Cooking Patterns > Cooking Tool Patterns

Pressure Cooker Archetype Recipe

Here is an outline of how most pressure cooker recipes are cooked. This archetype recipe is especially applicable for Indian Cuisine.

High-Level Recipe Pattern

1. Create the flavor foundation by sautéing the whole and ground spices in oil
2. Build this up to a sauce foundation by adding onions and/or tomatoes and sauté for a few moments
3. Then add the main ingredients like potatoes and sauté
4. Add water and mix
5. Toss in any fresh herbs like green chilis
6. Let it go on high for 3 whistles

Real Life Example

Here is a recipe that can be understood through the lens of this pressure cooker recipe archetype:

Notes on Pan Frying Option in Step 1

• For more flavor and texture, you can pan fry some of your main ingredients in the oil as a part of Step 1. This is good for things that can be prepared fried on their own, like potatoes.
• You can add the potatoes inbetween putting in all the spices in Step 1. Meaning, you can put some spices in the oil, add the potatoes, pan fry, then mix in the rest of the spices. Then you can finally continue to Step 2 to build the sauce foundation.
• If you choose to do this and pan fry things like potatoes before adding some of the powdered spices, when you’re ready to add in the spices, you should spread everything aside and make space in the middle of the cooker to drop in the powdered spices, instead of sprinkling the spices them over the potatoes. That way the spices can still infuse in the oil and flavor all the food.

Example of Pan Frying Option

Here is a potato, peas, and cauliflower recipe that pan-fries the potatoes and cauliflower before building the flavor and sauce foundation. Notice and understand how she builds the flavor and sauce foundation in the same step, after pan-frying, when she adds the tomato puree and the ground spices at the same time.