Fatima's Fabulous Kitchen

I don't eat to live. I live to eat.

Indian

Instant Pot Veggie Pulao

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I always get people in my comments section on Tik Tok asking for instant pot recipes, so here is one that is simple and great for the weeknight.

For this veggie pulao I use a 1 ½ cups of water for 1 ¼ cups of rice. I know that if you do a quick google search you’ll find that different blogs claim different water: rice ratios, but this is what worked for me for this particular recipe. Keep in mind I also added two tablespoons of water to de-glaze the pot (as listed below!).

One thing that almost turned me away from using the instant pot is the dreadful “burn-error”. I researched for some tips to avoid it and one thing that works is just really making sure nothing is sticking to the bottom and to remove the insert and allow it to cool for a few minutes.

This recipe is incredibly versatile. For the veggies I used onions, potatoes, carrots, serranos, green beans, and peas but feel free to use whatever you have on hand; you can certainly use a bag of mixed frozen vegetable if you are in a hurry.

This Veggie Pulao is not only a hearty and comfort-food dinner but also great to pack for lunch!

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Instant Pot Veggie Pulao

Ingredients

  • 3 Tbsp butter
  • 2 Tbsp oil
  • 3 Tbsp yogurt
  • 2 tsp achaar (optional)
  • 1 Tbsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 1 1/4 cup rice
  • 1 1/2 cup water
  • 2 Tbsp water (for de-glazing pot)
  • 3-4 mint leaves (optional)
  • 1 1/4 tsp salt

Whole Spices

  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 cardamom pods
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 clove

Powdered Spices

  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 1 tsp fennel

Vegetables

  • 1 c onion (about 2 small onions)
  • 1 c potato (about 1 medium-sized potato)
  • 1 c carrot
  • 1/4 c peas
  • 1/2 c green beans

Instructions

  1. Slice your onions and dice the potatoes and carrots. Set aside.

  2. Press the sautee setting on the instant pot. Set it for about 10 minutes.

  3. Add in you butter and oil. Once the butter melts, add all your whole spices. Stir for a minute or two.

  4. Now sautee the onions. Once they begin to brown, add the ginger-garlic paste. Stir for a few minutes.

  5. Now add your yogurt. Stir.

  6. Add the remaining veggies and powdered spices. Cook for a minute or two or until fragrant. Feel free to add in a little bit of achaar if you like your pulao spicy.

  7. Now turn off the sautee setting. Add a tablespoon or two of water to de-glaze the pot. Make sure nothing sticks to the bottom or else you will get a burn error when you go cook your rice. I like to remove the insert from the instant pot and just let it cool for a few minutes.

  8. Wash your basmati rice really well. Drain any excess water and add it to your instant pot along with the water and salt.

  9. Pop the lid on and cook on high pressure for about 14 minutes. Once down. Release the pressure.

  10. Serve with raita.

Butter Shrimp Curry

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I know how much you all love Butter Chicken and Butter Paneer, so I’m sure you’ll also enjoy this Butter Shrimp recipe.

Butter Shrimp also known as Jinghe Makhani is a great weeknight shrimp curry (literally took me 30 minutes to make and that’s including washing the dishes) with a creamy and nutty gravy.

My version is pretty standard – for the gravy I sautee onions, ginger-garlic paste, spices, cashews, and tomatoes in butter which is all grinded into a fine consistency and turns creamy  and rich with the addition of heavy cream. Except instead of heavy cream I substitute half and half (it’s a little lighter on the calories) and add a good amount of crushed kasuri methi at the end.

Serve with some basmati rice or naan. Simple, straightforward, and delicious!

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Butter Shrimp Curry

Ingredients

  • 6 Tbsp butter (divided)
  • 1 lb shrimp (peeled and deveined)
  • 1 Tbsp ginger-garlic paste (divided)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 cups sliced onion
  • 1 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup cashews
  • 2 tomatoes
  • 3/4 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala
  • 1.5 tsp cumin powder
  • 1.5 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp tandoori masala
  • 1/2 tsp fennel powder
  • 1 cup half and half or heavy cream
  • 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
  • 2 tsp kasuri methi
  • lemon juice (to taste)

Instructions

  1. Begin by melting two tablespoons of butter in a pan. Add your shrimp (peeled and deveined) and 1/2 tsp of the ginger-garlic paste. Cook until the shrimp is pink. This should only take about a minute or so.

  2. Remove the shrimp from the pan and in the same pan add the remaining butter.

  3. Sautee your sliced onions. Once they start turning brown, add in the remaining ginger-garlic paste and the tomato paste. Cook for a few minutes. The tomato paste should begin to break down and caramelize.

  4. Now add in your salt and spices. Cook for a minute or so.

  5. Now add in your cashews and allow them to turn lightly brown (if they are not already roasted). Add in your roughly chopped tomatoes. Stir and set aside.

  6. Now we're going to take the gravy we just made and blend it into a smooth paste. Use either a blender or chopper and add it to your machine once it has cooled down.

  7. Now take your smooth gravy and pour it back into the pan on low heat. Stir in your half and half and then the shrimp we cooked earlier.

  8. Lastly, stir in some crushed kasuri methi and a few squeezes of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Taste and adjust for seasonings.

  9. Serve with basmati rice or naan.

Chicken Tawa Pulao

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Tawa Pulao is different than other pulaos in that it’s made with rice that’s been already cooked – just like fried rice!

You can put whatever veggies or protein you’d like in tawa pulao. For this recipe, I used boneless chicken, onions, carrots, bell pepper, and serrano peppers.

In the same steps you’d take to make fried rice in a wok, I basically sautee everything on high heat in separate batches. But instead of adding in soy sauce and oyster sauce, we’re using Indian spices and flavors here.

Additionally, instead of using regular chopped tomatoes, I took a short-cut with tomato paste which has the benefit of ensuring that the rice rice does not get mushy as it can with too much moisture from tomatoes.

For the rice, I use day-old basmati rice and to add a little extra kick to the tawa pulao, I combined in a little bit of my favorite lemon achaar.

This is an awesome week-night or meal-prep dish that never fails to disappoint!

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Chicken Tawa Pulao

An Indian version of chicken fried rice

Ingredients

  • 4 cups day-old cooked basmati rice
  • 1 lb boneless chicken
  • 2 Tbsp ginger-garlic paste (divided)
  • 2/3 cup onion
  • 1/2 cup bell pepper
  • 1/2 cup carrot
  • 2-3 serrano or jalapeno chilies
  • 3 Tbsp tomato paste (divided)
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp coriander
  • 1/4 tsp garam masala
  • 2 tsp achaar (optional, use whatever brand or type you like)
  • salt to taste
  • 4-5 Tbsp oil
  • green onions or cilantro (for garnish, optional)

Instructions

  1. Add oil to a hot wok or pan. Begin by sautéing the boneless chicken (cut into bite-size pieces) in half of the ginger-garlic paste, salt, turmeric, and chili powder. (You will use the remaining tablespoon of ginger-garlic paste when sauteeing the rice.)

  2. Once the chicken begins to develop some color, add in the veggies – carrots, bell pepper, onion, green chilies (feel free to de-seed them if you want it to be less spicy.) Allow the onions to become translucent.

  3. Toss in the remaining spices – cumin, coriander, garam masala. Cook until fragrant.

  4. Add about half of the tomato paste (about 1.5 Tbsp) – the remainder will be used for the rice. Cook the tomato paste down until it starts to caramelize.

  5. Remove the chicken and veggies from the pan or wok. Add more oil (if necessary) and the remaining tomato paste and ginger-garlic paste.

  6. Now sautee your rice in the ginger-garlic paste and tomato paste. Gently break up the rice grains. (To ensure the fried rice doesn't get mushy, make sure to use rice that is at least a day old).

  7. Add the achaar and make sure it coats the rice evenly. (This is optional, if you don't want it spicy, leave it out.)

  8. Toss in the chicken and veggies that you sautéed earlier into the rice. Taste and adjust for seasonings.

  9. Top with green onions or cilantro.