cover and chill for at least 1 hour before serving
Notes
The covering and chilling is actual pretty vital to this recipe, although it’s tempting to skip the step. If you eat it right away, the flavors will feel off and disjointed, maybe too sweet or too tart. But once it’s had a chance to meld together in the fridge, everything becomes much more cohesive.
pour water in pressure cooker, drop in trivet, add eggs
pressure: high time: 3 minutes release: quick
soft steamed
take eggs out immediately and immerse in ice water bath
crack, roll, and peel; if you have extremely fresh eggs that are a little stubborn, you can return to the ice bath after peeling some of the bottom so that the water enters between the shell and the egg, making it easier to separate them
Soft steamed eggs have a fully set, but tender white and runny yolk. Be gentle when peeling as the yolk is runny so there isn’t much structure to the egg. Don’t roll aggressively.
Enjoy these eggs all on their own as a decadent snack or in place of poached eggs on top of fancy toasts. They’re much less fiddly than poached eggs, and also use the entire egg without discarding any of the whites. You can also add them to hearty grain bowls or roasted vegetable salads.
Jammy
leave eggs inside the pot with the lid on for 5-6 minutes
remove from pot, dunk into ice bath, crack, peel
Jammy eggs have a fully set white and set yolks, which are still creamy and soft, with a brighter orange color in the centers where they’re not quite as set. These have more structure than soft steamed and don’t have to be handled as carefully.
Enjoy these on their own or in salads and sandwiches.
Fully Cooked
leave eggs inside pot with the lid on for 10 minutes, then dunk into the ice bath and peel
Fully cooked eggs have a fully set white and yolks, with no green ring around the yolk! The green ring is indicative of overcooking and also creates a sulfurous taste/smell. The yolk will be an even yellow color throughout, with no orange.
These are the standard, fully cooked eggs used in various recipes like egg salad, cobb salad, or deviled eggs. Use them in those, eat them alone with some salt and pepper, or drop them into a soupy salan like this simple aloo salan, chana shorba, or koftay. The yolk breaks down and melts into the soup, creating a creamy gravy.
Notes
If you don’t have ice, just use the coldest water that comes out of your tap; you may need to change out the water several times, or just keep your bowl under cold running water to help delay the residual cooking process.
The easiest way to peel them is to crack the bottom, flat part where the little air pocket sits, then gently roll to crack the entire shell.
I’ve set up this recipe so that everyone in my family who likes their eggs at different done-ness can still enjoy it just how they like without any extra fuss. So I’ll have my runny yolks by taking them out first, then leave the rest chilling in the pot for the listed times according to what my other family members prefer.
slice the onion very thinly, lengthwise (from pole to pole)
slice jalapeño very thinly into coins
add salt to taste—not enough to make it salty, just enough to play up the other flavors
add lemon juice and massage into the vegetables so that all the onions break up from their nested sections and the lemon juice nicely coats everything
rest ~10 minutes until the vegetables lose some of their raw bite
Notes
can use white onions, but the flavor is better with red, as they tend to be sweeter and better for consuming raw
I cut my vegetables very thinly; you could make thicker slices if that’s what you prefer and those may hold up better to storing (untested)
other acids can be used as well, such as vinegars, or lime juice; I find the lemon juice adds the best burst of bright citrus flavor and tang
These pickles are best made and enjoyed fresh, but can be stored covered in an airtight container in the fridge for several days. They will lose some of their snap as the acids continue to work on the vegetables, but will still be tasty.
add all ingredients under “in the pressure cooker” to pressure cooker
Pressure: High Time: 5 minutes Release: 5 minutes natural, then quick release
add milk, heavy cream, and both mustards, mix thoroughly
add handfuls of cheese, stirring in between until melted, until all cheese is done
notes
any medium size pasta shape will work fine; my favorite is cavatappi
any combination of cheeses can be used, but classic mac and cheese flavor relies on a cheddar-forward profile, the sharper the better (or per preference)
can replace the milk and heavy cream with 1 cup of milk instead (tested)
cheese 2
The original recipe used mozzarella for all 120g of cheese 2, but that was a bit “meh.” This slot is a good place to experiment. The picture below used half Jarlsberg and half shredded Mexican blend. The Jarlsberg adds a really nutty flavor and amazing cheese pull. Also makes a great grilled cheese.
See the freezing guide for tips and information on freezer-safe food storage.
Wash the rice and cover with water to soak; set aside
Set instant pot to sauté mode, add oil, onions, half the salt, and cook until nicely browned; add a tablespoon or 2 of water if onions start browning too quickly or unevenly
Add potatoes, cumin seeds
Add rice, water / liquid, and the rest of the salt; stir to combine; close lid and seal
Pressure: High
Time: 7 minutes
Release: 10 minute natural
Nutrition
100g = 153 calories
Notes
This recipe uses the leftover liquid that’s drained from the Mexican chicken recipe. Use as much of the liquid as you have, then add water until you have 2 cups of liquid total.
If you do not have the reserved liquid or you did not make that recipe at all, use all water.
I prefer to add half the salt to the onions while browning in step 2, but you can add it all.
The flavor is somewhere between Mexican rice and Pakistani pulao.
Can be enjoyed as-is, or you can pair it with all the fixings of regular chicken tacos to make a taco rice bowl: fajitas, Mexican chicken, and any sauces.
