I'm not used to sweet ingredients in my stews, so the dried fruit in tagines has always fascinated me. I wasn't sure I'd like it ... but then I actually tried it. The plump, sweet raisins add a counterpoint to the rich lamb, the salty olives, tart preserved lemon, and the Ras El Hanout spice blend.

Making a tagine does involve some extra shopping - in my area, preserved lemon and Ras El Hanout require trips to a specialty store. (Or I plan ahead and make an Amazon order, but I prefer to support my local stores.) But it's definitely worth the effort for this fantastic lamb stew.

Ingredient Notes

Lamb substitutes: If you can't find boneless lamb shoulder, buy bone-in lamb shoulder chops and trim out the bones. (I had to do this, and needed 4 pounds of lamb chops to get 3 pounds of meat.) Or, you can substitute beef - boneless chuck shoulder roast or boneless short ribs are best.

Chickpeas: Homemade chickpeas taste much better, and I usually have a few 2-cup containers of chickpeas in my freezer. But, with so much going on in this recipe, you can substitute a drained can of chickpeas without losing too much flavor.

Ras el Hanout: I buy this spice blend from Morocco in specialty stores (or on Amazon). To make your own, mix 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon ginger powder, ½ teaspoon cumin powder, ½ teaspoon coriander powder, and ½ teaspoon turmeric.

Olives: Green olives are most authentic, and green Castelvetrano olives are my favorite choice. That said, if I'm in a hurry, I'll buy a small can of cheap sliced green olives to save on knife work.

Preserved Lemon: Preserved lemon adds a tart and salty flavor to the dish, and is one of the key parts of the Moroccan flavor profile. I buy jars of preserved lemons at specialty grocery stores, or on Amazon. If you can't find preserved lemons, substitute the zest from a fresh lemon (for the tart flavor), and an extra ½ cup of olives (for the salty flavor).

Raisins: The raisins add a sweet pop of flavor. Golden raisins or mixed raisins are best, but any raisin will do. You can also substitute chopped apricots.

How to make Instant Pot Lamb Tagine in Pictures

Marinate the Lamb

Toss the lamb cubes with salt, Ras El Hanout, and olive oil, and marinate for 4 to 8 hours in the refrigerator.

Sauté the Aromatics and Toast the Spices

Sauté the onion, garlic, and ginger, then add the Ras El Hanout and toast for one minute.

Lamb, Chickpeas, Carrots, Tomatoes, and Broth into the Pot

Pour in the broth, scrape the bottom, then add the marinated lamb, chickpeas, carrots, and tomatoes.

Pressure Cook for 20 Minutes (with a 15 minute natural release)

Pressure cook on high for 20 minutes, then let the pressure come down naturally before quick-releasing the remaining pressure.

Add the lemon, olives, raisins

Stir in the preserved lemon, olives, and raisins, and let sit for 5 minutes to plump up the raisins. Serve and enjoy.

What to serve with Lamb Tagine

Lamb tagine is meant to be cooked on a bed of couscous, but since that won't work in an Instant Pot, I make couscous on the side to serve with the lamb. Harissa is great for topping the tagine - it's a spicy pepper paste used across North Africa, and I love the extra heat it brings to the dish.

Instant Pot Lamb Tagine

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5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 1 review

• Author: Mike Vrobel
• Total Time: 5 hours
• Yield: 8 servings 1x

Print Recipe

Description

Sweet meets savory in this Instant Pot Lamb Tagine. Ultra-tender lamb shoulder packed with rich Moroccan spices, olives, and raisins, cooked in a fraction of the time in your Instant Pot.

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Ingredients

Marinated Lamb

• 3 pounds boneless lamb shoulder (or beef chuck roast), cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
• 2 tablespoons Ras El Hanout spice blend (see notes)
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Tagine

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 tablespoon Ras El Hanout
• 1 cup chicken broth (preferably homemade chicken broth, or store-bought low sodium)
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt (if using homemade broth)
• Marinated Lamb from above
• 15-ounce can of chickpeas, drained (or 2 cups of homemade chickpeas)
• 8 ounces carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch lengths
• 14- to 16- ounce can petite diced tomatoes with juices
• Rind from 1 preserved lemon, chopped (discard the pulp) - about ¼ cup
• ½ cup green olives, pitted and chopped
• 1 cup golden raisins (or mixed raisins)
• ¼ cup chopped parsley
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro

Accompaniments

• Serve with couscous and hot harissa paste

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

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Instructions

1. Marinate Lamb: Put the lamb cubes in a bowl, sprinkle with the salt and Ras El Hanout, and drizzle with the olive oil. Stir the lamb until it is evenly coated with the spices. Cover and marinate for at least 1 hour, preferably 4 to 8 hours in the refrigerator.
2. Sauté Aromatics: In an Instant Pot set to Sauté mode - high (or a stovetop pressure cooker over medium-high heat), heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil until it starts to shimmer, about 3 minutes. Add the onion and sprinkle with the salt. Sauté until the onion and garlic start to brown around the edges, about 5 minutes. Make a hole in the middle of the onions and add the garlic, ginger, and 1 tablespoon Ras El Hanout. Toast the spices for 1 minute, then stir into the onions.
3. Lamb, Chickpeas, Carrots, Tomatoes, and Broth into the Pot: Pour 1 cup of chicken broth into the pot (and add ½ teaspoon fine sea salt if using homemade broth). Scrape the bottom of the pot with a flat-edged wooden spoon to make sure the onions and spices aren't sticking. Add the marinated lamb, chickpeas, carrots, and the can of diced tomatoes with its juices. Stir until everything is evenly mixed.
4. Pressure cook for 20 minutes with a 15-minute Natural Release: Lock the lid on the pot, and pressure cook on high pressure for 20 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker, or for 16 minutes in a stovetop PC. (Use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook - Custom mode in an Instant Pot.) When the pressure cooking time is over, let the pressure come down naturally for 15 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure.
5. Heat Lemon, Olives, and Raisins for 5 minutes: Unlock the lid, tilting it away from you to avoid the hot steam. Stir in the preserved lemon, olives, and raisins, and let the pot sit for 5 minutes to plump up the raisins.
6. Serve: Put a bed of couscous in a bowl, ladle some lamb tagine on top, and sprinkle with a little of the parsley and cilantro, passing the harissa at the table. Serve and enjoy!

Equipment

6 Quart Instant Pot

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Flat edged wooden spoon

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• Prep Time: 4 hours
• Cook Time: 1 hour

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 2 cups
• Calories: 423
• Sugar: 17 g
• Sodium: 768.4 mg
• Fat: 17 g
• Carbohydrates: 31.6 g
• Fiber: 4.8 g
• Protein: 37.4 g
• Cholesterol: 112.9 mg

Frequently Asked Questions

That's a lot of work - is there a shortcut version?

If you can source the ingredients, most of this recipe is dump and stir. For the shortcut version of this recipe, I do the following:

• Don't worry about marinating the lamb - just toss it with the spices before adding to the pot
• Use a bag of baby carrots instead of peeling and slicing carrots
• Replace the preserved lemon with the zest of a fresh lemon
• Buy pre-sliced olives

…and that's it. This makes this mainly a dump and stir recipe, where dicing and sautéing the onion, ginger, and garlic is the only thing to do before dumping things into the pressure cooker.

Can I use chicken in this recipe?

You can substitute boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch chunks, for the lamb...but that's a different recipe, coming soon.

Related Posts

Instant Pot Doro Wat (Ethiopian Chicken Drumsticks)
Instant Pot Ethiopian Red Lentils (Misir Wat)
Pressure Cooker Red Pepper Hummus
Creamy Instant Pot Hummus
Instant Pot Short Ribs with Coconut Milk and Thai Curry
Instant Pot Chicken With 40 Cloves of Garlic
Instant Pot Moroccan Lamb Shanks
If you're looking for something else, here is my index of Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes.

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I love the way sous vide cooks meat to medium-rare. If I want to cook to a warm pink interior, sous vide is now my default technique.

Back in the day, sous vide was crazy molecular gastronomy, something only mad scientist chefs would use. I would sit over my grill, watching, poking, taking temperatures, and hoping that I wasn't overcooking my lamb.

If the steak gets immediate medical attention, we can save it

That's how my mom wanted her lamb (and beef) cooked. It hurt when I made her a steak, she cut into it, and it was more pink than red. (Or, even worse, more gray than pink). Mom would put on a brave face, and act like it's OK…but mom wasn't that good of an actor. I knew I had let her down.

That was then, this is now. I'm spoiled thanks to sous vide - medium-rare is easy. Vacuum seal the meat, drop it in a water bath set to 131°F, and wait an hour. Medium-rare, on the nose, every time.

I served these lamb chops on Mother's day, and mom's eyes lit up. Perfect rare, exactly how she liked it.

This is an updated version of a recipe I wrote back in 2014. Mom has since passed away, but I still serve rack of lamb, medium-rare, on Mother's day in her honor.

Equipment

• Sous vide water bath (I use a sous vide immersion circulator and a dedicated sous vide container)
• A vacuum sealer and vacuum bags

You can jury-rig a sous vide water bath with a beer cooler sous vide full of hot water, and zip-top plastic bags instead of the vacuum sealer - but sous vide equipment is cheap and easily available nowadays, and makes the process easy. I would buy a sous vide setup if you're going to sous vide more than once. (And you will if you like rare or medium-rare meat.)

Ingredients Notes and Substitutions

• Rack of lamb substitutes: If you can't find rack of lamb, lamb loin chops are a good substitute (see my sous vide lamb loin chop recipe here). If you don't like lamb, you can sous vide beef, but that's a bit different - check out my many sous vide recipes, including sous vide New York strip steaks, sous vide filet mignon, even a whole sous vide boneless ribeye roast.
• Trimming the fat: I chickened out on my trimming. I should have Frenched the rack of lamb, trimming off all of the fat between the bones, leaving nothing but the eye of meat. I didn't - I left a thick fat cap on the top of the rack. Next time, I'm going to trim ruthlessly.
• Bread crumb crust: As you can see in the recipe, I'm toasting the bread crumb crust separately. This gives me the flavor of it browning in the oven, even though the lamb is already cooked when it is patted on. The panko gives it saltiness and body, and the rosemary adds a nice herbal flavor to the crust - but either or both can be skipped.
• Skip the bread crumb crust: The panko bread crumb crust is not essential. Brush the lamb with only the Dijon for a mustard crust. Or, skip the mustard and panko crust and just have a simple rack of lamb. (I do that version all the time - nothing but meat and salt and a sear. It's fantastic.)

Tips and Tricks

Use the grill to sear

To keep that perfectly cooked interior, we need to sear the outside of the lamb as quickly as possible. The shape of a rack of lamb is not good for pan searing - the round exterior and bones mean it will only be browned in spots. A grill solves this problem, especially a charcoal grill - the flames and heat go up and around the lamb, searing the sides as well as the bottom.

I don't have a grill to sear, now what?

If you don't have a grill, you can make do with a heavy pan. Heat a cast iron, carbon steel, or steel-clad aluminum pan until it is ripping hot. Put the lamb in the pan, and hold it in place with kitchen tongs as you move it around to brown as much of the outside as possible, about 1 minute per "side". (Pretend it has sides, even though it's round.) It won't be evenly browned, but the bread crumb crust will cover that up, and you'll get the browned meat flavor from where it was seared.

Can I cook my rack of lamb from frozen?

Absolutely! Add 1 extra hour of sous vide to cook it through, so 2 to 5 hours of cooking time.

1 hour to 4 hours? Why the wide range of cooking times?

That's the beauty of sous vide cooking. You set the doneness temperature you want, and the lamb will get there, but never go over. It takes a while to cook through - that's the 1 hour part - and it can sit in the water bath for hours and not overcook. (After about 4 hours the meat will start to get a little soft from holding the heat for so long, but it's still fine to eat.)
That's one of the great things about sous vide - you can set it up ahead of time and you don't have to serve at an exact time. Whenever everyone is ready for dinner, pull the lamb out of the water bath, sear it, and serve it. Perfectly cooked lamb can be on the table in 15 minutes or less.

Will the crust stick to the lamb?

Yes, the mustard acts as a binder, so the crumbs stick to the lamb. You are going to lose some of them when you slice the rack into individual chops, but most of them will stay stuck to the outside of the meat.

Do I need to rest the meat after searing?

No! With regular cooking, you have to rest the meat after cooking, because the temperature between the outside and inside of the meat needs to even out. With sous vide, the meat is the same temperature all the way through, so no resting is needed. (A quick sear isn't enough to start cooking through to the center of the meat. That's why we want a hot and fast sear, to brown the outside quickly.)

How many people does a rack of lamb serve?

Normal serving suggestions are 2-3 people per rack of lamb. (In my family of carnivores, 2 people per rack is just right.)

How do I keep the ends of the bones from piercing the bag?

I usually don't have this problem with lamb, but just to be sure, I check the ends of the bones to see if they feel sharp. If they do, I fold a small piece of extra vacuum bag over the end of the bone before vacuum sealing. (Some vacuum bags come with bone guard pieces for this exact reason.)

Sous Vide Rack of Lamb with Dijon Bread Crumb Crust

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5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 1 review

• Author: Mike Vrobel
• Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
• Yield: 2 servings 1x

Print Recipe

Description

Sous vide rack of lamb with a crunchy Dijon panko crust

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Ingredients

• 1 rack of lamb, about 2 pounds
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

Dijon Bread Crumb Crust

• ¼ cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
• 1 tablespoon (½ ounce) shredded Parmesan
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

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Instructions

1. Sous vide the rack of lamb: Set the sous vide for 51.5°C/125°F for rare (55°C/131°F for medium rare; 59°C/138°F for medium). Sprinkle the rack of lamb with the salt, then vacuum seal in a large (gallon size) bag. Drop the bag in the sous vide and cook for 1 hour, or up to 4 hours.
2. Toast the bread crumbs: While the lamb is cooking, put the bread crumbs in a medium fry pan and toast over medium heat, stirring and tossing often, until the crumbs are toasted and brown. Pour the crumbs into a bowl, let cool for a minute, and then toss with the shredded Parmesan and rosemary.
3. Sear the lamb: Take the rack of lamb bag out of the sous vide, cut the bag open, and pat the rack of lamb dry with paper towels. Preheat a grill to high (or get a fry pan ripping hot over medium high heat), then sear the lamb on all sides, about 1 minute a side. Immediately move the rack of lamb to a serving platter.
4. Add the bread crumb crust: Brush the lamb with the Dijon mustard, then sprinkle on a thick layer of the bread crumb crust and press firmly so it sticks to the mustard. Let the crust rest for 5 minutes, then move the lamb to a carving board and cut between every bone to make single-bite-sized chops. Serve and enjoy!

Equipment

Anova Sous Vide

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LIPAVI large sous vide container

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• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Nutrition

• Serving Size: half a rack
• Calories: 455
• Sugar: 0.9 g
• Sodium: 1951 mg
• Fat: 15.8 g
• Carbohydrates: 11 g
• Fiber: 1.4 g
• Protein: 63.5 g
• Cholesterol: 168.1 mg

Scaling

You can cook as many individually vacuum-sealed racks of lamb as you can fit in your sous vide container. An extra large container will hold enough lamb to serve large crowd.

Make ahead

Sous vide is great for make-ahead cooking - drop the vacuum sealed lamb in the water bath hours ahead of time, and it will be ready to go whenever you need it. After the hour of sous vide cooking, you've got a 4 hour window where the lamb will be perfectly cooked.
Or, cook straight from the freezer - as I mention above in the FAQ section, you don't have to thaw the lamb. Put the frozen, vacuum-sealed rack in the water bath and add an extra hour of cooking time.

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Related Posts

Sous Vide Chicken Thighs with Garlic and Herb Pan Sauce
48 Hour Sous Vide Grilled Short Ribs (with sous vide Q&A)
Sous Vide Filet Mignon with Sous Vide Egg and Fresh Herb Salad
Sous Vide Chuck Steak (24 hours to tenderness)
Sous Vide New York Strip Roast With Bourbon Cream Pan Sauce
Sous Vide Tomahawk Ribeye Steak
If you're looking for something else, here is my index of Sous Vide Recipes.

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If you've followed my blog, you'll know how much I love making soup from a rotisserie chicken. (See my Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup (and video), Tortilla Soup, Lemon and Rice Soup (Avgolemono), and many others. This soup was inspired by the rotating hot soup menu at Heinens, a local grocery store. It's a great idea for a simple chicken soup - buy a rotisserie chicken and add potatoes, frozen peas and carrots, and some heavy cream. Done!

Ingredients Notes and Substitutions

• Frozen peas and carrots: I like the pops of green and orange that frozen peas and carrots add to the bowl, but any frozen vegetable will work here - frozen peas, frozen mixed vegetables - whatever you want.
• Fresh peas and carrots: I hate to say it, but frozen peas are better than fresh peas for 95% of the year - you have to cook fresh peas immediately or the sugar starts turning to starch. If you want fresh carrots, they work well in the recipe - add another large carrot or two in the "Sauté" section.
• Wine substitute: Some of the alcohol simmers off, but there will still be a trace of alcohol in the soup. If you can't (or won't) drink any alcohol, Substitute more chicken broth. The wine adds a hint of bright flavor to the soup, but it's not necessary for a good recipe.
• Potato substitutions: Yukon gold (yellow), red skin, and white skin potatoes are best in this soup - waxy potatoes hold up best to pressure cooking. You can skip the peeling if you're OK with the skins on the potatoes. Idaho (russet) potatoes cook up floury, and tend to crumble into the broth.
• Store-bought broth: If you don't want to make the homemade broth, you can use low-sodium store-bought broth. The soup won't be as good, but it will be quick. But you'll need chicken meat, either leftover cooked chicken or raw chicken - see below.
• Make ahead broth: The broth can be made ahead - it will refrigerate for a few days, or can be frozen for up to six months. Or, if you have leftover broth from another recipe, it will also work.
• Raw chicken: If you are using make-ahead broth or store-bought broth, you won't have the chicken breasts from the rotisserie chicken for the soup. Buy 1 pound of boneless skinless chicken thighs (preferable) or chicken breast, and cut them into 1-inch cubes or ½-inch thick strips. Add them with the broth and the potatoes, and everything else in the recipe works the same.
  

Variations

• Thickened soup: This recipe has a thin broth - it is a soup after all. If you want a thicker, more gravy-like broth (closer to a pot pie), whisk ¼ cup of cornstarch with ¼ cup of cold water to make a cornstarch slurry, then whisk the cornstarch slurry into the soup right before serving.
• Thanksgiving Leftovers Pot Pie Soup: Speaking of make-ahead broth - make some Instant Pot Turkey Bone Broth with the turkey carcass after Thanksgiving, replace the shredded chicken with shredded leftover turkey, and you have Instant Pot Turkey Pot Pie Soup.
  

Step-by-step pictures of Instant Pot Chicken Pot Pie Soup.

Make the chicken broth with the rotisserie chicken carcass

Pressure cook for 1 hour, then strain out the broth

Sauté the aromatics

Sauté some onion, carrot, and celery in butter, then simmer a little bit of wine in the pot

Everything in the pot

Add the chicken broth and potatoes to the pot, and lock the lid

Pressure cook for 10 minutes

Pressure cook for 10 minutes

Heat the peas and carrots and stir in the cream

Stir in frozen peas and carrots, shredded rotisserie chicken breast meat, and cream. Enjoy!

Instant Pot Chicken Pot Pie Soup Recipe

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5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 1 review

• Author: Mike Vrobel
• Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
• Yield: 12 cups of soup 1x

Print Recipe

Description

Instant Pot Chicken Pot Pie Soup: Turn a rotisserie chicken into the best Chicken Pot Pie Soup you've ever had with your Instant Pot.

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Ingredients

Rotisserie Chicken Broth

• 1 (2- to 4-pound) rotisserie chicken, breast meat removed and saved for later
• Juices from the rotisserie chicken container
• 1 onion, peeled and halved
• 1 carrot, scrubbed and cut in half (or 4oz baby carrots)
• 1 rib celery, cut in half
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 8 cups water

Soup Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced ½ inch thick
• 1 stalk celery, sliced ½ inch thick
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ cup white wine (or use some of the broth)
• 8 cups of Rotisserie Chicken Broth (from above)
• 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
• 1 pound Yukon gold (yellow) potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch chunks
• Breast meat from the rotisserie chicken, shredded (about 3 cups)
• 1 ½ cups (6 ounces) frozen peas and carrots, rinsed to remove any ice
• ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• ¼ cup heavy cream

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Instructions

1. Pressure cook the broth for 60 minutes with a Natural Release: Cut the chicken breast meat off of the rotisserie chicken and set aside for later. Add the rotisserie chicken carcass, onion, carrot, celery, bay leaves, and salt to the Instant Pot or pressure cooker, then add the 8 cups of water. (It should just cover the rotisserie chicken - it's OK if the knobs of the drumsticks are poking up.) Lock the lid and pressure cook on high pressure for 60 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric PC (Manual or Pressure Cook mode in an Instant Pot) or for 50 minutes in a stovetop PC. Let the pressure come down naturally - about 30 minutes. (It takes a long time for all that water to cool off.) If you're in a hurry, let the pressure come down naturally for 20 minutes, then quick release the remaining pressure. Scoop the chicken carcass and vegetables out of the pot with a slotted spoon and discard; they've given their all to the broth. Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer, and set aside for later.
   (For more details see my Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken Broth recipe).
2. Sauté the aromatics: Wipe out the pot, then put it back in the pressure cooker base. Add the butter and melt over Sauté mode - high (medium-high heat for a stovetop PC). Add the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic, and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of salt and the dried thyme. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften and turn translucent about 5 minutes. Pour in the white wine and bring to a simmer, scraping the bottom of the pot with a flat-edged wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Simmer the wine for 1 minute.
3. Potatoes and broth in the pot: Pour the chicken broth into the pot, then stir in the 1 ½ teaspoons of fine sea salt (use ½ teaspoon if using store-bought broth) and the diced potatoes.
4. Pressure cook the soup for 10 minutes with a Natural Release: Lock the lid. Pressure cook on high pressure for 10 minutes in an Instant Pot, electric PC, or stovetop PC. (Use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook - Custom mode in an Instant Pot.) Let the pressure come down naturally for 15 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure.
5. Add the chicken and peas, and season the soup: Leave the pot in keep warm mode. (Low heat for a stovetop PC). Stir in the shredded chicken breast meat, frozen peas, and black pepper. Let the soup rest for 5 minutes to reheat the chicken meat and frozen peas, then stir in the heavy cream. Serve and enjoy!

Equipment

6-Quart Instant Pot

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Fine Mesh Strainer

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Flat edged wooden spoon

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• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 2 hours

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 cup
• Calories: 143
• Sugar: 2.4 g
• Sodium: 860.9 mg
• Fat: 4.5 g
• Carbohydrates: 11 g
• Fiber: 1.9 g
• Protein: 12.7 g
• Cholesterol: 44.3 mg

Scaling

This recipe just fits in a 6-quart pressure cooker. If you want to double the recipe, it can be doubled if you have an 8-quart pressure cooker. It can also be halved to fit in a 3-quart pressure cooker.

Make Ahead and Leftovers

To make the soup ahead, make the rotisserie chicken broth and shred the chicken breasts. Store both, covered, in sealed containers - they'll last for a few days in the refrigerator, or for up to six months in the freezer. Thaw the broth (I put it in the microwave) and continue with the "Sauté the aromatics" step.

Soup makes great leftovers. I freeze it in 2-cup containers so I have lunch-sized portions whenever I need them.

What to Serve with Instant Pot Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Soup, salad, and bread are a classic pairing for a reason - they're a hearty, balanced meal - so that's what I serve. To simulate the pie crust, serve with a crusty bread or biscuits. Biscuits are a better substitute for a pie crust, but bread is easier. (I'm not a baker, so I don't have a recipe to share for the bread or the biscuits. My wife is the baker in the family, and makes the bread or biscuits. When I'm on my own, I'll buy a French baguette from the grocery store and slice it on the diagonal for topping the soup).

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Skip the Homemade Broth Step?

Yes! The soup won't be as good without homemade broth, but it's not absolutely necessary. (And I know what it's like to need to get dinner on the table as soon as possible). Skip the broth step and substitute 8 cups of store-bought low-sodium chicken broth, and add a 1-pound pack of "stir-fry cut" raw chicken breast with the broth before pressure cooking. (Or cut chicken breasts into ½-inch strips yourself.)

Do I have to use a rotisserie chicken?

No! If you have leftovers from a roast chicken dinner, they are a perfect substitute - just save some of the meat to add to the broth. If you want to use raw chicken, buy 2 pounds of chicken wings to replace the rotisserie chicken carcass in the Broth step, and a 1-pound pack of "stir-fry cut" raw chicken breast with the broth before pressure cooking.

Why is this soup not thick like a chicken pot pie?

It's got way too much broth to be as thick as a pot pie - that's why it's a soup. To thicken it up, use a cornstarch slurry. Whisk ¼ cup cornstarch with ¼ cup cold water, and stir it into the soup right before serving. It will still not be as thick as a pot pie, but it will be a lot thicker.

Can I use the "soup" button on my Instant Pot?

I prefer the Manual option - the Manual button (or Pressure Cook button, or Pressure Cook- Custom button, depending on which Instant Pot you own). I want direct control over the time when I'm cooking, and when I'm sharing instructions. (Different models of pressure cooker can do different things with their "soup" button). Stick with my timings for the broth and soup steps if you want the best results.

Is the wine necessary?

The wine adds a hint of acidity to the soup that helps bring out the other flavors, but it's not necessary. Skip it if you don't want wine in your soup.

Related Posts

I really enjoy using this rotisserie chicken technique with a variety of flavors. For more options, try my Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken and Lentil Soup, Instant Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup (with Rotisserie Chicken Broth), or Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken Jalapeno Popper Soup. Or try my Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken Gumbo Soup, Instant Pot Chicken and Herb Soup with White Beans and Acini di Peppe, or Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Soup.

If you're looking for something else, here is my index of Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes.

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Étouffée - say it with me - Eh-too-FAY. Étouffée is the famous Cajun and Creole stew, thickened with roux, simmered with stock, and used to coat shrimp. I use a pressure cooker to speed the recipe along, making the shrimp stock and simmering the étouffée broth. Instead of taking all afternoon, the recipe takes…um…OK, most of an evening. Making roux can't be rushed. Please, pay attention while you're making roux.

Um…not that I know anything about burnt roux. I would never try to multitask and mince the trinity while the roux is cooking, and scorch the flour in the pot. Not me, nope, never happened.

Ingredients Notes and Substitutions

Homemade Shrimp Stock: It's quick and easy to make in your Instant Pot, all you need is the shells from the shrimp - if you buy easy-peel shrimp or shell-on shrimp, you've got the shells already, why not use them? Well, OK, you're busy, I get that. Substitute store-bought seafood broth, or if you're really desperate, chicken broth. (As always I recommend homemade chicken broth, but if you're not making shrimp broth, I assume you won't be making chicken broth, so low-sodium chicken broth is fine.)
26-30 count shrimp: This is my preferred size, the oxymoronic "Jumbo" shrimp, which provides the best balance between shrimp size and time spent peeling. Shrimp "count" is the best way to tell how big the shrimp are - the count is the number of shrimp per pound. Any size from colossal (16-20 count) down to medium (51-60 count) will work in this recipe. I'd avoid larger or smaller shrimp; larger is too big to fit on a spoon, and I rarely find shell-on smaller shrimp at my local store. Speaking of shell-on…
Shell on or Easy Peel Shrimp: Since I want the shells for the stock, I buy shrimp with the shell on. Most of the time that means easy peel shrimp at my local grocery store. Also, I think shell-on shrimp tastes a little better, because the shell protects the shrimp meat from freezing, but it's a subtle difference.
Can I use frozen shrimp without thawing it? Yes, but you'll have to use store-bought seafood broth, since frozen shrimp means you won't be able to peel the shells off.
Homemade Cajun Spice Rub vs Store Bought: I make my own homemade cajun spice rub, which is salt-free, so I can control the salt levels separately. That said, I also have a jar of cajun seasoning in my pantry (my current favorite is Slap Ya Mama TKLINK), for seasoning emergencies. If you use a store-bought spice rub or seasoning, it's going to have salt in it already, so skip the salt as directed in the ingredients and/or instructions.
The trinity of aromatics: onion, celery, and green bell pepper: You need all three for true Cajun flavor. You can substitute a red bell pepper or yellow bell pepper if you can't find green bell peppers, but green bell peppers have a slightly bitter taste that works better in this dish.

How to make Instant Pot Shrimp Étouffée in pictures

Make shrimp stock, pressure cook for 10 minutes

Put the shells from the shrimp in the pot with a chopped onion, carrot, and rib of celery. Add crushed garlic, a bay leaf, a sprig of thyme, salt, and a quart of water, and pressure cook for 10 minutes with a natural release. Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer and save for later in the recipe.

Make a roux

Melt the butter using Sauté mode - medium in the Instant Pot. When the butter stops foaming, whisk in the flour and some cajun seasoning, and keep whisking until the roux turns brown, the color of peanut butter.

Sauté the trinity

Add a minced onion, rib of celery, green bell pepper, and garlic. Sauté, stirring and scraping to make sure nothing is sticking, until the onion softens.

Broth and tomatoes into the pot, pressure cook for 10 minutes

Pour the broth into the pot and add a can of diced tomatoes. Lock the lid and pressure cook for 10 minutes with a natural release

Cook the shrimp

Stir the shrimp into the pot and let them cook in the hot étouffée broth using keep warm mode, about 5 minutes.

Season and serve

Stir minced parsley and ground pepper into the pot, and serve the shrimp étouffée with white rice, a sprinkling of more minced parsley, and a bottle of Cajun hot sauce. Enjoy!

Scaling the recipe

You can easily double this recipe in an 8-quart Instant Pot. Doubling it in a 6-quart Instant Pot puts it too close to the max fill line. You can halve the recipe if you need to fit it in a 4-quart Instant Pot.

Adapted from: Emeril Lagasse, Louisiana Real and Rustic

Instant Pot Shrimp Étouffée recipe

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5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Mike Vrobel
• Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Yield: 6-8 1x

Print Recipe

Description

Instant Pot Shrimp Étouffée recipe - shrimp and étouffée sauce, cajun style, sped up by pressure cooking.

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Ingredients

Shrimp Stock

• Shells from 2 pounds of 26-30 count shrimp (shrimp reserved for étouffée)
• 1 medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 stalk of celery, roughly chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 quart water

Roux

• 6 tablespoons butter
• ½ cup flour
• 1 teaspoon Homemade Cajun spice rub (or use store bought)
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt (skip if using store-bought rub)

Aromatics

• 1 large onion, minced
• 1 stalk celery, minced
• 1 medium green bell pepper, minced
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt

The Rest of the Étouffée Broth

• 1 quart shrimp stock (from above) or store-bought seafood broth
• 1 (14-ounce to 16-ounce) can of diced tomatoes

Shrimp

• 2 pounds 26-30 count shrimp, peeled (shells reserved for stock)
• 1 tablespoon Homemade Cajun spice rub (or use store bought)
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt (skip if using store-bought rub)

Final Seasonings

• ¼ cup minced parsley
• ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Accompaniments

• More minced parsley for topping the bowls
• White rice
• Cajun hot sauce (like Tabasco)

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Instructions

1. Pressure Cook the Shrimp Stock for 10 minutes with a natural release: Peel the shrimp, saving the shrimps and the shells. Put the shrimp in the refrigerator for later, and the shells in the Instant Pot or pressure cooker. Add the rest of the shrimp stock ingredients (onion, carrot, celery, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, ½ teaspoon salt) to the pot, and pour 1 quart of water over everything. Lock the lid and pressure cook on high pressure for 10 minutes (use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook-custom mode set to 10 minutes in an Instant Pot.) Let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 minutes. (If you're in a hurry, you can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes of natural release.) Open the lid carefully - the pot is full of hot steam. Strain the stock through a fine mesh strainer, discard the solids, and set the stock aside for later.
2. Make the roux: Rinse and wipe out the pot liner (or pressure cooker pot), and put it back in the Instant Pot base (or back on the stove). Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode - medium (medium heat for a stovetop PC), add the butter, and melt the butter until it stops foaming. Stir the flour and Cajun seasoning to the pot. Cook, stirring constantly (preferably with a whisk or a flat-edged wooden spoon), until the flour is the color of peanut butter, about five minutes.
3. Sauté the aromatics: Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic to the pot with the roux. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon fine sea salt and sauté until the aromatics soften, about 5 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot with a flat-edged wooden spoon to make sure nothing is sticking and burning.
4. Pressure cook the étouffée broth for 10 minutes with a natural release: Stir in the shrimp stock, and scrape the bottom of the pot one last time to make sure the roux isn't sticking (and prevent a burn warning). Pour the tomatoes on top of the broth, but don't stir. Lock the lid and pressure cook on high pressure for 10 minutes (use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook - Custom mode set to 10 minutes in an Instant Pot). Let the pressure release naturally. (If you're in a hurry, you can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes of natural release.)
5. Cook the shrimp: Open the lid, tilting it away from you to avoid the hot steam. Leave the pot on keep warm mode (low heat for a stovetop PC). Toss the shrimp with 1 tablespoon Cajun spice rub and ½ teaspoon salt (if using homemade spice rub), then add the shrimp to the étouffée broth. Let the shrimp cook through in the hot broth, about 5 minutes.
6. Season and serve the étouffée: Stir the ¼ cup parsley and black pepper into the broth. To serve, put a scoop of white rice in a bowl, ladle the étouffée on top, then sprinkle with a little chopped parsley. Pass the hot sauce at the table for anyone who likes extra kick with their dinner. Enjoy!

Equipment

6 Quart Pressure Cooker

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Fine Mesh Strainer

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Flat edged wooden spoon

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• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 2 cups
• Calories: 236
• Sugar: 2.8 g
• Sodium: 591.4 mg
• Fat: 9.7 g
• Carbohydrates: 12.4 g
• Fiber: 1.8 g
• Protein: 26 g
• Cholesterol: 205.4 mg

Notes

• Two-pot cooking - do the shrimp stock and roux at the same time: You can speed up the recipe by doing steps 2 and 3 (make the roux, saute the aromatics) in a separate pot while the shrimp stock is pressure cooking. After straining the stock, pour a cup or two into the pot with the roux and aromatics to loosen them up, then pour everything back into the pressure cooker and continue with step 4, pressure cook the étouffée broth.
• Making Roux: A dark roux is the key to étouffée, and the tricky part of this recipe. It's essential for the flavor, though, so don't rush it - keep stirring and it will get there. Also, have the aromatics (the cajun trinity of onion, celery, and bell pepper) ready to go, so you can add them in when the roux is ready, or the roux might burn. (If they're not ready, take the pot off the heat until the aromatics are chopped. For an Instant Pot, remove the pot liner and set it aside on a trivet.)
• Why a natural release instead of a quick release? Two reasons. For the shrimp stock, a natural release traps more of the flavor molecules in the pot, resulting in a more flavorful stock. For the étouffée broth, the natural release is gentle, where a quick release throws the pot into a sudden boil. Because of the extra starch in the broth, a quick release can sometimes result in starch spitting out of the release valve. That's why I recommend you wait for 15 minutes before quick releasing if you're in a hurry - the pot will have cooled most of the way, and there's less chance of spitting starch.

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Related Posts

• Pressure Cooker Chicken Gumbo
• Sautéed Shrimp
• Cajun Spice Rub
• Instant Pot Salmon and Rice
• Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice
• Instant Pot Dirty Rice
• Instant Pot Brown Rice Jambalaya
• My List of Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes

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I saw cheddar risotto on the menu of a local restaurant and thought "that doesn't sound very Italian now, does it." (I'm sure you're shocked, shocked to find that I'm a bit of a food snob.)

It might not sound Italian, but I couldn't shake the idea. Sharp cheddar and creamy risotto rice? I had to try it. Turns out, that local restaurant had a great idea for fusion cuisine. Cheese and rice go great together, even if they are a cultural cross-pollination. I added peas because I like the burst of green vegetable to balance the rich and creamy rice, but that's entirely optional.

(Apologies to this unnamed restaurant. It's a great idea, and I can't remember its name. I've searched my google history to no avail.)

Ingredients Notes and Variations

Risotto Rice: Risotto needs starchy short grain rice. Arborio rice is the traditional rice that is easiest to find in my local grocery stores. Carnaroli rice and Vialone Nano rice are also great, probably a touch better than Arborio. They're not so much better that you should go hunting for them, but if they are easy to find, use one of them instead of the Arborio. Other types of short grain rice are OK, and can be used in a pinch, but Arborio is much better for risotto. Don't use medium grain rice or long grain rice - it's not starchy enough for risotto.

Cheddar cheese: I want an extra sharp cheddar cheese for my risotto - white cheddar is fine, but I like the look the orange cheddar gives the risotto. If you can find extra sharp cheese pre-shredded, it's fine. My local store doesn't carry it, and cutting the block of cheddar into small cubes wasn't hard. (And, yes, I know this is not an authentic Italian risotto; cheddar cheese is not Italian. If you want an authentic recipe, try one of my other risotto recipes, like my Instant Pot Risotto Milanese.)

Smokehouse variation: Use smoked cheddar, and replace the peas with bacon bits.

Frozen Peas (are optional): If you can find them, smaller "petite frozen peas" are best in this recipe - the smaller peas match the size of the rice. That said, regular sized peas are fine.
I use frozen peas in almost all of my pea recipes - peas go from fresh to starchy very quickly, so fresh peas are only good for a short window of time in the summer. Frozen peas, picked at the peak of ripeness and frozen immediately, are almost always better than fresh peas.

If you're a pea-hater, or just want a plain risotto, skip them - they're optional.

Edamame for more protein: Edamame make a great substitute for the peas, with more protein. (Edamame is the Japanese name for soybeans.) Buy frozen peeled edamame, and substitute it for the peas.

Chicken broth: Of course, homemade chicken broth is best. (And, if you have an Instant Pot, you should make your own broth. Cheat and make Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken Broth if you have to.) If you use store-bought broth, skip the ½ teaspoon of fine sea salt added to the broth. Store-bought broth is much saltier than homemade broth.

How to make Instant Pot Cheddar Risotto in Pictures

Sauté the onion, toast the rice

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter using sauté mode, then sauté a small minced onion until soft, add the rice, and sauté the rice until it turns translucent at the edges.

Stir in the broth

Stir the broth into the pot, scraping the bottom with a flat-edged wooden spoon to make sure nothing is sticking

Pressure cook on high for 5 minutes with a quick release

Pressure cook on high pressure for 5 minutes with a quick release

Stir in the cheddar, peas, and butter

Add the diced cheddar, frozen peas, and butter, and stir until the cheese is melted and the peas are heated through. Enjoy!

Instant Pot Cheddar Cheese Risotto Recipe

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5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

• Author: Mike Vrobel
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 6 cups of risotto 1x

Print Recipe

Description

Instant Pot Cheddar Cheese Risotto recipe. Is it authentic Italian? No. But it is fantastic, creamy and rich. And, thanks to pressure cooking, there is no stirring required.

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Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 small onion, minced
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 cups Arborio rice (or Carnaroli, or Vialone Nano)
• 4 cups homemade chicken broth (or store-bought low-sodium broth)
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt (skip if using store-bought low-sodium broth)
• 6 ounces frozen peas (about 1 ½ cups), rinsed to remove any ice (optional)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 8 ounces Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, cut into small cubes or shredded

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Instructions

1. Sauté the onions and rice: Heat the butter in an Instant Pot set to Sauté mode-High until the butter stops foaming, about 3 minutes. (Use medium-high heat in a stovetop PC.) Add the minced onion to the pot and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. Sauté, stirring often, until the onions soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in the rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice turns translucent at the edges, about 5 minutes.
2. Broth into the pot: Stir in the chicken broth (and the second ½ teaspoon salt if using homemade broth). Scrape the bottom of the pot with a flat-edged wooden spoon to ensure the rice is not sticking to the pot.
3. Pressure cook for 5 minutes with a Quick Release: Lock the lid on the pressure cooker. Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes in an Instant Pot, electric pressure cooker, or stovetop pressure cooker (Use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook - Custom mode set to 5 minutes in an Instant Pot). After the pressure cooking time is over, quick release the pressure. Carefully remove the lid, tilting it away from you to avoid the scalding hot steam.
4. Stir in peas, butter, and cheddar: Leave the pot in keep warm mode (or put a stovetop pressure cooker over low heat.) Add the frozen peas, butter and cheddar cheese, and stir until the butter and cheese melt. Cover the pot (but don't lock the lid) and let the residual heat steam the peas until they are heated through, about five minutes.
5. Serve: Scoop the risotto into bowls, serve, and enjoy!

Equipment

6 Quart Instant Pot

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flat-edged wooden spoon

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• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 cup
• Calories: 321
• Sugar: 2.8 g
• Sodium: 1282.1 mg
• Fat: 19 g
• Carbohydrates: 24.6 g
• Fiber: 1.5 g
• Protein: 12.9 g
• Cholesterol: 56 mg

Frequently Asked Questions

• Burn warning: I don't get burn warnings with my risotto technique, which is a little surprising when I think about it. Instant Pot Rice recipes like to get burn warnings (like my personal nemesis, Chicken and Rice), because the starch sinks to the bottom of the pot and scorches. I think it's the extra broth in my risotto technique - a 2:1 ratio of liquid to rice is what you want for the creamy, almost soupy texture of risotto, which thins out the starch enough that it doesn't get a chance to burn in the pot. Also, that flat-edged wooden spoon is your best friend for this recipe - make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot before you lock the lid.
• Can I use brown rice? Brown rice doesn't work well for risotto. The point of risotto is the starchy, creamy texture, and brown rice protects its starch inside its bran coating. I wouldn't use it for the same reasons I won't use long-grain rice in my risotto.
• Why didn't my cheese melt smoothly? If you used pre-shredded cheese, it comes with a potato starch coating, which can interfere with melting. (I use pre-shredded cheese all the time, but I've had readers with this issue.) If this is happening to you, switch to a block of cheese, and shred or cube it yourself.
• Can I add a protein to this recipe? You can, but that changes the technique a bit. Check out my Instant Pot Chicken Risotto or Instant Pot Shrimp Risotto recipes for examples with protein, and swap in the cheddar cheese for the cheese in those recipes.
• My risotto is too soupy? It thickens as it sits after cooking - if you let it rest for an extra five minutes, it will thicken up nicely.
  

Storing Leftovers

Risotto will last for a day or two in the refrigerator, or for up to 3 months in the freezer (I store it in 2-cup containers). But, for food safety, you have to make sure your rice is reheated all the way through.

Cooked rice does not keep for long - it carries bacteria spores (Bacillus cereus) that multiply in warm temperatures. If you need to store cooked rice, cool it down quickly in the refrigerator, or freeze it within an hour of cooking. Store refrigerated rice for 2-3 days or frozen rice for up to 3 months, and make sure to reheat it completely (to at least 165°F) before eating. (Source: Safe Handling of Cooked Rice, University of Wisconsin Extension).

What to Serve with Cheddar Cheese Risotto

I serve cheddar risotto with peas as a main dish - it's a sinker - with a spring mix salad and a side vegetable (I like broccoli rabe with it, or asparagus when it's in season.) It also makes a great side dish for simple roast meats.

Related Posts

Instant Pot Radicchio Risotto (Risotto al Radicchio)
Instant Pot Risotto with Pork and Cinnamon (Risotto All'Isolana)
Instant Pot Mushroom Risotto (Risotto ai Funghi)
If you're looking for something else, here is my index of Instant Pot Rice Recipes, and my entire index of Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) Recipes.

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I loved the Thai green chicken curry you did the other day - but I couldn't find green curry paste at my grocery store. They had red curry paste - is that OK?

Of course it is! My pressure cooker curry recipes follow a basic technique: sauté the aromatics, fry the curry paste and coconut cream, stir in the protein and the rest of the coconut milk, pressure cook, then simmer any last minute vegetables and serve. The interesting parts of the recipes are the variations - what curry paste, meat, and vegetable combination do you want to use?

Flat iron steak (from my friends at Certified Angus Beef) is my favorite cut for Instant Pot curry. Flat iron steak is cut from the chuck blade roast. It is as tender as steak, but has enough connective tissue to hold up to pressure cooking. It's also the perfect thickness to make bite sized beef strips - I cut it in half lengthwise, then crosswise into ½ inch thick pieces.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

• Curry Paste: My favorite curry paste for this recipe is Maesri Thai Red Curry Paste, but any brand of curry paste will work. I have to make a trip to my local Asian market for it, though.
  The other good brand at my local Asian markets is Mae Ploy Red Curry Paste, but it comes in large 14-ounce tubs, and I don't use red curry paste often enough to need that much at once.
  My local grocery stores only carry Thai Kitchen red curry paste; I prefer Maesri or Mae Ploy, but Thai Kitchen is good in a pinch.
• Can I use curry powder instead of curry paste? That changes the recipe completely - curry paste and curry powder have very different flavors. If you have no choice, stir 2 tablespoons of curry powder in after sautéing the onions, and toast the curry powder and onions for a minute. Then add the whole can of coconut milk, and continue with the "Everything in the pot" step.
• Mild vs Hot Curry: I consider Thai red curry paste a medium-hot level of heat. If you want less heat, cut back on the curry paste - use ¼ cup/2 ounces of curry paste instead of the whole 4-ounce can or jar.
• Coconut Milk: My preference is for full-fat coconut milk, because I want to fry the curry paste in the thick layer of coconut cream on the top of the coconut milk. In the recipe, I scoop the heavy cream layer from the top of the can of coconut milk, leaving the coconut juice in the can for later in the recipe. (I use the whole can, but in two parts).
  If you are looking to cut calories, light coconut milk will also work, but see the note below on "my coconut milk doesn't have a cream layer".
  One thing to avoid is sweetened coconut milk - you want unsweetened coconut milk for this recipe.
• Fish sauce and soy sauce: Why add both fish sauce and soy sauce? Both add depth (umami) and salt to the recipe, with different flavors; I like the mix of both.
  Thai fish sauce has a very strong smell, which some people don't like. (When they were younger, my kids were not fans.) But, fish sauce is one of the key flavors to Thai cuisine. If you don't like the smell, replace all of the fish sauce with soy sauce. It won't be authentic, but if the option is scaring the kids away…
• Bamboo shoots: I like the crunchy texture the bamboo shoots add to the recipe - they hold up to the pressure cooking. You can skip them if you want, or add an extra bell pepper to replace them.
• Other cuts of beef: Flat iron steak is a convenient shape and size to slice up for this recipe, but it is a little more expensive. To save money, buy a chuck roast steak instead. It's the same cut, basically, but you'll have to do more knife work to get rid of the fat and cut the pieces to size. Bottom round roast is another good substitute. No matter what you get, cut it into ½-inch thick by 2-inch long strips. (The thickness is what determines the cooking time.)
  Pre-cut "stir fry beef" strips are perfect for this recipe - use as directed.
  Pre-cut "stew meat" cubes OK, and will cook in the same amount of time as long as the pieces are 1-inch cubes or less.
• Chicken Broth: I like the extra depth chicken broth brings to the recipe, especially since I always have some homemade Instant Pot Chicken Broth on hand. But, ½ cup is not much liquid - store-bought broth is fine, or you can just substitute water.

How to make Instant Pot Thai Red Beef Curry in pictures

Sauté the onion, bell pepper, garlic, and ginger

Heat a tablespoon of oil, then sauté the onion, bell pepper, garlic, and ginger until the onion starts to soften.

Fry the curry paste in the cream from the coconut milk

Add the cream from the top of the can of coconut milk, stir in the red curry paste, and cook, stirring often, until the curry paste starts to darken.

Everything in the pot, pressure cook for 12 minutes with a Natural release

Sprinkle the beef with the fine sea salt. Stir the beef, bamboo shoots, chicken stock, fish sauce, soy sauce, and the rest of the can of coconut milk into the pot. Lock the lid and pressure cook for 12 minutes with a Natural Pressure Release.

Season and serve

Unlock the lid, stir in the lime juice, and serve with white rice, minced basil and cilantro, and lime wedges. Enjoy!

Equipment

• 6 quart pressure cooker
• Flat-edged wooden spoon

Pressure Cooker Thai Red Beef Curry

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5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4.8 from 5 reviews

• Author: Mike Vrobel
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 8 cups 1x

Print Recipe

Description

Instant Pot Thai Red Beef Curry recipe - spicy Thai beef in a thick curry sauce, in a hurry thanks to the pressure cooker.

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Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, peeled and sliced into ½ inch wedges
• 1 red bell pepper, cored, stemmed, and sliced into ½ inch strips
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• ½ inch piece of ginger, peeled and crushed
• Cream from the top of a (13.5 ounce) can of coconut milk
• ½ cup red curry paste (a whole 4-ounce can)
• 2 pounds flat iron steak (or chuck blade steak, or boneless chuck roast), cut into 2-inch by ½-inch strips
• The rest of the liquid from the can of coconut milk
• 8-ounce can bamboo shoots, drained
• ½ cup chicken broth or water
• 1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• Juice of 1 lime

Garnish and Sides

• Minced cilantro
• Minced basil (preferably Thai basil)
• Lime wedges
• Jasmine rice (see my Instant Pot White Rice recipe)

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Instructions

1. Sauté the aromatics: Heat the vegetable oil in an Instant Pot set to Sauté mode - High until the oil starts shimmering.  (Use medium-high heat in a stovetop pressure cooker). Stir in the onion, red bell pepper, garlic, and ginger, and sauté until the onion starts to soften, about 3 minutes.
2. Fry the curry paste in the cream from the coconut milk: Scoop the cream from the top of the can of coconut milk and add it to the pot, then stir in the curry paste. Cook until the curry paste darkens, about 5 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot with a flat-edged wooden spoon to make sure nothing is sticking.
3. Everything in the pot: Sprinkle the beef with the salt. Add the beef to the pot, and stir to coat with curry paste. Stir in the rest of the can of coconut milk, bamboo shoots, chicken stock, fish sauce, and soy sauce. Scrape the bottom of the pot one last time with the flat-edged wooden spoon to make sure nothing is sticking.
4. Pressure cook the curry for 12 minutes with a Natural Release: Lock the lid and pressure cook on high pressure for 12 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric PC, or for 10 minutes in a stovetop PC. (Use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook - Custom mode set to 12 minutes in an Instant Pot.) Then, let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 more minutes. (If you're in a hurry, you can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes of natural release.)
5. Finish the curry: Remove the lid from the pressure cooker. Stir in the lime juice, then taste the curry for seasoning, adding more soy sauce or fish sauce as needed. Ladle the curry into bowls, sprinkle with minced cilantro and basil, and serve with jasmine rice.

Equipment

6-Quart Instant Pot

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Flat edged wooden spoon

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• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 cup
• Calories: 314
• Sugar: 2 g
• Sodium: 570.1 mg
• Fat: 21.2 g
• Carbohydrates: 7.7 g
• Fiber: 1 g
• Protein: 25.7 g
• Cholesterol: 83.9 mg

Tips and Tricks

• Don't shake the can of coconut milk: You want the solid layer of cream on the top to stay separate from the liquid underneath. That lets you fry the curry paste in the coconut cream, then add the coconut liquid later.
• My coconut milk doesn't have a cream layer:If your coconut milk is mixed, don't bother with frying the curry paste step. Instead, stir the curry paste and coconut milk into the onions, and keep stirring until the curry paste has blended into the coconut milk, then continue with the "everything in the pot" step.
•  Can I use frozen stir-fry strips? You can, but increase the pressure cooking time to 20 minutes at high pressure.

Leftovers and storage

This curry keeps in the refrigerator for a few days, or in the freezer for months. I like to make freezer lunches in 2-cup containers so they are easy to reheat and serve. (It's best if you make fresh rice, but sometimes I add ½ cup of rice to the 2-cup container so I have an easy heat-and-serve meal.)

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Related Posts

Thai curry is traditionally served with jasmine rice - see my Pressure Cooker White Rice recipe if you need cooking instructions. Once you make this recipe, you'll know the basic technique of my other Thai curry recipes, like Pressure Cooker Thai Green Chicken Curry, Pressure Cooker Massaman Beef Curry, or Instant Pot Shrimp Curry. For a similar technique with Chinese flavors, try my Instant Pot Pepper Steak Recipe.
My list of Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) Recipes

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I love roasted vegetables, but I only make them when I'm already roasting the main course. Why? It seems wasteful to turn on the oven just to roast a vegetable side dish. That's one of the big advantages I've found with an air fryer - it's just a small convection oven. It heats up quickly, doesn't use much energy, and is perfect for a quick roasted vegetable side.

Ingredient Notes and Variations

Asparagus bunch sizes: A bunch of asparagus at my grocery store is about 12 ounces, sometimes as much as a pound.

Asparagus spear sizes: The cooking time depends on how thick the spears are. My "medium" asparagus size is about the width of a pencil, and takes 10 minutes at 400°F. (This is usually what I get at my grocery store - but not always.) If it's noticeably smaller than that, I call it "small" asparagus, and cook it for 8 minutes at 400°F. If it's noticeably larger, about the width of a Sharpie marker, I call it large asparagus and cook it for 12 minutes. To check if the asparagus is cooked, take one out of the air fryer and bite into the stem end - the center should be cooked all the way through. (I really only check large asparagus for doneness after 12 minutes - I've seen some jumbo spears when they're in season at my local farmers market, and they've taken even longer to cook.)

Fancy Variations:

• French style: Mix up a quick vinaigrette and drizzle it over the asparagus after cooking.
• Italian style: After cooking, squeeze the juice of ½ a lemon over the asparagus, then sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese. (Bonus points if you shred it at the table, to show off for your diners).
• Greek style: After cooking, squeeze the juice of ½ a lemon over the asparagus, then sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese. (If I'm feeling fancy I'll use Mediterranean Herb feta crumbles for a little extra flavor).
• Szechuan style: Replace the olive oil with vegetable oil, and use Szechuan pepper-salt instead of the all-purpose seasoning blend, and sprinkle with some red pepper flakes too. After cooking, drizzle with 1 teaspoon of soy sauce and ½ teaspoon of toasted sesame oil.
• Prosciutto wrapped asparagus: If you have thick asparagus, this is a really fancy way to serve it. (I love to serve this as an appetizer - single spears wrapped with prosciutto make a great finger food). Skip the oil and seasoning blend - the prosciutto fat will render and replace the oil. Buy 1 thin slice of prosciutto for every 2 asparagus spears. Split each piece of prosciutto in half lengthwise. Wrap each asparagus spear with a half-piece of prosciutto, starting at the bottom of the spear and spiraling up to the top, leaving the asparagus tip uncovered. (When wrapping, think of a candy cane or a barber's pole.) Gently lay the wrapped asparagus spears in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Air fry for 8 minutes, or until the prosciutto is browned and a little crispy.
  

Air Fryer Asparagus

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5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 1 review

• Author: Mike Vrobel
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 4 asparagus servings 1x

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Description

Air Fryer Asparagus is a quick and simple side dish. Air frying brings out the sweetness in asparagus, and it is ready in 10 minutes, perfect for a weeknight vegetable.

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Ingredients

• 12 ounces Asparagus, tough ends trimmed (1 store-bought bundle)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (or vegetable oil)
• 1 teaspoon Coriander Fennel Garlic Seasoning, All-Purpose Seasoning, or SPG Seasoning blend
  (or use ½ teaspoon fine sea salt and ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper)

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Instructions

1. Prep the asparagus: Put the trimmed asparagus spears on a plate, drizzle with the olive oil, sprinkle with the seasoning (or salt and pepper), and toss to coat the asparagus spears with the oil and seasoning.
2. Air fry the asparagus at 400°F for 8-12 minutes depending on thickness: Preheat the air fryer to 400°F. Put the asparagus in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Cooking time depends on thickness: for thin asparagus, air fry for 8 minutes; medium asparagus for 10 minutes, or thick asparagus for 12 minutes. Shake the basket halfway through cooking.
3. Serve and enjoy: Remove the asparagus to a platter, drizzle with a little extra olive oil (optional), serve, and enjoy!

Equipment

6 Quart Air Fryer

Buy Now →

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 4 oz
• Calories: 48
• Sugar: 1.6 g
• Sodium: 156.8 mg
• Fat: 3.6 g
• Carbohydrates: 3.5 g
• Fiber: 1.9 g
• Protein: 1.9 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg

Trimming or snapping asparagus

Asparagus is tough and woody at the root end, and it needs to be trimmed. The traditional way to do this is to snap off the tough end of each asparagus spear, by grabbing the spear in the middle and at the root end and bending until it snaps. The spear will naturally break at the end of the tough part, leaving you with the good part of the spear. Snapping a whole bunch of asparagus takes too long for a weeknight, so I take a shortcut. I pull one spear out of the bunch, and snap it to use it as a guide. Then I slice the rest of the root ends off of the bunch where that one spear snapped. (This works best when I leave the rubber band holding the bunch together near the tips - it holds them all in place while I slice.) See the step-by-step picture below for trimming asparagus.

Frequently Asked Questions

Scaling

One bunch of asparagus from my grocery store is about 12 ounces. I can go up to a pound before I'm overfilling my 6-quart air fryer basket - I want the asparagus in a 1- to 2-spear deep layer when I put it in the basket; it will shrink down to about a single layer as it cooks. Any deeper than that and the asparagus will take longer to cook, because the extra spears block the middle layers from the convection heating of the air fryer. If you need to double the recipe in a 6-quart air fryer, add an extra five minutes to the cooking time, then check the asparagus and keep cooking if the spears are not all cooked through. (Or use a toaster-oven sized air fryer, which has more cooking area in its rack. Or use a convection oven - see "no air fryer" below.

No Air Fryer? No Problem

If you have a convection oven, it is basically a jumbo air fryer. Preheat it to 400°F, put the asparagus on a rack over a rimmed baking sheet, and follow the instructions. If you don't have a convection oven, a regular oven preheated to 400°F will work, but increase the cooking time to 15 minutes for thin asparagus, 20 minutes for medium asparagus, and 25 minutes for thick asparagus.

If you want to make the asparagus on the stovetop, use my Steam-Sautéed Asparagus for another easy recipe.

I ate Asparagus, and now my pee smells funny...

I know, a little gross for a food blog, but I can't help myself. It's chemistry! Asparagus contains asparagusic acid, a sulfur-containing compound unique to asparagus. It breaks down when you digest the asparagus, and that's why you get that strange odor the next time you go to the bathroom. Don't worry! It's just the asparagus. (Source: Why Asparagus Makes Your Urine Smell | University of Utah Health)

Can I use frozen asparagus?

I don't recommend it. This recipe works best with fresh asparagus.

Do I really need to preheat the air fryer?

Yes. Preheating the air fryer gets the basket hot, because we want the asparagus to immediately start to roast when it goes in the basket.

Related Posts

For some other air fryer recipes, try my Air Fryer Frozen French Fries, Air Fryer Breaded Chicken Thighs and Potatoes, or Quick Air Fryer Tilapia (with Spice Rub).

If you're looking for other Asparagus options, try Grilled Asparagus with Whole Grain Mustard Vinaigrette or Shaved Asparagus and Parmesan Salad. Or if you want to get fancy, try my Sous Vide Asparagus or Instant Pot Asparagus Risotto.

If you're looking for something else, here is my index of Air Fryer Recipes, and my All Recipes Index.

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I love chicken thighs. (Bring on the dark side...of the chicken!) I love garlic. I love French farmhouse cooking. I love my Instant Pot. This recipe is a love-fest of all these things at once. I know 40 cloves of garlic sounds crazy, but try it before you pass judgement. I make it often, and it's in my regular recipe rotation for a reason.

Ingredient Notes

Chicken Thighs

Use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs in this recipe. Dark meat chicken stands up to the pressure cooker better than white meat, and thighs give me a much higher meat-to-bone ratio than drumsticks. That said, if all you have is chicken breasts (bone-in, skin-on please), the cooking time is the same; if you use drumsticks, cut the pressure cooking time back to 20 minutes at high pressure.

Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs

I prefer bone-in chicken for this recipe, but you can use boneless skinless chicken thighs. Brown the boneless skinless chicken thighs on one side (instead of the skin side of the thighs in the recipe), and cut the pressure cooking time back to 15 minutes at high pressure.

Frozen Chicken Thighs?

This recipe won't work as well with frozen chicken thighs, but you can use them if you have to. (The thighs have to be individually frozen - a big block of frozen thighs just won't work.) Skip the brown the chicken thighs step and move on to lightly toasting the garlic in the tablespoon of olive oil. Increase the pressure cooking time to 35 minutes to cook the frozen thighs.

Thickening

I stir in a flour slurry to thicken the sauce at the end. Pressure cooking results in a thin sauce, because there is no evaporation to thicken up the liquid. For this recipe I prefer a flour slurry, but you can also do a corn starch slurry if you want to skip the extra simmering. Whisk 2 tablespoons of corn starch and ¼ cup of cold water, and whisk the slurry into the pot liquid. Serve the pot liquid immediately - no extra simmering needed.

Wine substitutions

Almost any white wine will work in this recipe; I stay away from very sweet wines, but anything else will work. Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc are two I often reach for - look for dry and cheap. (I will buy a small box wine if I only need it for this recipe - they're cheap and more than good enough for cooking.)

Note that simmering the wine will boil off some of the alcohol, but not all of it. If you are strict about not having alcohol, replace the wine with more chicken stock and skip the "bring the wine to a simmer" step.

Garlic

Garlic is so important to this recipe that I gave it its own section:

Garlic Notes

Chicken with 40 cloves of garlic is easily translated to pressure cooking…but, oh, the garlic peeling. Most 40 cloves recipes start with the instructions "peel the cloves from 3 heads of garlic". That's a lot of peeling. Sure, I can do it, but there are two good shortcuts:

Pre-peeled garlic

Pre-peeled garlic is here to make this an easy recipe. Check the refrigerator case in your grocery store - you don't want garlic in oil; you want whole, peeled cloves. Also - make sure the container looks dry, and there are no yellowing cloves. Pre-peeled garlic is easy, but it doesn't last - it's only good for a few days after it's peeled.

Shake unpeeled cloves between two metal bowls

I've tried the "shake the garlic between two metal bowls" trick, and while it does help, it doesn't work as well for me as it does in online videos, where they get all the cloves peeled with 20 seconds of shaking. I still wind up having to peel a bunch of the cloves by hand - but it does speed up the process.

40 cloves, 41 cloves, whatever it takes

I don't actually count out 40 cloves of garlic when I buy pre-peeled cloves. I buy a 6-ounce package of pre-peeled garlic and call it close enough. If all your store carries is a 4-ounce package, that's good enough - you don't need exactly 40 cloves for this recipe to work. A little more or less will be fine.

Garlic in oil

Please don't. Garlic cloves in jars of oil don't have anywhere near the flavor of fresh cloves.

But…isn't that a lot of garlic?

Yes it is. And it's great! The garlic mellows and softens as it cooks, and the cloves delicious to eat with the chicken. (If you don't like the taste of garlic, you should probably skip this recipe. But if you don't like garlic, how did you get this far into a recipe with "40 cloves of garlic" in the title?)

Instant Pot Chicken With 40 Cloves of Garlic Recipe

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5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4.8 from 6 reviews

• Author: Mike Vrobel
• Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
• Yield: 8 chicken thighs 1x

Print Recipe

Description

Instant Pot Chicken With 40 Cloves of Garlic recipe. The classic farmhouse recipe from Provence, updated for a pressure cooker.

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Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 chicken thighs (about 3 pounds), bone-in and skin-on
• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
• ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 40 peeled cloves of garlic
• ½ cup white wine
• ½ cup chicken stock (preferably homemade chicken broth)
• 10 sprigs fresh thyme (or 2 teaspoons of dried thyme)
• 2 tablespoons flour (optional, to thicken sauce)

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Instructions

1. Brown the skin side of the chicken thighs: Heat the olive oil in an Instant Pot set to Sauté mode - High until the oil is shimmering (Use medium-high heat in a stovetop pressure cooker). While the oil heats, sprinkle the chicken thighs with the salt and pepper. Sear the thighs in 2 batches: put 4 thighs in the pot, skin side down, and sear until the skin is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Move the browned chicken thighs to a bowl, then sear the second batch of thighs, about 5 more minutes, then move them to the bowl. The thighs will render a lot of fat - pour out all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pot before moving on to the next step.
2. Lightly toast the garlic, then deglaze the pot with wine: Add the garlic cloves in a single layer into the pot and cook until they are just starting to turn golden brown, about 2 minutes. (Don't overcook the garlic - burnt garlic tastes bitter.) Pour in the wine and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 1 minute to boil off some of the alcohol, then scrape the bottom of the pot with a flat-edged wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits of chicken stuck to the pot.
3. Pressure cook for 25 minutes with a natural pressure release: Pour in the chicken stock, then add the browned chicken thighs and any juices left in the bowl. Try to submerge the thighs as best you can in the liquid in the pot. Sprinkle the thyme sprigs over the top of the chicken, then lock the lid. Pressure cook on **high pressure for 25 minutes** in an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker, or for 20 minutes in a stovetop PC. (Use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook-Custom mode set to 25 minutes in an Instant Pot.) Let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 minutes more.
4. Thicken the sauce (optional) and serve: Scoop the chicken thighs and garlic cloves to a platter with a slotted spoon. Discard the thyme stems (the leaves will have fallen off into the sauce, leave them in the pot.) Put 2 tablespoons of flour in a small bowl and whisk in ½ cup of the cooking liquid from the pot to make a flour slurry. Whisk the flour slurry back into the pot, set the pot back to medium-high heat (sauté mode in my IP), bring to a simmer, and simmer for 1 minute. Taste the sauce for seasoning - it should be highly seasoned, and may need some more salt and pepper. Ladle some sauce over the chicken and garlic, and pass the rest of the sauce at the table. Enjoy!

Equipment

6 Quart Instant Pot

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flat-edged wooden spoon

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• Prep Time: 10 min
• Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 thigh plus sauce and garlic
• Calories: 489
• Sugar: 0.4 g
• Sodium: 490.4 mg
• Fat: 34.1 g
• Carbohydrates: 7.9 g
• Fiber: 0.4 g
• Protein: 33.5 g
• Cholesterol: 189.6 mg

What to serve with Instant Pot Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

I serve this with mashed potatoes or roasted baby potatoes, so I can use the pot liquid as a gravy. I also love to serve it with bread (a French baguette cut into slices is traditional), so I can scoop up a few of the soft garlic cloves and mash them onto the bread slices.

Scaling

This recipe scales up and down easily, except for the liquid. You need a cup of liquid to bring the Instant Pot up to pressure, so leave the ½ cup of wine and ½ cup of chicken broth, and scale all the other ingredients up or down. You can (just barely) double this recipe in a 6 quart pressure cooker, though it fits better in an 8 quart pressure cooker. If you want to fit it in a 3 or 4 quart pressure cooker, cut the ingredients in half (except for the liquids, like I said a few sentences ago).

Make ahead and Leftovers

This recipe is fine made ahead a day or two - it reheats well. I save leftovers in 2-cup containers, with a couple chicken thighs, garlic, and sauce; covered containers will last in the refrigerator for a few days, or in the freezer for up to six months.

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Related Posts

If you're looking for some other Instant Pot Chicken, try my Pressure Cooker Chicken Stew, Pressure Cooker Teriyaki Chicken Drumsticks, or Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore. Other great chicken recipes include my Air Fryer Breaded Chicken Thighs and Potatoes, Sear Roasted Chicken Breasts with Shallot Herb Pan Sauce, and Grilled BBQ Chicken Thighs.
Or check out my Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) Recipes Index

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I like having seasoning blends ready in my pantry as a grab-and-go flavor to add to my meals. This blend is my favorite for fish and chicken: a blend of coriander, fennel, and garlic, with salt and pepper. I prefer Salt Pepper and Garlic (SPG) Seasoning or All-Purpose Seasoning for beef (especially SPG and steak), but this CFG seasoning works with almost everything else, especially on vegetables.

Equipment

• A Spice grinder for whole grain spices (I like the vase grinders from Kuhn Rikon), or a jar with a shaker lid for pre-ground.
• A funnel (to keep the spices contained when adding them to the grinder or shaker jar.)
  

Ingredients Notes and Substitutions

Different Spices: If you want to use other spices, go right ahead, but I particularly like this combination. A good alternative is to substitute cumin seed for the fennel seed - cumin and coriander go well together - and I'm working on a different spice blend for that combination.

Add some heat: If you want to add some spicy heat with this seasoning, add a tablespoon (or two) of crushed red pepper flakes with the spices.

Should I toast the spices? I don't toast the spices for seasoning blends, because they lose their flavors quicker after toasting. I want this seasoning blend to last in the pantry, so I leave the spices untoasted.

Can I substitute Kosher salt for the Coarse sea salt? Kosher salt doesn't work as well in a grinder as coarse salt, so I don't recommend it. (Kosher salt has flaky crystals, and they don't grind as evenly as the big chunks of coarse salt.) That said, if you have to, weigh out 65g of kosher salt to replace the ¼ cup of coarse sea salt.

Can I make salt-free Coriander Fennel and Garlic seasoning? Absolutely! Just skip the salt. (This is for my uncle Warren and anyone else on a low-sodium diet. Or when I'm brining or dry-brining, and I want to separate the salting from the seasoning.)

How to make Coriander, Fennel, and Garlic Seasoning in pictures

Mix up the seasoning

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and stir until thoroughly mixed. Store in an airtight container (for pre-ground spices) or spice grinder (for the whole-grain spice version).

Coriander Fennel and Garlic Seasoning Blend Recipe

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5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

• Author: Mike Vrobel
• Total Time: 5 minutes
• Yield: ½ cup of seasoning blend 1x

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Description

Coriander, Fennel, and Garlic Seasoning (CFG). My favorite spice blend for fish, chicken, and veggies. Coriander, fennel, and garlic make a bright, versatile rub for any meal. Store these whole spices in a grinder for a fresh, aromatic punch that beats pre-ground every time.

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Ingredients

Pre-ground for a shaker

• 4 tablespoons (65g) fine sea salt (or 3 tablespoons/65g table salt)
• 1 tablespoon (5g) ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon (5g) ground fennel seed
• 1 tablespoon (5g) garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon (5g) fresh ground black pepper

Whole grain for a grinder

• ¼ cup (65g) Coarse Sea Salt
• 1 tablespoon (5g) coriander seed
• 1 tablespoon (5g) fennel seed
• 1 tablespoon (5g) dried minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon (5g) peppercorn blend (or black peppercorns)

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Instructions

1. Mix up the seasoning: Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and stir until thoroughly mixed. For pre-ground, store in an airtight container (preferably a shaker jar with a sealing lid) for up to a year. The whole-grain version will last for years in a spice grinder.

Equipment

spice grinder

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• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 0 minutes

Nutrition

• Serving Size: ¼ teaspoon
• Calories: 1
• Sugar: 0 g
• Sodium: 262.6 mg
• Fat: 0 g
• Carbohydrates: 0.1 g
• Fiber: 0 g
• Protein: 0 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg

How to store Coriander, Fennel, and Garlic Seasoning

If you make it with ground spices and keep it in an airtight container, it will last for a year before it loses its flavor. The grinder version will keep even longer than that; the salt and peppercorns last for a long time. The coriander seed, fennel seed, and minced garlic will lose some flavor after a while, but they keep better than ground garlic powder and onion powder. It will last for at least two years, probably more, before losing too much flavor.

What should I season with Coriander, Fennel, and Garlic Seasoning?

It is fantastic on seafood - It's a make-ahead rub from my favorite grilled salmon recipe, Grilled Salmon With Coriander-Fennel Spice Rub - but any seafood will work with it. It's also great on chicken; I made chicken legs with it the other day, and I've used it on boneless skinless breasts and thighs in the past. (Or as a dry brine on a whole chicken - season it the day before and store the chicken in the refrigerator for an amazing roast chicken.)

It works well on pork chops, too, or pork tenderloin.

For vegetables, I've used it on asparagus, green beans, and broccoli, and it goes particularly well with carrots. It's a very versatile seasoning.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why use a spice grinder for Coriander, Fennel, and Garlic Seasoning?

This is the same question as "Why use a pepper grinder?" because the answer is "Because spices, like peppercorns, taste much better fresh ground." (My recipes almost always recommend fresh ground black pepper.) Coriander, fennel, and peppercorns are more flavorful if they are fresh ground, so I keep my CFG seasoning in a spice grinder.

How do I know how much Coriander, Fennel, and Garlic Seasoning I'm grinding?

I eyeball it. I usually use CFG seasoning when I'm not measuring carefully. If it looks like it's seasoned enough, I'm good. That said, I also measured the grinding rate from my favorite Kuhn Rikon Vase grinders. I measured 30 grinds to get ½ teaspoon of seasoning, so when I want a specific amount, I count as I grind.

Related Posts

Looking for a seasoning to kick it up a few notches? For a similar seasoning blends, try my Salt Pepper Garlic (SPG) Seasoning or All-Purpose Seasoning. For more specific flavor profiles, try my Cajun Rub Recipe,  Sichuan Roasted Pepper Salt, or for a BBQ, my Homemade Barbecue Rub. 

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The post Coriander Fennel and Garlic Seasoning Blend appeared first on DadCooksDinner.

I've never seen Piloy beans before. But there they were, big, round, brick red beans, bags and bags of them, one of many bags of beans at my local Hispanic market. A new bean? I have to try them!

Finding recipes online was tricky - Piloy beans look like they are specific to Guatemalan cooking, and aren't used many other places. (Or, if they are, they change their name - but I couldn't find them.) That said, they are a staple food in Guatemala, a central part of their cuisine. (Kind of like all their neighbors in Central America, where beans are an important part of everyone's meals.)

Figuring out how to pressure cook them was also tricky - it took multiple tries, because I didn't believe the one pressure cooking recipe I could find - 30 minutes? Even after soaking? That can't be right. I tried 20 minutes - most of the beans were still hard. 25 minutes - almost, but not enough - some of the beans were still tough. Turns out, they were right, I was wrong. Even after soaking, Piloy beans take 30 minutes at high pressure in an Instant Pot.

I'll live with the extra soaking time, though, because Piloy beans are nice and meaty, like an extra-plump kidney bean or Scarlet Runner Bean. I'm not upset that I bought a bunch of bags for my testing, because now I have some in my pantry for the next time I need a big red bean.

Ingredients Notes and Substitutions

• Piloy beans remind me of Kidney Beans and Scarlet Runner Beans; if you're going to substitute them, use my Instant Pot Kidney Beans recipe or Instant Pot Scarlet Runner Beans recipe instead of these instructions.
• I don't have a great source for red Piloy beans. I buy my beans from a local Hispanic market - La Loma market in Akron, but they are tough to find online. I can find them from a few ebay sellers if I search for Frijol Piloy, but have never tried to buy from any of them.
• Don't have an onion? Skip it and add an extra clove of garlic.
• Don't have garlic? Skip it, as long as you have an onion.
• Don't have bay leaves? It adds a nice flavor note, but it's not necessary. Skip it, or substitute a pinch of dried thyme.
  

Equipment

A 6-quart pressure cooker. Pressure Cooker dried beans are one of the reasons I became a pressure cooker convert. Try Instant Pot beans and you'll never go back to canned beans. (OK, maybe you will, for convenience - but see the Storage section for tips on make ahead freezer beans, which are just as convenient as canned beans, and taste much better.)

Instant Pot Piloy Beans Recipe

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No reviews

• Author: Mike Vrobel
• Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
• Yield: 6 cups of beans 1x

Print Recipe

Description

Instant Pot Piloy Beans. Guatemalan Piloy beans (frijoles piloy) are a round and red beans that cook up plump and creamy. Here's how to take these local market finds from dry beans to a meaty side dish, by pressure cooking for 30 minutes in your Instant Pot.

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Ingredients

Soak the beans

• 1 pound of dry Piloy beans, sorted and rinsed
• 8 cups of water for soaking (see instructions)
• 1 tablespoon fine sea salt (for soaking)

Cook the beans

• 5 cups of water for cooking
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 small onion, peeled and halved
• 2 cloves of garlic, smashed
• 2 bay leaves

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Instructions

1. Sort and rinse the beans: Sort the beans, discarding any stones, dirt, or broken beans. Rinse the beans, then do an overnight soak.
2. Overnight soak: Cover the beans with 8 cups of water and stir in 1 tablespoon of fine sea salt. Leave the beans to soak for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
3. Pressure Cook for 30 minutes with a Natural Pressure Release: Drain the beans, discarding the soaking liquid. Put the beans in the pressure cooker, add 5 cups of water, sprinkle with a teaspoon of salt, then add the onion and bay leaves. Lock the lid and pressure cook at high pressure for 30 minutes in an Instant Pot or another electric pressure cooker, or for 25 minutes in a stovetop pressure cooker. (Use "Manual" or "Pressure Cook" mode in an Instant Pot.) Let the pressure come down naturally, about 30 minutes. (If you're in a hurry, you can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes of natural release.)
4. Serve (or store for later): Unlock the lid on the pressure cooker. Discard the onion and bay leaves. (The garlic will melt into the beans). Serve the beans with their broth, use them in another recipe, or store them in their broth for up to 6 months in the freezer. Enjoy!

Equipment

6 Quart Pressure Cooker

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Fine Mesh Strainer

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• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 cup
• Calories: 269
• Sugar: 2.1 g
• Sodium: 443.6 mg
• Fat: 1 g
• Carbohydrates: 48.9 g
• Fiber: 12 g
• Protein: 16.4 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg

Scaling

This recipe scales down easily - cut everything in half if you don't need as many beans, or have a 3-quart pressure cooker. Scaling up runs into space issues; if you have an 8-quart pressure cooker, you can double this recipe, but it's too much to fit in a 6-quart pressure cooker. Either way, scaling up or scaling down, the cooking time is the same. The cooking time is determined by cooking each bean all the way through, not the total number of beans - 30 minutes under pressure is the same to them either way.

Sorting Beans

Beans are an agricultural product, and stuff tends to creep in when they are processed. Beans should always be sorted and rinsed before using, to get rid of any twigs, stones, clumps of dirt, or broken beans.

To sort the beans, I pour them out on one side of a rimmed baking sheet (a half-sheet pan), to keep the beans from escaping. Then I slowly run my fingers through the pile of beans, pulling them towards me on the sheet. I watch the beans as they move, looking for anything that doesn't seem right. If I see something, I poke around in the beans until I find what caught my eye, and discard it. I repeat this a couple of times, until I'm satisfied everything is out of the beans.

Then I dump the beans into a fine mesh strainer and rinse them under cold running water, to wash off any dirt or dust still on the beans.

Now the beans are sorted, rinsed, and ready for soaking or cooking.

Do You Need to Soak Piloy Beans Before Pressure Cooking?

I get a lot of questions about soaking beans. I prefer to soak Piloy beans. They are a dense bean, because it takes a long time to pressure cook them to tenderness if they are not soaked.
If I completely forget to soak, I cook them without soaking, for 45 minutes at high pressure with a natural pressure release. Then I'll check them, and if they need it, I'll pressure cook them for another 5 minutes with a quick release. (Also, see the "Tips and Tricks" section about floaters, below.)

Tips and Tricks

• Salt your bean water! "Salt toughens beans" is a myth. Salting before cooking helps season the beans all the way through as they cook.
• "1 tablespoon of salt for soaking, plus another teaspoon for cooking? That seems like a lot of salt." The tablespoon of salt in the soaking water helps brine the beans, only a little of it is absorbed into the beans. Most of it washes away when you drain the beans. If you are worried about sodium, skip the salt; the beans will still turn out OK.
• If your beans are still tough when the cooking time is over, especially any "floaters" at the top of the pot, give the beans a stir, lock the lid, and pressure cook for another five minutes. Older beans take longer to cook, and if the beans have been sitting on the shelf for a while, they may need extra time.
• Simmer to thicken: If you have the time, and want thicker bean liquid, simmer the beans for 15 minutes after pressure cooking. I set my Instant Pot to Sauté mode adjusted to low, set the timer to 15 minutes, and leave the lid off to let the broth evaporate.
• Hard water: If you have hard water, add ½ teaspoon of baking soda to the pot with the soaked beans. The alkalinity of the baking soda softens the bean skins, which helps them cook through in stubborn hard water.
• Quick Soaking: I have had reports that quick soaking is not working for people, but if you forget to soak overnight, you can give it a try. Sort and rinse the beans, then put them in a pot and cover with water (or in your Instant Pot set to Sauté mode-High) and bring the water to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, then turn off the heat and let the beans sit for an hour. Continue with the instructions as written above.
  

Storage

A 2-cup container of cooked beans, with cooking liquid, replaces a 15-ounce can of beans from the grocery store. Cooked beans last in the refrigerator for a few days, and in the freezer for up to 6 months. (I always make extra beans, and freeze the leftovers for use in other recipes.) Freezer beans are ready to use with about 5 minutes in the microwave, and are so much better than canned.

How to use Piloy Beans

Piloy beans are big, meaty beans, and great in dishes that use kidney beans, like red beans and rice or chili. They are traditionally used in Guatemalan Piloyada Antiguena, served with sausage and eggs - I'm working on a recipe for that, so please stay tuned.

Related Posts

Instant Pot Kidney Beans
Instant Pot Small Red Beans (Domingo Rojo Beans)
Instant Pot Pinto Beans
Instant Pot Large Lima Beans (Butter Beans)
Instant Pot Rio Zape Beans
Instant Pot Moro Beans
My other Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes
My other Instant Pot Bean Recipes

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