Yogurt Lotus Stem Curry - Instant Pot Kashmiri Nadru Yakhni

Shilpa

This lotus root recipe is delicious and very easy to make.

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 25

Total Time 30

Servings: 4

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Kashmiri, North Indian

2 small to mid sized lotus roots (roughly 3 cups chopped)
1 cup plain full fat yogurt at room temperature whipped with a spoon (keep it out of the refrigerator for one hour before you start cooking)
2 tsp rice flour
4 tbsp oil of choice
2 whole cloves (laung)
2 dried bay leaf (tej patta)
1 cinnamon stick 2 inch piece (dalchini)
2 whole black cardamom pods (badi elachi)
1 to 2 whole green cardamom pods (hari elaichi)
1 tsp cumin seeds

(jeera)
1/2 tsp asafoetida (heeng)
1 cup water
2 tbsp ground fennel (saunf powder)
1 tbsp ground ginger (sonth)
1 and 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garam masala
2 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi optional)

Prep

Keep the yogurt in a bowl out of the refrigerator for an hour until it reaches room temperature.
Whisk the yogurt and rice flour with a spoon for about a minute or two until it is well blended. Keep it aside.
Rinse, peel, and chop the lotus root into round 1 to 1.5 inch pieces. Soak them in water for a few minutes. That will enable them to rinse well.

Cook

Select sauté on the instant pot and adjust to normal.
Add oil to the pot.
When the oil is hot, add cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, black and green cardamom pods, caraway seeds, and asafoetida.
When the cumin seeds splutter add the lotus root.
Sauté the lotus root for about 2 minutes. Stir.
Add water, ground fennel, ground ginger, and salt. Stir.
Make sure nothing is stuck to the bottom of the pot and scrape the bottom of the pot well.
Press cancel.
Secure the lid on the pot and close the pressure-release valve.
Select manual and cook at high pressure for 4 minutes.
When cooking is complete, use quick pressure release to depressurize. Open the lid.
Select sauté and add the whisked yogurt mixed with rice flour slowly (one spoon at a time) to the pot mixing it continuously. This step is key. Add one large spoon of yogurt/rice flour mix and mix it in the gravy for about a minute. Then another spoon and stir again for up-to a minute. Keep doing this until you run out of the yogurt/rice flour mix. The continual mixing will prevent curdling of the yogurt.
When you are done adding all the yogurt mix, add garam masala and dried fenugreek leaves. Stir and let it sauté for about 3 to 4 minutes until the gravy thickens. Yakhni has a lot of gravy but the yogurt will thicken it. Keep stirring occasionally. Press cancel when the required consistency for the yakhni is reached.
Transfer to a serving bowl. Discard the bay leaves.

Serve