Mealtime Magic: Bengali Red Lentil Risotto

Who doesn’t love Indian food? Delicious recipes that are filled with exotic spice blends and easy-to-get ingredients.  But many favorite Indian recipes can take hours to prepare.  Cookbook author, blogger and cooking teacher Rinku Bhattacharya has put together a collection of 100 authentic Indian recipes all made easy in the hottest kitchen product, the Instant Pot!

Instant Indian (Hippocrene Books/October 2018) showcases the diversity and range of the foods of India, where every state and region boasts its own unique dishes.  Indian cooking is complex, eclectic, and evolving with several culinary influences folded in creating food that is richly nuanced.  Rinku Bhattacharya provides techniques and recipes that showcase the rich culinary diversity of Indian food.  Her recipes are culled from the culinary regions of North India, Western India, Eastern India and South India.

Instant Indian features chapters that cover everything from essentials like key ingredients, spice blends, curry sauces, and yogurt-making, to recipes for breakfasts, rice & grain dishes, lentils, vegetables, seafood, chicken and meat curries, as well as drinks, chutneys and desserts. Nearly all the recipes are gluten free, and there are plenty of vegetarian and vegan options as well. With step-by-step instructions and color photos throughout, Instant Indian makes Indian cooking easy and fool-proof using all the functions of this popular appliance. 

The Instant Pot lends itself perfectly to Indian recipes, making flavorful, nutritious Indian fare like dals, legumes and all manner of curries—that typically take a long time to simmer—up to 70% faster than on the stove top.

Recipe and photo from Instant Indian by Rinku Bhattacharya
Hippocrene Books/October 2018

Khichuri
Bengali Red Lentil Risotto
Makes 4 cups

A khichuri or khichdi is a classic rice and lentil mélange, prepared differently all over India. This particular red lentil variation is from Bengal. It is distinct in its use of fried onions to imbue rich flavor. Cauliflower, potatoes and green peas round out this hearty, comforting dish. It is done in less than 20 minutes of cooking time and topped with a beautiful drizzle of cumin-scented ghee. To keep this dish vegan, you can use coconut oil instead of the ghee.

TOTAL TIME: 40 MINUTES 
Prep Time: 5 minutes   Sauté: 7 minutes   Pressure: 4 minutes    Steam Release: Natural after 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 minute

INGREDIENTS
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium red onion thinly sliced
3/4 cup red lentils (masoor dal) 
½ cup Basmati or kalajeera rice 
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
½ teaspoon turmeric
2 cups cauliflower florets (about ½ head of cauliflower)
1 medium Yukon gold potato peeled and cubed 
½ cup frozen green peas

TO FINISH
1 tablespoon ghee or coconut oil
1 ½ teaspoons cumin seeds
2 whole dried red chilies
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Turn the Instant Pot to Sauté mode and add in the oil. After about a minute, add in the onions and sauté until they turn golden, about 5 to 6 minutes.
2. Add in the lentils, rice, ground cumin, coriander, ginger, cayenne pepper, salt and the turmeric.
3. Add in the cauliflower, potato, and 4 cups water, and stir well.
4. Close the lid and cook on Manual mode at high pressure for 4 minutes.
5. When cooking time is complete, allow natural pressure release for 15 minutes, then do a quick release for any residual pressure.
6. Open the lid and stir well. Turn the Instant Pot to Sauté mode and add in the green peas.
7. Heat the ghee or coconut oil in a small pan, add in the cumin seeds, the crushed red pepper if using, and the whole dried red chilies. Cook until the mixture crackles and is fragrant, being careful not to burn the crushed red pepper.
8. Pour the ghee mixture over the khichuri. Gently stir.
9. Squeeze in the lime juice and garnish with cilantro before serving.

Notes:
I often use quartered organic red potatoes with the skin on. If you wish, you can also throw in vegetables like broccoli or carrots for a more substantial khichuri.

If you are using brown rice, increase the cook time to 8 minutes, and cut the vegetables into larger pieces.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Rinku Bhattacharya is a Gourmand Award-winning cookbook author, blogger and cooking instructor.  She is the author of Bengali Five Spices Chronicles and Spices & Seasons: Simple, Sustainable Indian Flavors. Rinku was born in Kolkata, India and has a natural passion and love for regional Indian cuisine and uses it to share and connect with her cultural heritage. She has travelled extensively and specializes in adapting Indian cuisine in global environments and kitchens. Her deep commitment to using seasonal ingredients for Indian cooking is reflected in her recipes.  Rinku teaches very popular Indian cooking classes in the Hudson Valley area of New York and has been featured in newspapers, magazines and on radio.  She and her family reside in the Hudson Valley area of New York.  Visit her at www.SpiceChronicles.com.