One Pot Wonders - Save your time with these pressure cooker recipes

Pressure cookers are a lifesaver, when you run out of time. They bring out the deep rich flavours while saving time and effort. From working moms to busy students who love home-cooked food meals, one pot pressure cooker recipes are very comforting. And you can also escape the hassle of washing a pile of dirty dishes with one pot pressure cooker recipes. Let’s dive into five such one-pot recipes and make cooking simpler, faster and tastier together!

1.Pressure Cooker Rasam Rice

Ingredients

For Rasam Powder (or use ready-made 1 ½ tbsp rasam powder):

  1. Toor dal – 1 tbsp
  2. Coriander seeds – 1½ tbsp
  3. Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
  4. Black pepper – 1 tsp
  5. Dry red chilies – 2
  6. Asafoetida (hing) – a pinch

Dry roast the ingredients one by one and grind to a powder. You can skip this if using 1½ tbsp rasam powder.

For Rasam Base

  1. Tamarind – 1 small lemon-sized
  2. Tomato – 1 large (chopped)
  3. Garlic – 4 cloves (crushed)
  4. Green chili – 1 (slit)
  5. Rice – ¾ cup (regular white rice)
  6. Toor dal – ¼ cup
  7. Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
  8. Salt – to taste
  9. Curry leaves and Coriander leaves – few

For Tempering

  1. Ghee – 1 tbsp
  2. Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
  3. Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
  4. Dry red chili – 1
  5. Curry leaves – a few
  6. Asafoetida – a pinch

Cooking directions

  • Soak tamarind in ½ cup warm water for 10 minutes. Squeeze and extract the juice.
  • Wash rice and toor dal together. Soak for 10–15 minutes while you prep the rest.
  • In a pressure cooker, add 1 tsp ghee or oil and saute chopped tomatoes, garlic, green chili, curry leaves, turmeric and a little salt.
  • Add the tamarind extract and let it simmer for 2–3 minutes.
  • Drain soaked rice and dal and add to the cooker. Add 3½ to 4 cups of water.
  • Add rasam powder and adjust salt.
  • Close the lid and pressure cook on medium heat for 3–4 whistles.
  • For tempering, in a small pan, heat ghee, add mustard seeds. Let them splutter.
  • Add cumin seeds, red chili, curry leaves, and a pinch of asafoetida and pour this over the cooked rasam rice.
  • Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot.

2.One Pot Paneer Pulao

Cooking directions

  • Lightly pan-fry paneer cubes in 1 tsp ghee until golden on the edges and keep them aside.
  • Heat oil and ghee in a pressure cooker. Add whole spices and sliced onions; saute until golden brown.
  • Add green chilies and ginger-garlic paste. Cook till raw smell goes away.
  • Add chopped tomatoes and cook till soft and mushy. Then add turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder, and salt.
  • Add green peas and the soaked and drained rice.
  • Add paneer cubes and mint leaves. Pour 1½ cups of water, stir and adjust salt.
  • Close the lid and pressure cook on medium heat for 1 whistle.
  • After the pressure releases naturally, One Pot Paneer pulao is ready to be served.

Ingredients

Main Ingredients

  1. Basmati rice – 1 cup (soaked for 15–20 minutes)
  2. Paneer – 150–200 g (cubed)
  3. Onion – 1 large (thinly sliced)
  4. Tomato – 1 medium (chopped)
  5. Green peas – ½ cup (fresh or frozen)
  6. Ginger-garlic paste – 1 tsp
  7. Green chilies – 1–2 (slit)
  8. Mint leaves – a handful
  9. Coriander leaves – for garnish
  10. Salt – to taste
  11. Water – 1½ cups
  12. Ghee or Oil

Whole Spices

  1. Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
  2. Bay leaf – 1
  3. Cloves – 3
  4. Cardamom – 2
  5. Cinnamon stick – 1 small
  6. Star anise – 1 (optional)
  7. Black pepper – 4–5 (optional)

Powdered Spices

  1. Red chili powder – ½ tsp
  2. Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
  3. Coriander powder – 1 tsp

3.One Pot Masala Khichdi

Ingredients

  1. Rice – ¾ cup
  2. Moong dal (split yellow) – ¼ cup
  3. Onion – 1 (sliced)
  4. Tomato – 1 (chopped)
  5. Carrot – 1 (chopped)
  6. Beans – a handful (chopped)
  7. Green peas – ¼ cup
  8. Potato – 1 small (cubed)
  9. Water – 3.5 to 4 cups (for soft, semi-mushy texture)
  10. Coriander leaves – for garnish
  11. Lemon juice – 1 tsp (optional)

Spices

  1. Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
  2. Red chili powder – ½ tsp (adjust to taste)
  3. Coriander powder – 1 tsp
  4. Garam masala – ½ tsp
  5. Salt – to taste

For Tempering

  1. Ghee – 1 tbsp
  2. Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
  3. Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
  4. Hing (asafoetida) – a pinch
  5. Curry leaves – 1 sprig
  6. Dry red chili – 1 or 2
  7. Ginger – 1 tsp (grated or paste)
  8. Garlic – 1 tsp (minced)

Cooking directions

  • Wash rice and dal together, soak for 10–15 minutes. Chop all vegetables. Keep them aside.
  • Heat ghee and oil in a pressure cooker. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Let them splutter.
  • Add hing, curry leaves, dry red chili, green chilies, ginger, and garlic. Saute for a few seconds.
  • Add onions and saute until soft. Add tomatoes, cook till mushy.
  • Then add turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder, salt and toss in all chopped vegetables. Mix well.
  • Drain the soaked rice and dal. Add to the cooker and mix everything.
  • Add 3.5 to 4 cups of water depending on the consistency. Add garam masala and adjust salt.
  • Close the lid and cook on medium heat for 3 whistles.
  • After the pressure releases, open the lid, give it a gentle mix. Add lemon juice and garnish with coriander leaves.
  • Serve hot with curd, pickle, or papad.

4.One Pot Vegetable Stew

Cooking directions

  • Wash and cut all vegetables evenly to ensure uniform cooking.
  • Keep coconut paste ready.
  • In a pressure cooker, heat coconut oil, add cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and bay leaf.
  • Once aromatic, add sliced onions, green chilies, and ginger and saute until onions turn soft and translucent.
  • Add all the chopped vegetables and toss well for 2–3 minutes in the oil and spices.
  • Add curd, salt, crushed black pepper and enough water.
  • Add the coconut paste, adjust salt and mix well.
  • Close the lid and cook the stew for 1 or 2 whistles.
  • Garnish the stew with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.
  • This vegetable stew goes well with rice, aapam and idiyappam.

Ingredients

Vegetables (use a mix of your choice)

  1. Carrot – 1 (sliced)
  2. Potato – 1 medium (cubed)
  3. Green beans – 10 (chopped)
  4. Green peas – ¼ cup (fresh or frozen)
  5. Cauliflower – ½ cup (small florets)
  6. Onion – 1 large (thinly sliced)
  7. Green chilies – 2 (slit)
  8. Ginger – 1 inch (crushed)
  9. Curry leaves and Coriander leaves

Other Ingredients

  1. Coconut oil – 1.5 tbsp (or any neutral oil)
  2. Black pepper – ½ tsp (coarsely crushed or whole)
  3. Cinnamon stick – 1 small piece
  4. Cloves – 2
  5. Cardamom – 2
  6. Bay leaf – 1
  7. Salt – to taste
  8. Water – 1 cup (adjust as needed)
  9. Curd – ¼ cup
  10. Coconut paste – 1 cup (grind ½ cup shredded coconut with 1 tsp fennel seeds into a paste)

5.One Pot Aloo Tamatar Gravy

Ingredients

  1. Potatoes – 3 (peeled and cubed)
  2. Tomatoes – 3 (finely chopped or blended)
  3. Green chilies – 1–2 (slit)
  4. Ginger – 1 tsp (grated or paste)
  5. Water – 1 to 1½ cups
  6. Fresh coriander

Spices

  1. Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
  2. Red chili powder – ½ tsp (adjust to taste)
  3. Coriander powder – 1 tsp
  4. Garam masala – ½ tsp
  5. Salt – to taste

For Tempering

  1. Oil or ghee – 1½ tbsp
  2. Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
  3. Hing (asafoetida) – a pinch
  4. Kasuri methi – 1 tsp (crushed, optional)

Cooking directions

  • Heat oil/ghee in a pressure cooker on medium heat. Add cumin seeds and let them splutter. Add a pinch of hing.
  • Add green chilies and ginger. Saute for a few seconds.
  • Add chopped or blended tomatoes and saute.
  • Add turmeric, chili powder, coriander powder, and salt.
  • Cook the masala for 5 to 7 minutes until oil begins to separate.
  • Add the cubed potatoes and toss well in the masala. Let it cook for 2–3 minutes.
  • Add about 1 to 1½ cups water and mix in kasuri methi and garam masala.
  • Close the lid and pressure cook on medium heat for 2–3 whistles.
  • After the pressure releases open and mash a few potato pieces to slightly thicken the gravy. Adjust salt, spices or water if needed.
  • Add freshly chopped coriander and serve hot with jeera rice, paratha or puri.