Thanks @Avanti30 . I would recommend 6qt so that if you decide to use the PIP (pot-in-pot) cooking method, you will have enough room to stack the vessels.
It started at work this morning when I saw a facebook post of my friend back in India who recently quit her job and has taken to crocheting full time and here I was trying to get some work done without getting distracted by facebook/whatsapp and the likes. Soon I was in this spiral of self-pity about how paavam I was to be struggling here in the US and how my friends back in India seemed very happy that led to missing family and the beach and sundal and Mylapore and everything! In this mood, my usual lunch of soup/salad from the cafeteria looked very unappetizing and so I decided to order to-go from a Mediterranean grill. Pretty soon, I was stuffing my face with a falafel pita wrap. Don't ask me what the connection is between Mylapore and Mediterranean food!! A resulting food coma at an afternoon meeting made me feel guilty about eating a high-calorie lunch and I was determined to eat something healthy. So here it is - multi-grain Bisibela bath @justanothergirl 's authentic recipe cannot be beaten, but if you're looking for a quick OPM, here it is - I used a mixture of foxtail millet (thinai in Tamil), Steel-cut oats and lapsi along with toor dal. 1) Saute in a bit of oil - Mustard and Chanadal. Onions and other Veggies (A small potato, peas, carrots, beans). 2) Add sambar powder and salt, saute for a minute more. 3) Add in the grains and dal to the vegetable mixture. 4) I had a store-bought Bisibele bath masala (Maiya's Brand that I got from Bangalore in my last India trip) I added a pinch of. You may add the home-made masala if you have it or just increase the quantitiy of samar powder. 4) Tamarind extract from a lemon sized ball with water, just enough to cover what's in the pot and then a little more 5) I just let it boil for about 5 minutes in saute mode and then did 15 minutes manual with vent sealed. 6) Quick Release should have worked, but I let the pressure release naturally for about 13 minutes . While I am still envious of the crocheting friend and miss walking around the mada streets in Mylapore, I am happy that I found a healthy alternative to white rice, something we have been wanting to limit for a long time!
Thanks @peartree You have given me a good solution to my ever "what to cook" problem. Adding this to my list. Your bisi bele bhath loooks yummy. (UPS still has overnight deliveries )
Raw Mango Rice 1) Cut raw mangos 2) Basmati rice 3) Oil 4) Mustard seed 5) Red chili powder 6) Turmeric powder 7) Salt 8) Toor Dhal 9) Chana Dhal 10)Peanut 11)Curry leaves Making instructions: 1) Pour oil in Saute mode and first get mustard seed fried in oil 2) Add Toor dhal and Chana dhal and fry them until it becomes brown 3) Add Raw Mango, Chili powder, Turmeric powder, salt, peanut and curry leaves 4) Add Rice 5) Add water twice the quantity of Rice 6) Switch to manual mode and set high pressure and time to 6 minutes 7) After it is done, release the pressure by moving the weight to venting mode Your delicious mango rice is ready. Onion raita to go with it is great.
Thanks for reminding @Viswamitra . The last time I logged in I had every intention of posting a response; but something happened, got diverted, and eventually got logged out. My mind was telling me I forgot something but couldn't recall what it was. Growing old you see Mango rice looks yummy! Easy too.
Dear @Viswamitra ...ah u definitely have perfected the art of making and posting pics of perfectly cooked yummy kalanda-sadam(Mixed rice) in IP.
@justanothergirl - Thanks for the hand holding while I decided to buy an instapot. The six quart one is definitely needed in my house! Ok, so I got my IP a few weeks ago, ate some humble pie and then started using it. Nobody told me that this was ideal for my Aunt's pressure pan recipes. Especially the fact that I won't have to put the pressure pan under the tap to get the weight off. I didn't know I could make two subzis and cook rice at the same time either. That's such a fun thing to try! I've tried so many combinations already. I didn't take too many pictures but I did the other day while making red cabbage mulakoshiam(fancy name for dal) and rice. Ingredients: 1) 1/2 tsp mustard seeds 2) 1/2 tsp jeera seeds 3)2 dried red chilies 4) Curry leaves 5) 1 tsp Chana dal 6) 1 tsp urad dal 7) 1/2(medium sized) Coarsely chopped red onion 8) 2-3 pods of crushed garlic(optional) 9) 1 small red cabbage chopped 10) 1 small red carrot diced 11) 1 small beetroot diced 12) 1/4-1/2 cup moong dal(original recipe uses tur dal, I sometimes switch it up) 13) Chilly powder as per taste(I use 1/2-3/4 tsp) 14) 1/4 tsp turmeric powder 14) 1 tsp oil 15) 1/4 cup coconut ground to a paste with one green chilly(optional) Steps: 1) In sauté mode, add oil. When oil heats up add mustard seeds. They splutter quickly in the IP. Add Jeera, urad dal and Chana dal and slightly brown the urad dal. Add curry leaves and red chilies and immediately follow with garlic. 2) Add the onions to the tempering and brown slightly. 3) To this add the cabbage, carrot and beetroot and washed dal. 4) Add about a cup and a half of water(rice cooker cup), turmeric, chilly powder and salt to taste. 5) Turn the IP off. 6) Place the trivet in the IP 7) Place a container of rice and water(1:2.5) on the trivet 8) Close the lid and put the IP on manual mode for 12 mins(8 mins if using a steel separator for rice) Wait for pressure to release naturally. 9) Turn off the IP, remove the rice and trivet and turn it back on sauté mode. 10) Bring it to a boil, add the ground coconut mixture, combine well and turn off the IP. I really like the veggies/dal to be mushy for this recipe. If you prefer to have veggies that aren't completely mushy, I would use a steel container for the rice and go with 8 mins manual NPR. If there are soup loving kids at home, temper with jeera alone and remove a portion of it before adding the coconut paste and blend for a yummy soup. Add coconut paste and do tadka separately and pour into the curry.