Tag: Insta Pot

Beef Pho

Created on 1/10/2023

Ingredients:

  • 3 star anise pods
  • 1 3″ cinnamon stick
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil, plus more for noodles
  • 2 medium onions, peeled, halved
  • 1 2″ piece ginger, scrubbed, sliced lengthwise ¼” thick
  • 3 lb. 2″–3″ sections mixed soup beef bones (oxtail, marrow, knuckles, and/or neck bone), rinsed under cold running water to remove blood and excess bits
  • 1 lb. beef brisket or chuck, cut into 2″ pieces
  • 2 Tbsp. (or more) fish sauce
  • ½ oz. yellow rock sugar or 3 tsp. granulated sugar
  • 2½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt; plus more (optional)
  • 10 oz. dried thin Banh Pho rice noodles
  • 8 oz. beef eye of round, sirloin steak, London broil, or tri-tip steak
  • Rinsed thinly sliced onion, thinly sliced scallions, chopped cilantro, Thai basil leaves, mint leaves, mung bean sprouts, sliced Thai or serrano chiles, lime wedges, Sriracha, and/or hoisin sauce (for serving; optional)
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

Step One: Set a 6-qt. Instant Pot to high sauté. Toast star anise, cinnamon stick, and cloves, stirring, until fragrant and crackling slightly, about 2 minutes. Add 2 Tbsp. oil and work around to coat bottom of pot. Reduce heat to medium, add onions, cut sides down, and ginger, and cook, undisturbed, until deep brown in spots, 5–7 minutes

Step Two: Pour in 1 cup water, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon, then add beef bones, brisket, fish sauce, sugar, 2½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and another 6 cups water (or just up to your max fill line). Lock lid and turn venting knob to sealing position. Cook on high pressure 1 hour (it will take about 20 minutes to come to pressure before the cook time begins). Naturally release pressure 30 minutes

Step Three: While the broth is cooking, place noodles in a large bowl and pour in cold water to cover. Let soak 30 minutes. Drain noodles and rinse to remove excess starch

Step Four: Freeze beef eye of round until firm, 20–30 minutes. Thinly slice against the grain, then chill in refrigerator until ready to serve

Step Five: Once pressure on pot has released 30 minutes, place a kitchen towel loosely over vent to prevent splattering. Using a wooden spoon, gradually open venting knob. As soon as floating pin drops, carefully open lid. Using tongs, transfer bones to a large bowl

Step Six: Place brisket in another large bowl and pour cool water over to cool down and keep from drying out. Using a fine-mesh sieve, scoop out solids from broth; discard aromatics and reserve any meat and bones for serving if desired. (Leftover meat and bones can also be reserved for another use; add to fried rice or bibimbap or scoop out marrow and slather it over slices of grilled toast.) Skim fat from surface with a ladle and discard. Taste broth and season with more fish sauce or salt if needed. Set to low sauté and simmer gently while you cook the noodles

Step Seven: Fill a large pot one third of the way with water and bring to a rolling boil. Add noodles and cook, using chopsticks or a wooden spoon to stir, until just al dente, about 15 seconds. Drain noodles in a colander and rinse well under cold water to stop cooking. Drizzle a little oil over and toss to coat (this will keep them from sticking together)

Step Eight: Remove brisket from water and thinly against the grain. Divide noodles among deep bowls. (Pro tip: Before adding noodles, swirl hot water inside bowls to warm up, then discard.) Top each bowl with a few slices of brisket, sliced beef eye of round, and any reserved meat and bones (if using) and top with sliced onion, scallions, and cilantro (if using); season with pepper. Ladle hot broth over raw beef to cook

Step Nine: Arrange Thai basil leaves, mint leaves, mung bean sprouts, chiles, and lime wedges on a platter for topping pho as desired and serve with Sriracha and hoisin sauce in small bowls for dipping

Notes:

Broth can be made 1 day ahead. Transfer to an airtight container; cover and chill. The fat will solidify on the surface, making it easier to skim and the flavors will deepen. Strained and skimmed broth can be made 3 days ahead. Transfer to an airtight container; cover and chill, or freeze for up to 3 months

Yellow rock sugar can be found in Asian supermarkets. It’s a honey-hued sugar that is mildly sweet and rounds out the flavors in pho broth. Break down into large pieces with a mallet to use. It is used in Asian drinks, desserts, and soups

Avgolomeno Soup

Created on 8/17/2023

Ingredients:

  • 6 pieces small-medium size chicken thighs (bone-in and skin on) – about 1¾ pounds total, pat the chicken dry with paper towels
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 1½ tablespoons minced garlic
  • 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • ¾ cup uncooked long-grain white rice, (rinsed and drained)
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt, (optional)
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons fresh dill (optional)
  • Parsley, chopped for garnish

Instructions:

Step One: Season the chicken thighs with salt and black pepper. Press the “Sauté” key and when the instant pot displays “hot”, heat the oil and sear the chicken for 5 minutes on each side. Set aside

Step Two: Add the onion, cook until tender for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic, cook just until fragrant. Add in the broth. Be sure to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of pan to flavor the soup and to prevent burning

Step Three: Add the rinsed rice, salt (optional), and the seared chicken thighs back into the pot. Secure the lid and set it to “manual” on high for 5 minutes. Once the cooking cycle is completed, let the pressure release naturally for at least 15 minutes then move the valve to venting to release the remaining pressure. Transfer the chicken thighs to a plate and shred into small pieces

Step Four: Fill a blender with a cup of rice and broth mixture, egg yolks, lemon juice and dill (optional). Puree until smooth. Return the pureed soup and shredded chicken into the pot, simmer until thickened slightly for a few minutes. Do not let it come to a boil, stirring often. Add more salt, pepper, and/ or lemon if necessary and according to your liking. Garnish with parsley

Notes: Don’t forget to rinse and drain the rice before cooking. If more lemon juice is needed, add in small increments of 1 teaspoon at a time. If you want a thinner soup you can add more broth later. Do not fill your Instant Pot more than ⅔ full

Birria Tacos

Created on 8/8/2023

Ingredients:

  • 3 pounds beef (chuck roast, beef shank, short ribs, oxtail), lamb, or goat meat
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 3 dried ancho chilis (very mild, smoky, 1000 – 2000 SHU)
  • 3 dried guajillo chilis (sweet, smoky, not very spicy, 2500–5000 SHU)
  • 1 new Mexican dried chiles (mild, sweet 800 – 1400 SHU)
  • Optional: 1 dried chile de árbol (quite spicy, 15000 – 30000 SHU)
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 6 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ½ cinnamon stick or ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
  • 2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano or oregano
  • 1½ teaspoon cumin seeds, ground
  • 1 teaspoon coriander, ground
  • 2 teaspoons tomato paste
  • 2 cups unsalted chicken stock or high-quality unsalted beef stock
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • Optional: 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce
  • Optional: 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • Salt & ground black pepper

Garnish:

  • 8 – 12 corn tortillas
  • Good melting cheese (i.e. Oaxaca cheese or mozzarella cheese), freshly grated
  • White onion, diced
  • Cilantro, finely chopped
  • Lime slices

Instructions:

Step One: Prepare Dried Chiles – Remove stems and seeds from dried chiles, then cut chiles into smaller pieces. Toast Dried Chiles in Instant Pot – Put all dried chiles in Instant Pot. Press “Saute” button to “Sauté More” to heat up the Instant Pot. Stir occasionally. Once you smell the chiles’ aroma (~4 to 5 mins), remove and set aside the toasted chiles

Step Two: Brown Meat in Instant Pot – Wait until the Instant Pot says “HOT”. Pat dry your meat. Season one side of beef with salt & black pepper. Add 1 tbsp vegetable oil in inner pot, and ensure to coat the oil all over the whole bottom of the pot. Carefully place the seasoned side of beef in Instant Pot. Season the other side of beef with more salt & black pepper. Brown one side for 5 minutes before flipping the meat, then brown the other side for another 5 minutes. Set aside the browned meat

Step Three: Saute Onions and Garlic – Add another 1 tbsp vegetable oil to Instant Pot. Add in sliced onions, then saute for 3 minutes. Add in garlic cloves, 2 bay leaves, ½ cinnamon stick, 2 tsp dried Mexican oregano, 1½ tsp ground cumin seeds, 1 tsp ground coriander, and 2 tsp tomato paste, then saute for another minute

Step Four: Deglaze Instant Pot – Pour in 1 cup unsalted chicken stock, then deglaze by scrubbing all the flavorful brown bits off the bottom with a wooden spoon. Give it a quick mix

Step Five: Pressure Cook Birria – Add in 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp (15ml) regular soy sauce, 1 tbsp fish sauce, and another cup of unsalted chicken stock, then give it a quick mix. Add in toasted dried chiles (make sure all chiles are submerged in the cooking liquid). Layer browned beef on top. With Venting Knob in Venting Position, close the lid, then turn Venting Knob to Sealing Position. Cook the Beef Shank & Chuck Roast Pieces on High Pressure for 1 hour then Natural Release for 15 minutes

Step Six: Blend and Shred Beef – Transfer beef to a large mixing bowl. Find and discard the bay leaves & cinnamon stick. Keep all the chiles in Instant Pot. Blend the birria sauce with an immersion hand blender. With two forks, shred the beef, then transfer the shredded beef back to the Instant Pot

Step Seven: Season Birria: Taste and adjust the seasoning by adding more salt (for reference: we added roughly 4 – 6 large pinches of salt)

Heat up a skillet over medium heat. Dip corn tortillas in the birria sauce. Make sure the birria sauce is fully covering both sides of corn tortillas because the tortillas will break if they’re too dry. If you’re using a cast-iron skillet, grease pan with oil to prevent tortillas from sticking. You can use a bit of oil for a non-stick pan. It’s important your skillet is hot enough before you start to pan-fry the tortillas. Place corn tortilla on the heated skillet. Layer a handful of grated melting cheese on corn tortilla, then let the cheese melt. Once the cheese has melted and the corn tortilla is a bit crisped, layer some birria meat on the cheese. Fold corn tortilla in half. Serve these birria tacos immediately with dipping sauce and lime slices

Notes: Make extras for the freezer!