Yes, it looks like a droid — and although it can’t save your life if you get lost in the galaxy, in many ways it’s almost as helpful!
Although we originally said we didn’t want another “thing” on our kitchen counter, or another appliance in our pantry, it appears this one takes the place of 3 or 4 others, so recently, in the spirit of “trying new things,” we reluctantly decided to give it a go!
Our dear friend Anne, working mom, equestrian, former navy nurse, perfectionist who conquers everything she tries, is obsessed with her Instant Pot — we won’t tell you how many she has, using each for a separate course (Instant Pot cheesecake yes!). After much encouragement, she convinced me to take mine out of the box it had been in for a year [read: couldn’t be returned] and give it a try, and so I did.
Joan had made her Korean short ribs (see our previous post) to rave reviews and had prepared several other stews and soups, but I was still reticent. My first attempt was to make a braised brisket, which took about an hour and a half and was so tender, it was like magic, like it’d been cooking overnight! I was intrigued. Second attempt was Chicken Tikka Masala which took ten minutes to make but got eaten so fast we forgot to take a picture. The internet is filled with ideas for how to use this amazing new, albeit big, all-purpose R2D2-looking thing!
Anne sends us this recipe for beef and broccoli. Here’s how it’s done:
- 2 tablespoons oil to saute the vegetables; you can use canola, vegetable, or olive oil.
- 1½ pounds meat, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 cup beef broth
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 cups broccoli florets, cut small
- sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)
- chopped green onions, for garnish (optional)
- 2 cups jasmine rice
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Combine the sesame oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, red pepper flakes if using, honey, and beef broth in a medium bowl.
- Remove 2 tablespoons of the mixture to a separate dish to use later and add the cornstarch to this; mix this well to form a slurry.
- Set your Instant Pot to "saute." When the pot is hot, add a bit of regular oil (not sesame) to the pot. Toss in the garlic and ginger.
- Saute for 1 - 2 minutes.
- Turn the pot off. Add the sauce mixture to the pot (not the slurry), along with your thinly sliced meat. Stir gently.
- Place your tall trivet that comes with the Instant Pot over the meat. Add the pot you will be using to cook the rice in --- if your IP doesn't come with an insert, use any stainless steel bowl that fits.
- Add the rice and water to the inserted bowl. Add salt and stir, making sure the rice is submerged.
- Place the butter on top of the rice.
- Close your lid. Hit the "pressure" function and when it comes up, set the timer for 10 minutes.
- When the timer goes off, use the quick release and then let it stand for 5 minutes before removing the lid and carefully removing the rice pot.
- Toss in the chopped broccoli.
- Add the cornstarch slurry and stir until thickened, about 2 - 4 minutes.
- Serve over rice. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions if desired.
* We get no remuneration from mentioning this product.