Stew Under Pressure!!!

As a busy mom of 3, I often get to the end of day frazzled, with hungry kids, searching for something to put on the table. This bewitching hour is when, in the past, I have made the fateful decision to purchase fast food or delivery pizza for dinner – instead of making a home cooked meal. With our families increased focus on healthy eating – I develop and search for recipes that are quick and easy, with minimal clean up. In fact, one pot meals are a personal favorite!

A favorite dish in our house (we are a house divided – some vegetarians, some not – more on this another time) is Smothered Beef Stew or Labdhara Gosht. The best part of this dish is that is cooked entirely in a pressure cooker. Normally a beef stew would take 2-4 hours of simmering on a stove to yield tender beef chunks and a flavorful sauce. A pressure cooker cuts this time significantly – putting this dinner on the table in less than 45 minutes with prep time – and the clean up is next to nothing! As always I’ve included both the pressure cooker method as well the stove-top method of cooking.

Labdhara Gosht

(Indian Beef Stew) – Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

• Meat Mixture
  • 1 pound stewing beef, cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 1 small onion (approximately 4 ounces), peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 medium tomato (approximately 6-7 ounces), finely chopped
  • 1 fresh green chili, finely chopped
  • ½ cup cilantro, finely chopped
  • ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 2 teaspoons garam masala
  • 1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ¼ cup yogurt
  • salt to taste
• Tempering
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil (use more or less depending upon cut of meat)
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
  • A generous amount of freshly ground pepper
  • Juice of ½ lemon
• Garnish
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion (or to taste)

Pressure Cooker Method

1. Put all ingredients for meat mixture into a bowl. Mix thoroughly and set aside.
2. Put oil into pressure cooker and set on medium-high heat.
3. When hot, add garlic and stir until pieces turn golden brown in color. Try not to overcook otherwise the garlic will turn bitter.
4. Now add meat mixture and stir a few times to coat the meat with the garlic oil.
5. Cover pressure cooker. Slowly bring cooker to pressure.
6. Once at full pressure, the safety valve locks and a bit of steam escapes – turn temperature down to medium or medium-low. Cook beef for 25 minutes.
7. Release pressure with method of your choice. (Quick release is the fastest)
8. Once pressure subsides and safety valve releases continue cooking, uncovered, over medium-high heat until sauce thickens. Stir to ensure meat and sauce do not stick.
9. Add a generous amount of black pepper and lemon juice, stir to mix.
10. Garnish with cilantro and finely chopped onion.
11. Serve hot with Indian bread of your choice, or with rice.

Stove-top Method

1. Place all ingredients for meat mixture in a bowl, mix thoroughly and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan set on medium-high heat.
3. When hot, add garlic and stir until pieces turn golden brown in color
4. Add meat mixture and stir to brown meat.
5. Add ½ cup water and cook on medium heat for 1 to 1 ½ hours or until meat is tender.
6. Once meat is tender, add lemon juice and generous amount of black pepper.
7. Garnish with cilantro and finely chopped onion. Serve hot with Indian bread or with rice.

Notes:

• Normally when using a pressure cooker, you would add at least 1/2 cup liquid in the pot, however, this dish makes its own ‘liquid’ with the tomatoes and yogurt – so no additional liquid is needed.
• Although I am using stewing beef here – you could also use cubed pork or cubed lamb. If you do use one of these other options, reduce the cook time of the cooker to 15 minutes.

 

A quick word on pressure cookers ….

No longer the pressure cookers of old – the new, modern cooker is safe and straightforward. They come with safety valves that prevent accidental openings and even allow the home cook to control cooking temperatures.

Here are some thoughts to keep in mind when purchasing your pressure cooker:

1.  Capacity – Pressure cookers come in several sizes – 4, 6, and 8 quart/liter cookers are the most common. 6Q/L is a good size to start with as it is large enough for a family meal, but not overly large to affect cooking times.
2. Shape – A cooker that has lower sides and a wider bottom is desired. This shape allows for a generous cooking surface especially if you plan to brown or braise meats.
3. Material – Pressure cookers can be found in both Aluminum and Stainless Steel. Stainless Steel is the material I prefer – there are less chance of reactions with ingredients and additionally, Stainless Steel cookers can be used on any type of heating surface, including induction cook tops.
4. Variable heat settings. The newest cookers come with two temperature settings – low at 8 psi (pounds per square inch) and high at 15 psi. The low setting is good for delicate foods such as fish and vegetables, the higher setting will cook meats, lentils and beans quickly.

 

As always, please share your results with me!

Enjoy –

Shruti