Episode 111: The Essential Indian Instant Pot Cookbook with Author Archana Mundhe

We're delighted to chat with Archana Mundhe of The Ministry of Curry about her new cookbook, The Essential Indian Instant Pot Cookbook. She goes into the history and the role that traditional pressure cookers play in Indian cooking, how she transitioned her family recipes to the Instant Pot, and also how you can transition your favorite dishes to the Instant Pot. We also love these Rubbermaid containers and want to try Duke's Mayo.

Let's taco 'bout it!

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Let's taco 'bout it!

• Food Nerd Shoutout: Sharon's coworker, Neil, really enjoyed our discussion about hotdogs on our Food Vending Machines episode. 2019 is going to be the Year of the Hotdog! #hotdog2019
• Let's Dig into the Kitchen Drawer: Winter loves the Rubbermaid 16-Cup Dry Food Containers for powdered sugar, brown sugar, and oatmeal storage. Bonus: Winter uses it to corral all the parts of her Cuisinart food processor, so she doesn't have to unload all of the things from the food processor bowl! Winter's Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
• We are pleased to have Archana Mundhe of The Ministry of Curry on the podcast. She's the author of the new cookbook, The Essential Indian Instant Pot Cookbook.
• She is a frequent contributor on the Instant Pot Community Facebook Group and that's how she got noticed and encouraged to write the cookbook.
• Archana didn't grow up cooking with her mom, and only when she got married and had children did she finally start learning how to cook the recipes her mom cooked when she was a child.

• Traditional stove-top pressure cookers are usually employed in making Indian food, so using the Instant Pot is a natural fit.
• The Saute function on the Instant Pot is perfect for browning meat, tempering onion and garlic, and roasting spices before your bring the Instant Pot to pressure. After the pressure comes down, the Saute function is great to get the sauce to the right consistency. Remember to deglaze the bottom of the pot after sautéing, so it doesn't give you the Burn alert.
• Instant Pot needs to come out with an Instant Pot that's compatible in India, so Archana's mom can get one!

• When converting your own recipes to the Instant Pot, 1) set realistic expectations and 2) remember that there is no evaporation when using the IP (ie you may need to cut back on your liquids).
• Tip for cooking with the Instant Pot: Make sure all your ingredients that will go in the Instant Pot are ready to go.
• Essential Indian ingredients: Fresh garlic, fresh ginger, fresh cilantro, Indian chiles (or jalapeno or Thai chiles), red and yellow onions, plum tomatoes, cauliflower, baby spinach, and a good quality whole wheat flour (for paratha).

• Essential Indian spices: Cumin, turmeric, red chili powder, garam masala, and ghee.
• You can find Archana at The Ministry of Curry, on Instagram, and Facebook. You can find her book at Barnes and Noble, Target, Walmart, and Amazon.
• Stop by our Instagram and Facebook to win a copy of Archana's cookbook!
• Introducing Interesting Ingredients: Miss Eugenia Duke created Duke's Mayonnaise and it's a cult classic. Apparently people love PB and Duke's Mayo sandwiches...? Who loves it? Let's hear it?

Run Time: 61 minutes

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