If you ask the average cook in an Indian home what their two appliances in their kitchens that they could not do without (ad I did ask some of my friends on Facebook), the mixer/ grinder (also known as the “mixie”) and the pressure cooker are likely to make it to the top of the poll. I know that that’s what I would say for sure. I might be able to manage for a short while without the mixer/ grinder but I know my pressure cooker makes short work of cooking especially rice and lentils.
I have not one but two pressure cookers, one a slightly large one that was given to me by my mother (it’s about 25 years old!) and a smaller and newer pressure pan, a slightly squat looking pressure cooker that’s a newer innovation. The former now comes out only when we have company and I need to cook larger quantities of food, while the latter is the right size for my everyday cooking chores. Both these, like the pressure cookers in most Indian homes, are stove top models.
Then Preethi recently sent me the Touch or digital variant of their new series of Electric Pressure Cookers. Electric Pressure Cookers are comparatively recent in India, and I was curious to see how different it would be from the stove top version, having seen it being used quite a bit in the Masterchef Australia kitchen this season.
An Electric Pressure Cooker cooks pretty much whatever a stove top pressure cooker will, and the difference is only in the way the appliance works to cook the food. Preethi’s Touch Electric Pressure Cooker is a 5L digital model in stainless steel and comes with a plastic measuring cup, and two ladles as accessories. The cord can be disconnected and all these can be stored inside the cooker when not in use.
The Electric Pressure Cooker has pre-programmed Indian cooking menus to help you cook a gravy, chickpeas, rice, pulao, biryani, meat and steam idlis. If you want to cook something their pre-set menus don’t offer, then the Electric Pressure Cooker can be customised to do so.
Preethi’s Electric Pressure Cooker is built with a variety of safety mechanisms and comes with an inner non-stick bowl in which the cooking happens. One can sauté / fry onions, tomatoes, vegetables or a spice mixture in this pan as for biryanis, or chole for example, and then then lock the cover on and pressure cook the dish as one would on the stove top. This makes Preethi’s Electric Pressure Cooker quite versatile. The Pressure Cooker also has a magnetic locking system and a 24-hour pre-set timer with a “keep warm” function that automatically switches on once the cooking is done. This keeps the food warm for up to 4 hours. This is really helpful if you want to cook ahead. There’s a pressure release valve so no worries about misplacing the “weight” if that is a concern.
While I been finding cooking in the Electric Pressure Cooker very convenient and all my attempts have turned out really well, I was totally disappointed in the User Manual that comes with it. If you’ve never used an Electric Pressure Cooker before, I can promise you that the Manual is more likely to confuse you than makes things clearer. This video helps a little. Since there was no mention of it that I could see in the Manual, it took me a little while to figure out that the small plastic receptacle that came with the cooker was meant to be fixed along the outer side to collect any condensation that may occur during cooking (at least, that’s what I’m assuming it was for)! It would have been nicer to have a more detailed explanation of the use of the appliance and the inclusion of a few basic cooking recipes would have helped immensely.
Given that the pan of the Electric Pressure Cooker is a bit small to take average Idli mould/ plates, steam cooking Idlis in this cooker doesn’t seem very feasible. It would have been very convenient if Preethi had at least provided a trivet to place inside the pan as an accessory for steam cooking.
Once you figure out how the Electric Pressure Cooker works, then it’s a breeze. I’ve cooked Pulao in this cooker a few times and they’ve turned out perfect each time. The trick to is to initially use recipes one is familiar with till one gets the hang of using the Electric Pressure Cooker. Today, I’m sharing the recipe inspired by the Shirin Polov/ Plow. Depending on which part of the world you’re in, this can be spelt and pronounced as Polo, Plow, Pilau or Pilaf and in India we call it Pulao.
Traditionally, the Shirin Pulao is a rich and sweet rice dish (shirin means sweet) that is served on special occasions in Azerbaijan and Persia in particular though all manners of Pulao is cooked and eaten across the Middle East and much beyond the trade areas of the old Silk Route. Shirin Pulao is cooked with long grain rice, carrots, orange peel, dried fruit like golden raisins, dried apricots or plums, almonds and a must is the crusty cooked rice layer at the bottom called the “tahdig” or “kasmag”.
My recipe does not have added sugar and so the Pulao is just mildly sweet and I have added a little bit of a few “savoury” spices normally used in the Indian kitchen. I cooked my Pulao without the traditional “crust” of the Shirin Pulao, but should you desire it, you can marginally reduce the water added to the rice, and the Electric Pressure Cooker will create the crust at the bottom of the pan.
One can use any variety of long grain rice though I personally feel Basmati works best. A lot of people like to use stock instead of water but I would plump for water any day as it doesn’t interfere with the flavour of Basmati and the Pulao. It is important to soak the Basmati in water and rinse it out a couple of times as this removes the excess starch and prevents the rice from becoming sticky and stays fluffy.
Please note the quantity of water in the recipe below is what I generally use (1 cup Basmati rice : 2 cups water with no other additions) and you might need a little less or more depending on the variety of rice you use. This recipe can be cooked in a stovetop pressure cooker or in a largish pot with the same ingredients and following the same procedure except to cook the Pulao as you normally would.
Preethi claims that their electric pressure cookers have 7 safety advantages over the conventional stove-top pressure cookers. These include various levels of control of pressure build up inside the Cooker and a built-in thermostat that automatically cuts off heat to prevent over-heating and burning of food making the Electric Pressure Cooker quite safe.
Disclaimer : This review was done on request from Preethi. Due judgement has been applied and I have done my best to remain objective and unbiased while writing this review. This review is my personal opinion so please exercise your own discretion.
Preethi “Touch” Electric Pressure Cooker : A Review & A Sweet And Savory Dried Fruit Pulao/ Polov/ Pilaf
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups basmati rice
- 1 tbsp ghee butter / clarified
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 onion medium , sliced thinly
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- 1 carrot medium to large , julienned
- 1/8 cup apricots chopped dried
- 1/8 cup cranberries dried
- 1/8 cup golden raisins
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- A pinch turmeric powder
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1/3 cup chickpeas cooked
- to taste salt
- 1 1/2 tbsps slivered almonds toasted
- 2 tbsps chopped coriander leaves fresh
Instructions
- Soak the basmati rice in water (not warm) for 20 minutes and then rinse a couple of times. Drain the water completely discarding it, keeping the rice aside.
- Connect the Electric Pressure Cooker and switch it on. Once it beeps to signal that it is ready, set it on Gravy mode and add the ghee. Once it heats up, add the ginger paste and saute for a minute. Then add the sliced onions and saute until they soften, become translucent and a light golden but not brown.
- Add the rice and stir for a minute or so until the rice takes on a white colour. Then add the julienned carrot, apricots, cranberries and raisins and saute for a minute. Now add the coriander, cumin and turmeric powders and the garam masala and saute for another minute.
- Add the water, the chickpeas and salt to taste and stir well. Press the Cancel button and then set it on the Pulao/ Biryani mode. Close the Pressure Cooker and lock the Pressure Valve in the pressure position. Wait for the pressure to build up in the cooker and the red coloured safety eye on the lid locks.
- Once this happens the Electric Pressure Cooker will automatically start counting the time down (from 12 minutes to zero or"OH" for the Pulao/ Biryani mode). When done, the Electric Pressure Cooker will automatically go into the Keep Warm mode. Tha's it. Wait till the internal pressure goes down before opening the cooker.
- Just before serving, open the cooker and using a fork, lightly fluff up the rice. Garnish with the toasted almonds and chopped fresh coriander. Serve with a spicy curry or a yogurt based Raita and crisps on the side. I served mine with a Boondi Raita (spiced yogurt with crisp chickpea fritters).
sushmita reddy says
Lovely Recipes! I tried this with ketchup, and I have to say that it tastes amazing. Try Heinz Ketchup with this recipe to savour the taste!
http://bit.ly/29Lb9TW
Mohandas says
Buttons are mentioned in code – like u201cgravyu201d etc – hence confused. Help?
Aparna Balasubramanian says
Sorry about that. Have made the necessary corrections.