Instant Pot Kashmiri Chicken Aloo / Instant Pot Spicy Chicken Potato Curry

Shilpa

Instant Pot Kashmiri Chicken Aloo / Instant Pot Spicy Chicken Potato Curry

This is another Kashmiri recipe that I made in the instant pot. This recipe is made without onions and tomatoes. The main ingredients required for this recipe include whole spices, ground fennel, ground ginger, red chili powder, and yogurt. Yogurt is used instead of tomatoes.

Key points to be noted:

1. The chicken needs to be sautéed for a few minutes before pressure cooking it.

2. After adding red chili powder, the chicken needs to be stirred and sautéed for 2 to 3 minutes to acquire the red color. The yogurt needs to be mixed and added slowly one step at a time in order to prevent curdling. Keep stirring as you add the yogurt.

3. The chicken needs to be cut into mid-sized pieces, like 2 to 3 inches. The typical Kashmiri spices need to be added, (red chili powder, fennel powder, and ginger powder). This is a very easy recipe and takes about 30 minutes to make.

Spice levels: This recipe is spicy and flavorful. On a scale of 1 to 5, I would place it at level 4 in terms of spice levels. You can reduce the red chili powder (cayenne pepper) accordingly to modify the spice levels as per your comfort level.

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 25

Total Time 30

Servings: 6

Course: Main Course

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

4 tablespoons oil
1 dried bay leaf (tej patta)
3 whole cloves crushed (laung)
2 whole black cardamom pods (badi elaichi)
1 cinnamon stick about 2 inches (dalchini)
1/2 teaspoon asafoetida (heeng)
2 chicken breasts chopped into 2 to 3 inch pieces (2 cups chopped) (1.5 pounds)
1.5 teaspoons red chili powder (ground cayenne pepper)
1 teaspoon kashmiri chili powder
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons ground fennel (saunf powder)
1 teaspoon ground ginger (sonth)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (jeera powder)
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup plain yogurt whisked
2 medium sized yukon golden potatoes chopped (1.5 cups chopped)

Method

Chop the chicken roughly into 2 to 3 inch pieces.
Wash, peel and chop the potatoes into long wedges, roughly 4 to 6 pieces per potato.
Whisk the yogurt with a fork and keep it in a bowl at room temperature.
Crush the cloves with a motor and pestle.

COOK

Select sauté on the instant pot and adjust to normal.
Add oil to the pot.
In about 30 seconds, add the bay leaf, crushed cloves, black cardamoms, cinnamon stick, and asafoetida. Stir.
In about 30 seconds, add the chopped chicken.
Sauté for about 4 to 5 minutes to eliminate the pink color. Keep stirring
Then add the red chili powder (ground cayenne pepper) and Kashmiri chili powder with water. Stir and let the chicken absorb some red color for about 2 minutes.
Then add, fennel, ginger, cumin, salt, and stir well.
Then add the yogurt slowly one spoon at a time and keep stirring well in order to prevent curdling.
Then after about a minute, add the potatoes and stir and scrape off the sides and bottom to make sure nothing is stuck on the sides or bottom.
Press cancel.
Secure the lid on the pot and close the pressure-release valve.
Select manual and cook at high pressure for 8 minutes.
When cooking is complete, use quick release to depressurize. Open the lid. If you want to reduce the gravy, select sauté and reduce the gravy. It shouldn't take more than a minute or two.
Transfer to a bowl immediately to prevent burning or the gravy from drying up. Discard the bay leaf.

SERVE

Serve with rice or roti.

Notes

This recipe has been tried on a 6-quart instant pot. The proportions may vary depending on the size of the instant pot you choose to use.
Ground cayenne pepper and red chili powder can be used interchangeably as both of them make the dish spicy. So if you don’t have red chili powder you can use cayenne pepper instead.
Kashmiri red chili powder instantly imparts a vibrant red color to any dish and is not very spicy.
The whole spices (cardamom pods, bay leaf, cloves, and cinnamon stick can be discarded, they don't need to be consumed).