Cook Rice in an Indian Style Pressure Cooker

Indian-style pressure cookers cook food very quickly at a high temperature and under a great deal of pressure, just like other pressure cookers. Indian pressure cookers are stovetop rather than electric, they use weights to regulate pressure, and they have whistles to let you know the cooker has reached pressure. You can cook many popular rice dishes in an Indian-style pressure cooker, including plain rice, biryani, and other rice dishes.

Ingredients

Plain Rice

Serves 2

• 1 cup (195 g) basmati rice
• 2 cups (474 ml) water

Vegetable Biryani

Serves 4

• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) oil
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 cardamom seeds
• 1 star anise
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 6 cloves
• ½ teaspoon (1 g) shahi jeera or cumin
• 1 onion, diced
• ½ inch fresh ginger, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 potato, cubed
• 1 carrot, chopped
• ½ cup (75 g) frozen green peas
• 1 green chili, diced
• ½ cup (13 g) fresh mint leaves, chopped
• 2 teaspoons (4 g) biryani masala powder
• 2½ cups (593 ml) water
• Salt, to taste
• 1 tablespoon (15 m) lemon juice
• 1½ cups (293 g) basmati rice
• ½ cup (13 g) fresh coriander leaves, chopped
• Fresh pepper, to taste

Steps

Making Plain Rice

1. Rinse the rice. Place the rice into a medium bowl. Cover it with water, plus leave an extra (2.5 cm) of head room. Swirl the rice around in the bowl and let it soak for one to two minutes. Drain the rice through a fine-mesh sieve and rinse it under running water for about 30 seconds.
   • Rinsing rice is important because it prevents the rice from sticking together once it’s cooked. Rinsing removes a layer of starch on the surface that would otherwise cause the grains to clump together.
2. Combine the rice and water. Return the rinsed rice to the pressure cooker and add the 2 cups (474 ml) of water for cooking. For extra flavor, you can also add a teaspoon (5 ml) of olive, sesame, or peanut oil.
   • This method works for all varieties of rice, including white, brown, jasmine, basmati, wild, long-grain, and short-grain.
   • To make enough rice for more people, simply increase the rice and water quantities equally.
   • For al dente rice, use 1½ cups (356 ml) of water instead of 2 cups (474 ml).
   • For wild rice, use 3 cups (711 m) of water per cup (178 g) of rice.
3. Lock the lid. Turn the pressure cooker so the handle is facing you, which would be six o’clock on a clock. Fit the lid on so the handle on the lid is facing five o’clock. Turn the lid to align both handles at six o’clock and create the seal.
   • For a pressure cooker that doesn’t have handles that align, place the lid on the pot until it’s sitting flush with the pot. Then turn the lid to lock it in place.
   • It’s important to secure the lid properly, otherwise the pot won’t be able to build the pressure necessary to properly cook the rice.
4. Put on the weight. On an Indian-style pressure cooker, the small weight that gets placed on top of the steam vent is what regulates the pressure inside the pot. When the pressure builds enough, the steam pushes the weight up and the pressure releases.
   • Place the weight on top of the steam vent coming out of the lid.
   • The weight looks like a small plug, and will come with the pressure cooker when you buy it.
5. Heat the pressure cooker and listen for the steam escaping. Place the pressure cooker on a gas or electric stove and heat it over high heat. As the pot heats up, the pressure inside will rise. When the pressure cooker gets to the right pressure, the steam will push the weight out of the way and make a hissing noise as it escapes. When you hear this sound, reduce the heat to medium and cook for an additional three minutes.
   • An Indian pressure cooker makes a hissing sound when it reaches pressure, and this sound is referred to as a whistle.
6. Let the pressure return to zero before opening. After three minutes, remove the pressure cooker from the heat or turn off the gas. Set the pot aside and let the pressure inside drop as the temperature cools. Leave the pressure cooker for 10 to 15 minutes before opening the lid.
   • To remove the lid, remove the weight and twist the lid to unlock it. Pull off the far side of the lid first to allow steam to escape away from you.
7. Fluff the rice with a fork before serving. When the lid is off, use a fork to quickly stir the rice and release any extra moisture. Then, serve the rice on its own, add it to other dishes, or serve it as a side with your favorite meals.

Making Vegetable Biryani

1. Soak the rice. Place the rice into a bowl and fill the bowl with water. Swirl the rice around a few times with your hand. Pour the rice into a fine-mesh sieve to drain the water, and rinse the rice under running water for about 30 seconds.
   • Rinsing the rice prevents it from sticking together.
2. Toast the spices. Pour the oil into the pressure cooker pot and heat it over medium heat. When the surface of the oil is simmering, add the bay leaf, cardamom, star anise, cinnamon stick, cloves, and shahi jeera. Let the spices cook for two minutes.
   • Shahi jeera is a sweeter variety of cumin. Substitute regular cumin if you cannot find shahi jeera.
3. Add the vegetables. Add the onion to the pot and stir to coat it in the spices. Cook the onion for about three to five minutes, until it starts to brown. Add the garlic and ginger, and cook for another two minutes. Then, add the potato, carrot, peas, and chili.
   • Cook all the vegetables for an additional two minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
   • You can also add the florets from a small head of cauliflower to the dish.
4. Add the remaining ingredients. Stir in the fresh mint and the biryani masala. Cook for another two minutes with the vegetables to give the new spices time to absorb into the dish. Stir in the water, lemon juice, and salt. Bring the pot to a boil over medium heat.
   • When the water is boiling, add the rice.
5. Cook the biryani. Put the lid on the pressure cooker and turn it to lock the lid in place. Place the weight over the steam vent. Increase the heat to high and wait for the pressure cooker to whistle. When the cooker whistles, turn the heat back to medium and let the rice cook for another three minutes.
   • After three minutes, remove the pressure cooker from the heat.
   • Set the pot aside for 10 to 15 minutes so the pressure can stabilize.
6. Fluff the rice and garnish with coriander leaves. When the pressure cooker is safe to open, open the lid away from you so the steam escapes away from your body. Stir the rice with a fork. Serve the biryani with fresh pepper and coriander leaves.
   • You can also garnish the dish with a sprinkle of chopped cashews and raisins.

Serving Rice as a Side Dish

1. Pair it with a curry. Rice is a traditional side dish for curries in many different cultures. Indian, Thai, and Japanese curries are often served with steamed or fried rice. The rice you make in an Indian-style pressure cooker is an ideal side dish for these curries, including:
   • Make Japanese Curry
   • Make Thai Yellow Curry and Make Thai Red Curry Thai curries
   • Indian curries
2. Eat it with a stir fry. There are many different types of meat, seafood, and vegetable stir fries, and they all taste great served with rice. Plus, the rice helps you feel fuller, and provides you with lots of carbohydrates, protein, and vitamins.
   • You can also pair rice with meat and vegetable dishes, such as Make Beef and Broccoli.
3. Make fried rice. Fried rice is a delicious side dish, but you can also cook the rice with vegetables, meat, tofu, legumes, and other foods to make complete and balanced meals.
   • Rice is always boiled or steamed before it’s fried, so rice that’s been pre-cooked in a pressure cooker is ideal for this dish.

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Sources and Citations

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• Make an Emergency Curry
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