons shredded fresh ginger (or about 1/2 tsp dried ground ginger)
• 2 onions, chopped 
• 2 red chili peppers, chopped (I sometimes use jalapenos, or even leave peppers out altogether for a very mild curry)
• 2 lbs/1 kg stewing beef
• 2 cups/16 ounces crushed tomatoes (or diced or whole depending on whether you like tomato bits in your curry)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste 
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1/2 cup red lentil 
• 2-3 medium potatoes, cubed the size of your beef pieces (optional)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (a garnish after cooking)

Directions:  

1. I highly recommend prepping and measuring out all the ingredients before getting started. 
2. Heat the oil or ghee in the pot.
3. When the oil/ghee is very hot, add the cumin and mustard seeds and stir for a few seconds until they start to sizzle and pop.
4. Stir in the turmeric and garam masala.
5. Next add garlic, ginger, onions and peppers and cook for a few minutes until onions become translucent. You can add a bit more oil/ghee if needed.
6. Add the beef and brown briefly on all sides.
7. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, beef stock, red lentils, and optional potatoes. 
8. Lock on the lid of the pressure cooker, bring to pressure, and cook for 20 minutes. If the meat is not  tender, pressure cook for an additional 5-10 minutes. 
9. Add chopped coriander and stir through.
10. To adjust the consistency of the curry you can add more tomato paste or beef stock to taste.

Lentils in Tomato & Polenta

Since getting my pressure cooker I've been making more legume dishes for weekday dinners because I can cook them up much more quickly than on the stove top or oven. There are a ton of great recipes at Hip Pressure Cooking's blog which have so far all turned out perfectly, and their lentil recipe is no exception!

This recipe has led me to discover that my kids actually like lentils! Go figure. I had assumed the kids wouldn't like them so never bothered to try. And because it's cooked efficiently, the flavors stay fresh and bright. Polenta is a side dish loved by all of us that goes really well with the lentils. I serve it warm for dinner, and then I let the leftover polenta set in a parchment paper-lined pan. 

After dinner, I assemble the leftovers into square lunch containers, layered lasagna-style. I put some lentils into my container, followed by a layer of sliced polenta, and repeat until I have a good serving size, ending with lentils so that the polenta doesn't dry up. It's great either cold or microwaved.

Lentils in Tomatoes --Pressure Cooker Recipe

from Hip Pressure Cooking

• olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped 
• 1 medium green pepper, chopped
• 14.5oz can of chopped tomatoes (~1.8 cups or 430ml)
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• salt & pepper
• 1 heaping cup of green lentils
• 2 cups water

1. Preheat the pressure cooker, add a splash of oil, and saute the onion, celery and green pepper.
2. When the veggies are softened, stir in the can of tomato, curry powder, and salt and pepper to taste.
3. Stir in the lentils and water.
4. Close and lock the lid, cook for about 15 minutes once pressure is reached. Time will vary depending on the lentils, apparently smaller lentils take longer to cook, but mine are always ready in about 15 minutes and they're what I'd consider standard sized green lentils (if there's such a thing!).
5. When the time is up, use the natural release method to open the pot which takes about 10 minutes. (Turn off the electric pot, or remove the stove-top pot from the heat).

Polenta

• ~4 cups chicken broth (this will vary depending on the coarseness of your cornmeal)
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 tsp salt (if using low/no sodium broth)
• 1 tbsp butter
• a handful of fresh grated Parmesan, Romano, or other similar cheese.

1. Bring the broth to a boil.
2. Slowly whisk in the cornmeal, reduce heat to low.
3. Simmer, stirring frequently, until the mixture is thickened and the cornmeal is tender, about 15 minutes.
4. Turn off the heat, add butter and cheese, and stir until melted.