Easy Chicken Curry in IP

I’m a huge fan of being able to throw together a 15 minute meal that tastes good, has both protein and vegetables, and doesn’t leave a huge mess behind. Many days I dedicate myself to region-specific Indian cooking, but there are an equal number of days where it’s region agnostic Indian cooking. This is one of those.

In fact the whole thing was so easy that I didn’t even stop to take process pictures 🙂

Ingredients

• One head of cauliflower chopped into large florets
• One and a 1/2 pounds chicken thigh meat, boneless.
• 2 to 3 tsp garam masala
• Half large purple onion, chopped fine
• A teaspoon each of Ginger paste and garlic paste – or – half inch knob of Ginger and two cloves of garlic crushed.
• One tablespoon tamarind paste mixed with 1/2 cup water.  If you don’t have tamarind, you can use 1 tablespoon tomato paste for depth of flavor.
• 1.5 tsp kosher salt, mixed with the tamarind water.
• Quarter cup grated coconut. Unsweetened, frozen or fresh.
• Quarter cup peanuts, ground. I use lightly salted roasted peanuts.

Method:

1. Rinse and drain the cauliflower florets, and then set them aside to soak in a large bowl of salty water for 30 minutes. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, wash and Pat dry the chicken thighs, and rub them generously with the garam masala.
3. Next, chop the onions. Heat the Instant Pot insert to “Saute High/More”.
4. When pot is hot, add a teaspoon of coconut oil, swirl, and add a teaspoon of cumin seeds to season the oil. Wait till the cumin seeds start to brown and/or give a tasty aroma.
5. Add the onions to the pot, and saute until light Brown in color
6. Add ginger and garlic to it. Mix well for a minute. Move onion mixture to the side (or remove to a bowl).
7. Adding more oil if necessary to prevent sticking, layer the chicken thighs on the bottom of the pot, and allow to brown lightly. Flip chicken & repeat on other side.
8. Hit “Cancel” on the pressure cooker.
9. Use the tamarind water to deglaze the pan thoroughly, scraping all sticky bits.
10. Mix the coconut & peanut with the chicken.
11. Throw cauliflower on top. Do not mix. (If they haven’t soaked for a full 30 minutes, it’s ok)
12. Cook on high pressure for 12 minutes. NPR (release after 10 minutes).