Beans Paruppu Usili Instant Pot

I have been experimenting with OPOS and instant pot trying several dishes. OPOS has definitely shortened the time it takes to cook and everyday I am fascinated by the things I learn from OPOS. Beans paruppu Usili or beans lentil crumble is a delicacy of a South Indian feast and many people are intimidated in making this. But with the method I am sharing with you, one does not have to be scared of making paruppu usili. This dish is usually made with green beans, cluster beans, banana flowers and it is perfect combination for more kuzhambu.

Get Ready

• Green beans, washed, trimmed and finely chopped 2 cups
• 1/3 cup of channa dal
• 1/3 cup of toor dal
• 2  dried red chili
• 1/4 tsp as afoetida
• salt to taste
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp urad dal
•  few curry leaves

Soak the chana dal, toor dal with dried red chili in water for about 30 mins. drain the water and grind it coarsely with some salt and asafoetida. set aside.

Instant Pot method:

• Turn the IP on. 
• In the inner pot, add one tablespoon of water, the beans, 1/2 tsp salt.

• Keep the trivet in the middle.
• Transfer the ground dal paste to another vessel and keep it on top of the trivet

• Close the IP. press Manual/ pressure cook and set time for 0 mins with vent in sealing position
• Once the timer beeps, do a Quick Pressure release and  and open the pot.

video link to paruppu usili

Pressure cooker/ OPOS method

•  In a 2 litre pressure cooker, add a tbsp of water, chopped beans and spread the ground dal mixture on top of the beans. Cover the cooker, place the weight and turn the heat on.
• Cook for 2 whistles with the flame covering the base of the cooker.
• Release pressure manually and marvel at the green color of the beans.

The next step is common for both methods.

• In a pan, add the oil and do the tadka/ tempering with mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves.
• Crumble the cooked dal mixture and add it to the pan.
• Use the back of your spoon and crumble the mixture and roast  in oil for 1-2 mins
• Add the cooked beans without any water and toss them well with the dal mixture.
• Add salt per taste.
• cook on low fire till the dal mixture is crispy. it make take about 7-10 mins
• Serve with rice, mor kozhambu, samabr or rasam

Let me know if you tried it and liked it.

Cauliflower Peas stir fry / Mattar Gobi

I have been busy lately and could not blog as much as I wanted to. Today I wanted to share with you a very simple stir fry made with cauliflower and peas using a  good old pressure cooker. Wait, I hear your mind voice saying,cooking cauli in the pressure cooker would make it a mush right? But, It does not if you follow OPOS technique.

I had mentioned in my previous post about OPOS and shared the recipe for rawa kesari. For people who have not heard about OPOS, it is a short form of One Pot One Shot, an innovative method of cooking initiated by Mr Ramakrishnan. OPOS is fast, healthy, clean and environmental friendly. One may be intimidated and hesitant to try this concept of cooking, but trust me it is  very efficient. Once you get the hang of it, you are going to be addicted to OPOS!

All you need is a good working pressure cooker, measuring spoons and the mind set to learn.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6FgPMwt0pw&list=PL1A5ukabJeD51pa9Ts1vzFKi_SdYuO50F
Check out this video to learn more about OPOS cooking style. One needs to follow the steps of standardization before jumping into doing all the recipes.

This recipe is from OPOS channel and I used spices according to my liking. The addition of water oil base with curry leaves act as a buffer zone when you are cooking veggies directly in a pressure cooker and prevents burning. One can replace curry leaves buffer to chopped onions  as well. The original recipe calls for dunking he cauliflower florets in boiling water for a few minutes before adding to the cooker. But, this step can be skipped, if you wish to as I did.

I used a aluminum Prestige pressure pan. if you are making smaller/ larger quantities use a 2 lt or a 5 lt pressure cooker.

Get Ready ( serves 4) Cooking time 8 mins, Prep time for chopping etc 12 mins.

• 1 large cauliflower, washed and made into florets ( came to about 5 cups)
• 1/4 cup peas
• 1/4 cup curry leaves
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp sambar powder ( or any other masala powder you have)
• 2 tsp pav bhaji masala
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• salt 1-1.5 tsp or per taste
• 1 tbsp oil
• 2 tbsp water
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro or as desired

To temper/ tadka

• 1 tsp oil
• 1/4 tsp mustard seeds/ kadugu
• 1/4 tsp urad dal

Go:

• Add all the spice powders, salt to the washed cauliflower florets and combine till well coated

• Take a pressure pan, add the oil, water. Note, the cooker is on the stove yet. This is layer number 1.
• Add a layer of curry leaves or chopped onions. layer 2

• Add the spice powder coated cauliflower florets. layer number 3.

• Add the frozen peas on top. layer number 4.

• Turn the stove and make sure the entire base of cooker is covered with high flame and not burning the bakelite handles.
• Place the weight and cook on high flame for 1 whistle. 
• Turn the heat off.
• Release the pressure manually and open the cooker. Please make sure the pressure is fully released before opening the cooker to avoid burns, injuries etc

See how the cooked peas and cauliflower retain their color!

• You may see a little water on the bottom or not depending on the quality of the cauliflower.
• Cook open till the water dries up.

See, How clean the cooker base is!

• In another pan, do the tadka and add it to the cauliflower peas mixture.
• garnish with cilantro and serve.

Tastes great with rotis, rice. I served with both rice , mor kuzhambu and roti.

Rava kesari OPOS style

When I first stumbled upon the word, OPOS, I was like you all too thinking what in the world is that?
 OPOS stands for One Pot, One Shot a concept initiated and popularized by Mr Ramki.

 The whole concept is cook everything in one pot, a 2 liter pressure cooker with minimal oil. By cooking under pressure, you are locking up a lot of flavors and cooking fast. I searched online and found many people trying out different recipes in a pressure cooker and I was very fascinated by it.

They even have a special face book page for OPOS called UBF ( United By Food).

 So far I have tried making soup, beans poriyal, ghee, pasta, aviyal, chilli paneer in pressure cooker and will share recipes slowly. On the OPOS cooking site, they use a 2 Lt prestige cooker and an induction stove. I have been using my prestige pressure pan and gas stove and have been pleased with the results too.

So, here I am posting my first OPOS recipe for rava kesari. Anyone can make rava kesari is what you are thinking, right? That is why I chose this one as it should be easy and standard. I found a recipe Here and adjusted the sugar for my taste.

Get ready: ( serves 2-3) cooking time 10-15 mins

• 1/2 cup rava
• 1/4 cup ghee
• cashews and raisins as per your taste

For Sugar syrup

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 & 1/4 cup water
• A pinch of saffron food color
• 1/2 tsp cardamom powder

Go:

• In a pressure cooker bottom, add the water, sugar, saffron color, cardamom powder. Turn the heat on and stir and let it come to a boil.

• Simultaneously, in another  pan add the ghee and roast the cashews and raisins till golden. Add the rava and roast till it is golden brown and aromatic.

• If your sugar syrup is boiling and rava is not roasted, just reduce the flame and let the syrup simmer.
• turn the heat off once rava is roasted and add the ghee, rava, cashew raisin mixture to the pressure cooker.

• It will bubble up, don't panic. turn the pressure cooker off.
• Give a quick stir and cover the pressure cooker with the weight on. Remember the heat is off.

Let the rava sit in the cooker for 20 mins. Control your temptation to open the pressure cooker in between.
After 20 mins, open the cooker and there you have your melt in your mouth rava kesari ready!

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