Cooking Charts
Similar to stove-top cooking, Instant Pot cooking depends on personal preference of tenderness and texture of food. Cooking times also vary depending on whether the ingredients are frozen, chilled, room temperature, dry versus soaked, different types of rice, and various sizes and cuts of meats and veggies. The suggested times here can be used as general guidelines to experiment with and find the timing that works best for your liking. Start with the lower end of the suggested cook time, as you can always add more time if needed.
VEGETABLES
Fresh vegetables used in Indian cooking work best with short cooking times followed by the quick release (QR) venting method to avoid overcooking. The times in the adjoining table are for vegetables that are cooked in curries directly in the Instant Pot inner pot. Whole beets and potatoes can be steamed by placing them on the wire-metal steam rack with 1 cup water in the bottom of the pot, followed with a timed natural pressure release (NPR). Then move the Pressure Release to Venting to release any remaining steam before opening the pot.
POULTRY AND LAMB
Lamb in Indian cooking is well-done, and the following cooking times, along with a natural pressure release (NPR) venting method, will result in well-cooked, fall-off-the-bone meat. After the timed NPR, move the Pressure Release to Venting to release any remaining steam before opening the pot.
SEAFOOD
Seafood cooks very quickly, so it requires shorter cooking times. The best way to avoid overcooking fish cooked directly in the Instant Pot inner pot is to use the low pressure setting followed by the quick release (QR) venting method. Thicker fish, such as salmon, can be cooked at high pressure with the pot-in-pot method.
LENTILS AND BEANS
Pressure cooking is a quick and energy-efficient way to cook lentils and beans. Although presoaking beans such as chickpeas and red kidney beans can shorten the cooking time, most lentils and beans cook to a soft and tender consistency even if unsoaked. In daal and rice dishes, lentils are usually cooked until soft and mushy, but in some dishes, like Curried Bottle Gourd and Lentils (this page), the lentils retain a firm texture. The cook time ranges listed here provide options for reaching your desired texture: lentils and beans will be softer with longer cook times and firmer with shorter cook times.
Refer to these tips when cooking tougher lentils and beans, such as toor daal, chana daal, chickpeas, and red kidney beans.
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Soak beans for 4 to 6 hours, or flash-soak chickpeas or red kidney beans for 20 to 30 minutes in hot water that has been brought to a boil. Use a 1:2 legume-to-water ratio.
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Chana daal and toor daal can be soaked for 10 minutes in warm tap water. Use a 1:2 legume-to-water ratio.
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Use filtered water for cooking; high mineral content in water can affect the cooking time.
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Organic lentils and beans take longer to cook. Add an extra 5 minutes of cooking time for organic toor daal, chana daal, chickpeas, and red kidney beans.
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If using tamarind, add it after pressure cooking; the acidity in tamarind causes beans to take longer to cook.
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Last, check the date on your lentils and beans. Older beans can take longer to cook.
This chart assumes that you are cooking curry or rice dishes, with added spices, aromatics, and other ingredients along with the lentils and beans. Natural pressure release works best for lentils and beans.
GRAINS
Cooking times for rice can vary depending on the variety and age of rice. The water ratio for the more commonly used white basmati rice is different based on the other ingredients used in the recipe. The following cooking chart shows general cooking times used in this book for various recipes. Since most of the water is absorbed during the cooking process, once the cooking cycle is complete, remove the inner pot from the Instant Pot to avoid cooked grains sticking to the bottom.
“For me, cooking is a rare beauty—a place where art and science converge and result in something delicious and delightful. It’s a special kind of alchemy, because a good meal helps create memories with family and friends.”
— Archana Mundhe, pictured at right in her home kitchen with her mother, Vijaya Deshmukh