Diwali: Best Time To Go Traditional With Cuisine

- ADVERTISEMENT -

Never is it more important for me to cook the dishes that take us back to our Indian roots than on Diwali. Celebrating with my family in the U.S., where we grew up and where we are raising our own kids, it becomes that much more important to not only cook the recipes of my childhood, but to also teach the next generation to eat, appreciate it, and make it themselves.

I know that my whole life, food connected me to the city of my birth, Chandigarh, and my father’s Punjabi village of Bhikhi. Nothing makes me burst with pride more than when my girls ask for Dal Makhani or Gajar ka Halwa – and know they will get both on Diwali.

My new book, Instant Pot Indian, takes our traditional flavors and locks them into clear and easy recipes in a book for the electric pressure cooker or the Instant Pot. It’s an easy way for the next, busy generation to cook home-cooked healthy Indian food without wasting time on experimenting and tweaking. I have done all the work for you and locked in all of our delicious Indian flavors!

Dal Makhani : Buttery Black Dal

Dal with makhan (butter) is a more decadent version of Indian black dal that has become a standard, go-to dish on Indian restaurant menus, likely because it’s at once hearty and comforting. The addition of fenugreek in both the seed and the herb forms adds a gourmet quality to this homestyle dish.

1. Soak the urad dal and rajmah together in ample boiled, hot water for at least 1 hour or in room temperature water for 6 hours to overnight. Drain and discard the water.

2. Place the inner pot in your Instant Pot. Select the SAUTE setting and adjust to MORE. When the indicator flashes HOT, add the ghee. Once the ghee is hot, add the hing, cumin seeds, turmeric, cinnamon, and cassia or bay leaves. Stir and cook for 1 minute until the seeds turn 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.

3. Add the fenugreek seeds. Stir and cook for 30 seconds. Be careful not to overcook, as these seeds get bitter quickly.

4. Add the onions. Stir and cook for 3 minutes.

5. Add the ginger, garlic, and fresh chiles. Stir and cook for 1 minute.

6. Press CANCEL. Add the tomato paste, garam masala, ground cumin, coriander, red chile powder, cardamom, kasoori methi, salt, urad dal/rajmah, and cooking water. Stir.

7. Lock the lid into place and make sure the pressure release valve is set to the sealing position (upwards). Press the PRESSURE COOK button and then press the PRESSURE LEVEL button until the panel reads HIGH. Adjust the cook time to 40 minutes.

8. Once the cooking is complete, release the pressure naturally for 10 minutes. Then manually release the remaining pressure, press CANCEL, and remove the lid. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick and cassia or bay leaves or leave them in for flavor and eat around them. All the other spices are edible. Gently fold in the cream and stir. Serve with basmati rice or Indian bread like roti or naan.

NOTE: This recipe features measurements for the 6 Quart size Instant Pot. Instructions and measurements for the 3 Quart and 8 Quart Instant Pot sizes can be found in Instant Pot Indian.

Reprinted with permission from Instant Pot Indian by Anupy Singla, Agate, April 2023.

Gajar ka Halwa or Gajrela: Carrot Halwa

I remember my mother spending all day cooking this dessert on the stove. The pot would rattle, sometimes the milk would boil over, and she’d constantly have to adjust the heat. The Instant Pot is truly a game changer. What I like most is that you can combine the art of sauteing and pressure cooking all in one pot with virtually no mess.

6 Quart

Yield                4 cups

Warm up         8 mins

Cook                8 mins + 27 mins sauté

Cool down       4 mins NR + MR

Total time        47 mins

Ingredients

ghee or vegetable oil, divided                                    4 Tbsp

raw, unsalted cashews                                                ¼ cup

hand-grated carrots                                                    8 cups (8 large)

milk (whole, low-fat, skim, or dairy alternative)        1 cup

sugar                                                                           1 ⅓ cups

dried milk (whole, low-fat, skim, or dairy alternative) ½ cup

ground green cardamom seeds or powder                1 tsp

1. Place the inner cooking pot in your Instant Pot. Select the SAUTE setting and adjust to MORE. When the indicator flashes HOT, add half of the ghee.

2. When the ghee has melted, add the cashews. Stir and cook for 30 seconds. Carefully remove the inner pot so it doesn’t get too hot and transfer the cashews to a small bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving the ghee behind. Set the cashews aside.

3. Return the inner pot to the base, add the carrots, and SAUTE for 6 minutes. Stir often so that the carrots do not stick. While it’s more work, hand-grated carrots are essential. A food processor or pre-grated carrots will not be thin enough and the consistency will be off.

4. Press CANCEL. Add the milk and stir. Lock the lid into place. Make sure the pressure release valve is set to the sealing position (upwards). Press the PRESSURE COOK button and then press the PRESSURE LEVEL button until the panel reads HIGH. Adjust the cook time to 8 minutes.

5. Once the cooking is complete, release the pressure naturally for 4 minutes and then release the remaining pressure manually. Press CANCEL and open the lid.

6. Press the SAUTE button and adjust to MORE. Add the sugar and stir. From the point of simmer, cook uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring often to make sure the carrots don’t stick or burn. If the pot gets too hot, turn the setting to NORMAL. This uncovered cook time is critical to evaporate the extra moisture.

7. Add the dried milk. Cook for 3 minutes and stir regularly to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom or burns. The halwa will start to pull away from the sides of the pot. If it starts to stick to the bottom, add 1–2 teaspoons of milk and stir.

8. Add the remaining ghee and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring often.

9. Press CANCEL. Carefully move the inner pot to a heat-resistant surface, add the cashews from Step 2 and the cardamom, and stir. Cool for 5 minutes. Either serve warm (alone or with vanilla ice cream) or chill in

the fridge first.

NOTE: This recipe features measurements for the 6 Quart size Instant Pot. Instructions and measurements for the 3 Quart and 8 Quart Instant Pot sizes can be found in Instant Pot Indian.

Reprinted with permission from Instant Pot Indian by Anupy Singla, Agate, April 2023.