Restaurant-Inspired Instant Pot Chicken & Split Pea Korma

Two months ago, my mom and I made a trip to Washington D.C. We stayed in an Airbnb in the Adams Morgan neighborhood, which we discovered is the perfect location for finding amazing restaurants. The first night, after flying in, we wandered straight to Lapis, an Afghan Bistro. My mom ordered chicken korma with split peas. After one bite, it was all I could think of the rest of the week. I got home that very night and Googled the dish name, but came up short. Days later you could find me translating “chicken korma” to Pashto and then Googling that. My searches were unfruitful yet relentless. Slowly I pulled a few pieces together:

First, that you can’t skip the garam masala. Please don’t skip it.

Second, that Sun Brands makes a dang good curry powder. Order some here. (Affiliate link).

And third, that “korma” actually is a very generic term—but I did my best to recreate that dish from Lapis. The result is one of my favorite Indian Curries I’ve made yet.

P.S., We also ate at Tail Up Goat, Line Hotel Restaurant, and Blüprint Chocolatiers. All are highly recommended, but something about that korma outshined the rest. It was a (wonderful) weekend of wining and dining, to say the least.

Restaurant-Inspired Instant Pot Chicken & Split Pea Korma

Published November 5, 2019 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 6   |    Active Time: 45 minutes

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Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter

1 yellow onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 inch fresh ginger, minced

1 jalapeño, minced

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 sixteen ounce can of diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon garam masala

2 tablespoons Madras curry (try Sun Brands (affiliate link))

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup yellow split peas

1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs

2 1/2 cups broth

Salt

To serve: cooked Batsmati rice, cilantro for garnish, plain yogurt

Directions:

1. Place butter in Instant Pot (affiliate link) and set on Sauté setting. When butter is melted and hot, add onions, garlic, and ginger. Add a pinch of salt. Sauté until onions turn translucent.
2. Add minced jalapeño to the pot, and stir. Add tomato paste, and stir again. Cook for 3-5 minutes, to develop the flavors, stirring occasionally.
3. Add canned tomatoes, garam masala, Madras curry powder, and black pepper. Stir, and cook for 2-3 more minutes.
4. Add chicken thighs and split peas to the pot, and pour in the broth. Add an additional pinch of salt. Stir.
5. Place lid on Instant Pot and switch to “Bean/Chili” setting. Set timer to 16 minutes, with the vent set in the sealed position.
6. When timer goes off, release the pressure. Remove the lid, and stir. Add additional salt to taste as needed (amount will largely depend on the broth you use).
7. Serve korma over rice, garnished with cilantro. Top with a dollop of yogurt. Serve hot.

Instant Pot Fall Harvest Minestone Soup

While we were on vacation, we made this Minestrone recipe, originally from Ina Garten. It was super satisfying, especially because the weather was cold up north! The day we arrived back at home, we harvested all of the remaining veggies from our own yard—snow was on the way. Our crop this year included over 20 winter squash, and a giant pile of swiss chard. With Ina’s recipe fresh on my mind, I knew one way to put those veggies to work. After a few adaptions, we had a pot full of perfectly fall minestrone. Cozy, but also chock-full of veggies, which is just want I look for right after vacation.

Instant Pot Fall Harvest Minestone Soup

Published October 17, 2019 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 6   |    Active Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

2 ounces diced pancetta or diced thick-cut bacon (optional)

1 tablespoon coconut oil or other cooking oil

1 yellow onion, diced

2 stalks of celery, diced

2 large carrots, diced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 cup white wine

2 cups diced butternut squash (peeled and seeds removed)

1 16-ounce can cannellini beans, strained and rinsed

1 16-ounce can diced tomatoes

5 cups chicken broth

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 dried bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

3-4 swiss chard leaves

1/2 cup basil (optional)

Salt to taste

Optional: 2 cups cooked small-sized pasta, such as ditalini, orecchiette, or gnocchetti (Use chickpea pasta for gluten-free)

For serving: grated Parmesan

Directions:

1. Turn Instant Pot to Sauté setting. If using pancetta, place in pot and cook for a few minutes, browning on each side.
2. If pot is dry, add coconut oil. This can be skipped if there is a good amount of oil in the pot from the pancetta. Place onion, celery, carrots, and garlic in pot, and stir to combine. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent.
3. Using a knife, remove the stems from the swiss chard leaves. Place the green parts aside (reserve for later) and dice the stems. Add the stems to the pot.
4. Pour wine into pot. Using a wooden spatula, scrape the bottom of the pot, releasing any brown bits as the wine simmers (this adds flavor to the soup).
5. Add butternut squash, beans, diced tomatoes, broth, pepper, bay leaf, and thyme to pot. Stir. Place lid on Instant Pot and set to “Bean/Chili” setting. Set timer to 1 minute with vent in the sealed position.
6. When timer goes off, release the pressure and open the pot.
7. Chop the reserved swiss chard leaves into bite-sized pieces, and roughly chop the basil. Stir both into the soup. Taste, and season with salt to your preferences (note: store bought broth will likely already have salt in it, so you may not need much. Homemade broth usually doesn’t already have salt, so more will need to be added).
8. Divide pasta among serving bowls. Ladle soup into bowls, and stir to incorporate pasta. Top with grated Parmesan cheese. Serve hot. Great with a side of garlic bread or crostini!
9. Note: We stir the pasta into each serving bowl, rather than the whole pot, because if you put all of the pasta into the soup, it will absorb much of the broth, and the next day, you’ll find your leftovers are not very soup-like.

Vegan Dinner Miso Soup

Last week, we woke up to rain. And it rained and rained until about 10am when the temperature dropped and the winds started and it began to snow sideways.

It was a perfect storm for Miso Soup.

Typical miso soup is light — really nothing more than an appetizer. With this recipe I sought out a miso soup that was filling. Something you could have as a meal when you’re snowed in. Traditional miso soup usually has a few bites of tofu, and pieces of wakame. We added: shiitake mushrooms, rice noodles, and TOPPINGS! (Fried garlic chips, green onions, chili crunch sauce, toasted sesame oil). All in all it makes a more filling soup with out losing the miso-y quality. Despite the add ins, this soup is still vegan (some add bonito flakes to miso soup, I opted for dried mushrooms).

I know warm weather is on it’s way — but until then, I’ll be souping. :)

Vegan Dinner Miso Soup

Published March 19, 2019 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 6   |    Active Time: 50 minutes

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Ingredients:

For the broth (dash):

2 sheets kombu (About 5 inches x 3 inches each)

6 dried shiitake mushrooms

7 cups water 

For the soup:

1/3 cup white miso paste

1 tablespoon ginger juice

2 tablespoons dried wakame, plus about 2 cups of water for rehydrating

1-2 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms, stems removed

14 ounce package extra firm tofu, drained and diced into bite-sized pieces

To serve:

Rice noodles, cooked according to package (I used vermicelli)

1/2 cup sliced green onions, white and dark green parts removed

Chili crunch sauce (affiliate link)

Fried garlic chips (I use avocado oil rather than canola)

Toasted sesame oil

Optional (not vegan - makes the meal heartier): Soft boiled eggs

Directions:

1. Make broth: heat 7 cups of water in a large soup pot with kombu and dried mushrooms. Once the water comes to a boil, remove it from the heat. Allow kombu and mushrooms for roughly 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, hydrate wakame in a small bowl. When wakame is completely softened, strain out excess water. Then, roughly chop wakame into bite-sized pieces.
3. After broth has soaked, use a slotted spoon to remove kombu and mushrooms.
4. Place miso in a small to medium sized bowl. Ladel roughly 1 cup of broth in the bowl with the miso, and whisk until no clumps remain (this makes it easier to mix into the full pot of broth). Pour miso mixture into soup pot.
5. Add tofu, shiitake mushrooms, and wakame to the pot, and place back on stove over low heat. Heat until the soup is just barely simmering.
6. Divide rice noodles amongst serving bowls, and label soup over top. Top to taste with: sliced green onions, toasted sesame oil, chili crunch sauce, and fried garlic (and eggs, halved, if using).