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Curried Chickpea stuffed Acorn Squash, all made in a Pressure cooker. One Pot meal! Vegan Gluten-free Soy-free.
You know whats the fun part of using a pressure cooker? Everything is faster and energy efficient. As an Indian, I have my requisite set of stove top pressure cookers (read 4 or 5 per Indian household).
Pressure cookers have come a long way from the just the manual control and stove top, to highly programmable, safe, blue tooth controllable, electric, multi-functional, multi pressure Instant Pot!.Instant Pot is fast becoming a household name with innumerable options and ease. If you haven’t tried pressure cooking, let 2015 be the year to add that to the to do list!
Today, I cook up chickpeas and brown rice stew in a pressure cooker and also throw in the acorn squash in a steamer basket. So everything gets cooked up together and is ready in 25 minutes! The squash cooks up perfectly in the pressure cooker. No hours of baking needed. Stuff the squash with the cooked chickpea and brown rice stew and serve! One Pot meal with chickpeas, brown rice, greens and squash!
More pressure cooker recipes from the blog.
- Dal Makhani- Black Gram Lentils Soup
- Dal Baati – Pigeon Pea Soup with Stuffed Pastries.
- Bisi Bele Bath Pressure Cooker Split Pea Brown Rice Soup
- Sprouted Mung Bean Dal Soup. Sabut Hari Moong Dahl. Vegan…
- Chana Masala – Chickpea Curry with Red Bell Pepper
- Black Eyed Pea and Lentil Soup with Sriracha Tadka
If using cooked chickpeas cook the stew for 12 to 14 minutes. You can also chop up the squash into chunks and cook with the stew.
The chickpeas need to be soaked because I am adjusting the cooking time depending on the squash and brown rice. If you use unsoaked chickpeas, the squash will become a mush in the 35 minute cooking time :).
I generally cook my beans and split peas in a Pressure cooker. It takes the guess work out of the time needed. Freshly cooked beans also produce less gas, if you know what I mean 🙂
Any of the split peas or chickpeas also do well in pressure cooker. Split peas are notorious for taking 3 to 4 times the cooking time mentioned for a saucepan, if they are old!
Pressure Cooker Curried Chickpea stuffed Acorn Squash
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup dry chickpeas, about 1 3/4 cup when soaked
- 1/4 cup brown rice, washed and soaked for half an hour
- 2 cups water
- 1 small acorn squash, halved and seeds removed
- 1 tsp oil
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1/2 inch ginger, minced
- 1 green chili, minced
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp dry mango powder, amchur or use 1/2 tsp more lime juice
- 2 small tomatoes chopped
- 1/2 tsp lime juice
- 1 cup loosely packed chopped greens , like rainbow chard or spinach
- 1/2 tsp or more salt
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne
- cilantro, paprika and black pepper for garnish
Instructions
- Soak the chickpeas overnight, soak the brown rice for atleast half an hour(about the time needed to prep).
- In a pressure cooker, add oil and heat over medium heat.
- Add cumin seeds and cook until they change color and get fragrant. about a minute.
- Add onions, garlic, ginger and chili and a good pinch of salt. Cook for 5 minutes or until translucent.
- Add spices and mix well for a few seconds. Add tomato, lime juice, and greens, cook until the tomatoes are saucy. 4 to 5 minutes. Add a splash of water to deglaze if needed in between. Add in salt, cayenne, chickpeas, rice and 2 cups water. Mix well.
- Depending on the size of the pressure cooker and squash, you can add one half or both halves of the squash to the cooker. Place squash in a steamer basket or steamer plate (or any kind of holder which has space to allow the steam to circulate) over the chickpea mixture. Close the lid and cook over medium high heat until the (high) pressure is reached. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally. Open the lid, Carefully remove the steamer basket. Taste and adjust the chickpea rice stew. Taste and adjust salt and spice. Generously fill the squash with the chickpea rice mixture, garnish with cilantro and black pepper and serve.
- Note: If the chickpeas are not cooked to preference. Cover the cooker (dont lock the lid) and cook over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes.
Notes
Bake the squash: Spray the squash halfs with oil. sprinkle with salt, pepper and garam masala and Bake at 400 degrees F for about an hour. Serve stuffed with chickpea stew. Nutritional values based on one serving
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’ve never used one before, but the idea of a super quick dinner is enticing!
I don’t use a pressure cooker. It’s been on my wish list for AGES. To cook beans in less than 3h? No stove in the summer? My dream!
I use a manual pressure cooker almost everyday for cooking – lentil curries, cooking lamb and beef stew, making tapioca desserts, rice pilafs, etc. It saves me so much time and helps my little one eat better as foods are soft and mushy 🙂
Nice, simple dish! I have a pressure cooker at home, which does speed up the time for beans or rice. And I think we are all aware of the bean side effects 😐 lol. The yogurt setting is pretty cool!
I’ve never used a pressure cooker, but I want to learn. From what I’m reading, it’s not hard at all!
Never used a pressure cooker but I’ve been wanting to! The only thing holding me back is my really tiny kitchen and lack of storage space for it (but I’d totally make room if I won this : )
I live at 7,000 feet elevation and it is impossible to cook beans and rice without a pressure cooker. I would love to have an IP!
I have an older pressure cooker that I preserve foods in. Would be super efficient to have an Instant Pot. To have all these appliances in one pot is the perfect addition to any super small kitchen, like I have.
Yes, i have used pressure cookers off and on for 30 years – my mother did also. They are very useful in certain food preparations.
I do not use a pressure cooker, simply because I can’t afford any extras. I would love to try the Instant Pot, though, because after being diagnosed with a rare cranial nerve disorder three years ago, and undergoing numerous surgeries, including a failed brain surgery, it takes me a very long time to make dinner for my family. I love making healthy meals and snacks from scratch, but due to the pain, even a simple 30 minute prep dinner stretches into a three hour prep. The Instant Pot would be a huge help for me to cook dinner quickly without becoming exhausted. Thanks for sharing it, and hosting this giveaway!