Over the past few months, the instant pot has become quite indispensible in my kitchen. I didn’t like it at first since it did everything a pressure cooker can do and I already had two of those in different sizes. But over time, I began to appreciate it’s little advantages. Firstly….and most importantly, I did not have to keep track of the three whistles and run to the kitchen to turn off the stove. There were also no overflow issues and no stove to clean and surprisingly, everything I made always came out perfectly cooked.
Since the teen heads back to college in a few short weeks and moves into an apartment-style housing, I promised to teach him some quick and easy dishes that are also healthy. So you might see more of these simple recipes on the blog too. And most of the instant pot recipes would translate well to use in a regular pressure cooker.
Chana-Saag or Chana Palak is a favorite around here, Even over plain Chole and I make it very often, especially if there is poori or bhatura to go with. This is a very standard recipe but I add a couple of atypical ingredients like carrots and bell-peppers which for some reason (at least to my taste-buds) really elevates the taste. This is very close to a one-pot dish if you don’t take the blending of the masala into account*. So here’s a quick recipe with a short post 🙂
Instant Pot Chana-Palak
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried chickpeas
- 1 medium onion, roughly
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 cup red bell-pepper, roughlychopped
- 1/4 cup carrot, roughly chopped
- 5-6 cups fresh spinach, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1/2 to 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- a large pinch of asafetida (optional)
- 1 tsp chana or rajma masala**
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- salt to taste
Instructions
Soak the chickpeas overnight. Rinse a few times and drain.
Set the instant pot ( I have a 3 qt. one ) on saute mode and add the oil. Heat for a minute and then add the cumin seeds and asafetida.
When the cumin seeds start to sizzle, add the onions and some salt. Stir until the onions start to wilt. Then add the carrots and bell peppers. Stir and cook until the carrots and peppers start to soften. Add the tomato puree, turmeric, garam masala and chana masala. Cook until it starts to form a mushy mass.
Turn off the instant pot and remove the mixture onto a plate. Let it cool completely and then blend to a smooth paste.
Add the paste to the instant pot along with the soaked chickpeas and enough water to cover the chickpeas completely.
Turn on the instant pot and press the pressure cook button. It should be on high and the weight should be in the seaing position. Set the time for 24 minutes and let it do its thing!
Let the presuure release on its own. I usually don't manually turn to venting position.
When the pessure has released, hit cancel and turn it back to saute function. Add some more water if needed and also check for the salt. Once it starts bubbling, add the chopped spinach and cook for 4-5 mins until the spinach is completely cooked.
Serve with rotis, pooris, pulao, rice or bhatura.
Notes
* You can make it a truly one pot dish by omitting the blending and simply chopping the onions, carrots and bell peppers very finely so that they become really mushy after frying. ** If you don't have the chana masala, you can add your own blend of spices making sure to include ginger powder, cumin powder, red chili powder, amchur (dried mango powder), coriander powder and some kasoori methi (dried fenugreek).
