Under Pressure

The Secret Weapon of the Indian Kitchen

Let me tell you a little secret . . . PRESSURE COOKERS ROCK!!!!!!  Maybe you are one of the few people I've met in the Western world who knows this already.  Sadly, it took me moving halfway around the world to figure this little tidbit out.  Now that I'm privy to the wondrous things that little beauty can do, my home will never be without one.  I'm even considering buying one for my Mom back home so I don't have to cook at her house without one.

And what is a pressure cooker?  Apparently, there are electric ones, but the one I'm talking about is basically a pot with a lid that clamps on tightly.  It has a rubber seal that makes it air-tight, and a pressure valve sticking out the top that opens and releases when too much pressure builds into it.  In this way, the temperature can get much hotter and stay hot for longer on a regular gas or electric stove.

What is all the hype about? you may ask.  Well, my friends, if you found a device in your kitchen that cut down cooking time by about a fourth, was small, and saved money and energy, wouldn't you want one?  Besides this, said device made much healthier versions of food and fit easily on a shelf, wouldn't you want one?  Besides this, if said device was easy to clean, i.e. no blades and parts to take apart and no dangerous electric chord, wouldn't you want one?  Go and buy yourself one right now.

I must stop and thank my dear Auntie Reeta -- my first house-helper in India -- for this epiphany.  I was fresh off the boat, renting a flat from a family who was away for a few months.  Their house helper agreed to work for us while they were gone, so she helped me with cleaning, cooking, and sanity.  One day, I decided to cook dry beans in the stock pot.  She saw what I was doing and explained that I should use the pressure cooker and let them go for '5 whistles'.  I was ashamed to tell her I didn't know how to use the pressure cooker or what a 'whistle' was.  She took the beans from me and got them going in the pressure cooker.  The whistle was when the pressure released from the valve, making a loud hissing noise.  After the 5 whistles, she turned the stove off and told me to let it sit for about 10 minutes before trying to open it.  Then, she left for the day.  After 20 minutes, I went to take the lid off, and it wouldn't come.  What?  I pushed it, pulled it, wiggled it, and turned it, but it wouldn't come out.  Little did I know, that pressure cooker lids are oblong!  You have to rotate them a quarter turn and they come out quite easily.  Well, now I know.  And now you know.

So, there were my perfectly cooked beans in about 30 minutes; beans that would have taken 2 hours in the stockpot.  Woohoo!  Then Reeta opened my world up to using the pressure cooker on rice or lentils -- only one whistle -- and steam vegetables -- about 2-3 whistles depending on the veggie.  So, I started using it then, but not until I moved out on my own have I discovered other wonders the pressure cooker can do.  Here is a quick guide to some basics I've learned:

• 1 Whistle (about 10 min): rice, lentils, reheating soup or stew
• 2-3 Whistles (about 20 min): steaming veggies, making soup with cooked meat and fresh veggies
• 5 Whistles (about 30 min): steaming or stewing whole or bone-in chicken, making broth, cooking pre-soaked dry beans
• Save the water/drippings from steaming the chicken and make a very tasty gravy by adding  a little flower, salt, pepper, and herbs
• Save the water from steaming veggies for adding to stir-fry dishes.
• I've even made steamed bread in the pressure cooker -- it's kind of like Irish Soda Bread without the crunchy crust.  This, again, took about half an hour.

Have I convinced you yet?  I know people are nervous about these things.  You probably heard about the freak accidents where pressure cookers blew up.  Or maybe you've heard about the illicit drugs that people are making in them.  Don't be deterred!!! Use it carefully, well, and often, oh Grasshopper.

I dedicate this post to all the women who, like myself, are trying to make dinner in a foreign land with foreign ingredients and foreign equipment.  May you find something new and tasty and may all your meals be pressure-free (figuratively of course!)