Hina Gujral - The 100 Best Curries for Your Instant Pot

In India, food is a ritual and part of our identity. It unifies us and, at the same time, shows the diversity of the nation. From north to south and east to west, food is the common language we all speak and happily share. With this cookbook, I am taking you on a journey of the 100 best curry recipes that you can make easily (and quickly!) at home in an Instant Pot. Not only are my recipes filled with flavors, but they are also suitable for those who would like to learn how to cook authentic Indian food. A bit of patience and perseverance is the mantra you need to hold while experimenting with Indian food.

It took me 26 years to confess and accept my love for good food. Actually, my flair for cooking came to full bloom after I got married to my soul mate and we set up our first home kitchen in 2010. Ever since, there has been no turning back. I allowed my passion for food to become my purpose and turned it into a profession. Today, I work as a full-time food blogger (yes, that is my bread and butter now), digital creator and social media influencer. My philosophy is easy, everyday, comfort foodthe kind of meals I have grown up eating with my great-grandmother, grandfather, aunts, uncles and cousins.

My intercultural marriage into a Sikh family of food lovers, extensive traveling and hours of labor in the kitchen helped me understand the nuances of Indian food in a better way. Cooking is an art, and it gratifies the people who taste it when we cook with love. And this is the reason that I try to give a personal touch of love to each of my recipe creations. I am sure this cookbook will make you fall in love with Indian flavors. I am always excited and proud about the variety of ingredients, fresh produce and protein sources we get in India. You will find chapters dedicated to lentil curries, purely vegetarian curries and seafood and meat curries, as well as to the more modern fusion curries and one-pot curried meals.

The word curry dates back to when European traders arrived on the shores of India in search of spices. The bright, bold, spicy and soupy Indian dishes with their local names and striking colors were confusing, amusing and intimidating at the same time for travelers and traders. Hence, the term caril, or curry, came into existencea generic word devised by foreign homesteaders to describe the Indian main-course gravy or saucy dishes. And thus began the journey of the word curry. In the past few decades, the upsurge of Indian middle-class nuclear families living away from their homeland required a new style of easy, fast and convenient cooking. As such, the pressure cooker became indispensable in Indian kitchens. The noisy stovetop pressure cooker synced effortlessly with the humdrum of everyday Indian life.

The counting of whistles and maintaining the proper stovetop heat were all part of my cooking repertoire until I met the Instant Pot: the Western, more sophisticated cousin of traditional Indian pressure cookers. With the Instant Pot, I felt for the first time that I was in control of the cooking time of my curries. It not only streamlined the cooking process of the dishes but also reintroduced the long-lost concept of slow cooking to my Indian kitchen. In this cookbook, there is something for every curry lover. Many of the recipes use ingredients readily available outside India, such as kale, butternut squash, zucchini, turkey or canned tomatoes. If you are new to the world of curries, turn to the section to learn about the more traditional ingredients.

While I know not everyone has access to authentic Indian ingredients, these days it is not that tough to spot an Indian grocery store in the neighborhood, or Indian aisle in a supermarket, for all the authentic supplies, thanks to the increase in the cuisine's popularity. One piece of advice: Adjust the quantity of hot spices, such as red chili powder, green chiles, black pepper or garam masala according to your taste preference. And speaking of adjustments, each recipe in this book makes two generous servings, but if you're feeding more than two people, you can double or even triple the recipes as neededjust keep in mind that the cook times will vary. I know I am not alone in my passion and obsession for Indian food. So, join me in a journey as we explore the 100 best vibrant, bold, colorful, tantalizing Indian curries through the chapters of this cookbookall of which are made even better thanks to the Instant Pot.