Curry Chickpeas (Pressure Cooker)

Hello everyone! I know I've been posting a lot of Instant Pot/ Pressure cooker recipes lately but bear with me. Not only is this little pot quick and easy to use, there are some jobs it just shines at. Braising, stews, soups, pot roast, anything that cooks with a wet environment. "Boiled" eggs come out perfectly tender and not dry. They also slip right out of their shells. There are so many recipes I want to try and convert to Pressure cooking. Not all can be done, but it's always fun to to develop new recipes and tweak old favorites like this one to see if it can be done better. I put this in the better column for sure!

This Curry Chickpeas is so simple and it's made with ingredients that can be kept on hand in the freezer or pantry. I keep peeled ginger in my freezer, when I needs some I just grate it with my micro plane. I also keep peeled sliced ginger in the freezer. It's perfect for cooking with and to steep as a tea. Chopped onions that will be used for cooking can be kept in the freezer, just chop them up and freeze them on a cookie sheet. Once frozen you can put them in a zip top bag and scoop out a cup or so at a time whenever you need it! You can also do this with seeded chopped jalapenos. If you wanted to prep most of this dish to just throw in the Instant Pot you could prep the ingredients and keep them in the freezer waiting for a quick easy meal.
One of the reasons I like this method better than stove top is the flavor and texture. The pressure cooker tenderizes the chickpeas and infuses them with flavor in a short amount of time. The chickpeas are creamy and full of spicy flavor, not hot spicy. Though you can add more jalapeno to make them spicy.
Now that I have discovered how easy it is to cook beans from dry in the Instant Pot I am buying them even more. It's quick, easy, and money saving. Let's make some Curry Chickpeas.

Onions, ginger, garlic, and jalapenos sauteing.

One of the best things about the Instant Pot is this stainless steel insert. I love that it won't scratch or peel and I can saute right in the liner on saute mode. I promise I don't work for this company. I just really like this product!

Curry Chickpeas ready to go in the Instant Pot.

The name "Instant" is a bit misleading. This pot won't cook your food instantly. Sometimes it will take just as much time in the Instant Pot as it would on the stove, but because of the pressure, some foods just taste better and more flavorful when made in it. Both this recipe and my stove top one require about 15 minutes of cooking time, however this method as I said before just yields a better result.

Just fifteen minutes and we're ready to go!

For more Instant Pot recipes, click HERE.

Serve this with
Naan
Perfect Pita Bread

Rice
Quinoa, follow the recipe for plain quinoa
Spaghetti Squash, I'll post my Instant Pot method soon!

Pressure Cooker Curry Chickpeas

2-4 teaspoons of oil or ghee- if not making a vegan dish
1 small onion, diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1 inch ginger peeled and minced
2-4 teaspoons curry powder
1 bay leaf
1 can diced tomatoes drained (15 ounces), or 2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 cup stock, chicken or vegetable
3 cups cooked chickpeas, rinse and drained  (about two 15 ounce cans)
salt
1/8- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped

1. Turn the Instant Pot on high saute mode.
2. Once heated, add oil or ghee.
3. Add onion, jalapeno, and ginger. Saute until fragrant, and almost translucent.
4. Add curry powder and bay leaf.
5. Add tomatoes and stock, using your spoon or spatula to scrape off the bottom of the pot, so nothing burns.
6. Add chickpeas.
7. Turn off the saute mode, 
8. Place lid on the Instant Pot, press manual, high pressure, and 10-15 minutes.
9. Wait 10-15 minutes for the pot to naturally release pressure.
10. Stir, season to taste.
11. Serve with cilantro on top, with naan, pita, rice, quinoa, or spaghetti squash.

To cook dried/raw chickpeas in an Instant Pot:
Place chickpeas in the insert, add water until the peas are covered about one inch.
If the chickpeas were soaked over night, rinse and cook on HP for 20-25 minutes.
If they were not soaked, just rinsed and picked over, cook on HP 35-40 minutes.
Let the pot release pressure for 15 minutes naturally.
I will say I prefer them soaked overnight. I just like the texture better.

Freezer Tip:

1. Place all the ingredients in a container or zip top bag, and cook without thawing in the Instant Pot. You won't get to saute the vegetables, but this saves time for busy weeknights. 
2. Flash freeze chopped onions, jalapenos and keep them in a bag or container so they are recipe ready. 
3. Ginger slices can be flash frozen also. 
4. Keep peeled pieces of ginger in the freezer, when you need minced ginger just grate from frozen with a micro plane.

Thanks for reading Give Peas A Chance

Thanks for reading Give Peas A Chance!

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