Madhur Jaffrey's Instantly Indian Cookbook: Modern and Classic Recipes for the Instant Pot® Hardcover – Illustrated, May 7, 2019

I LOVE this cookbook! I think I've set a personal record sticking Post-It Notes on pages of recipes I want to try--this despite dozens of beloved cookbooks in my possession. This is my seventh IP cookbook (Zimmerman, Randolph, Clark I, Lawrence, ATK, and a $0.99 one that wasn't worth a penny). It's my third Jaffrey cookbook (the seminal "World Vegetarian," and the more recent "Vegetarian India"). And my umpteenth vegetarian cookbook, going all the way back to Moosewood.This book is about 160 pages chock-full of recipes and tips. There are LOTS of recipes. Some of the recipes cover 3 pages: the author wants to make sure we thoroughly understand her recommended technique. I don't need another IP encyclopedia, but I'm excited to try tested recipes from this esteemed cookbook author. Furthermore, unlike some others, this book is specific to the Instant Pot. The author points out that Indian cooks have been using pressure cookers for generations, so here she combines this tradition with her trials of our brand-new beloved Instant Pots.Ms. Jaffrey knows all about writing cookbooks for an American/Canadian audience, so the ingredients are accessible. In my remote location I won't find bird's-eye chilis, but the author tells me that I can substitute jalapeno. I'm not going to pay a small fortune for an amazoned can of Alphonso mango, and I can't amazon urad, but that's only two recipes. I can amazon everything else, such as asafetida and mung dal.The author frequently offers suggestions for substitutions (lemon juice for tamarind paste, for example) or indicates that hard-to-find ingredients (at least in my location) such as fresh curry leaves are optional. I love that she gives us her favorite brand names for some ingredients.Ms. Jaffrey makes a point of using plain old supermarket white mushrooms, canned (or frozen) coconut milk, store-bought rice noodles, and frozen peas. And--newsflash--Madhur Jaffrey says that she actually finds it more convenient to buy ghee from an Indian grocer than to make it. Not only that, she uses Pepperidge Farm sliced bread for her croutons. It's so refreshing to see a renowned cookbook author make her recipes' ingredients so accessible for home cooks! The author provides an excellent chapter on "Spices and Special Ingredients" which discusses not only how to prepare special ingredients, gives us some alternate names which may come in handy if you're lucky enough to shop at an ethnic grocer, and also tells us where to find them.The recipes are primarily vegetarian, and so bean and grain recipes abound; however, lamb (6 recipes), fish (2 recipes) , littlenecks, shrimp, squid, ground turkey, chicken (6 recipes), oxtail, goat, pork (2 recipes) and chicken stock make an appearance.The author gives us precise instructions for rinsing, soaking, sautéing, cooking at low or high pressure, slow cooking, and releasing pressure for every recipe. Her headnotes are informative, telling us what we want to know about a little bit of the dish's history, plus information on ingredients, including substitutions.Another reviewer said that "many many" recipes did not use the IP; however, my count disagrees with this. Except for her final chapter on home-made spices and sides, I found only 8 recipes (usually with rice) using only the "Sauté" or "Steam" functions and not pressure-cooking. I'm excited about learning to use the "Steam" function. The author on rare occasion uses the IP's "Slow Cook" function. However, she does tell us precisely how to use settings such as "Rice," against which other authors have warned me away. I really can't wait to follow Ms. Jaffrey's instructions for using "Rice." UPDATE May, 2021: I should have written much earlier that I found her instructions for making basmati rice “Perfect!” I also have made quinoa so many times in the IP according to her instructions, and, again, it is always perfect despite the many ways that I have come to tinker with it: for example, cooking with aquafaba from my last dried bean cookery or/and with tomato sauce!Finally, the book is beautifully designed. True, most of the recipes do not have photos, which I know is important to many readers. However, I find valuable that every time an IP function is needed, the recipe says, in RED "sauté" or "low pressure" or "high pressure."I can't wait to try at least a dozen of her recipes. Thank you, Ms. Jaffrey!

Madhur Jaffrey is one of my favorite cookbook authors. I find her recipes appealing, authentic, and approachable. Pressure cooking is actually common in Indian cooking, I have several older cookbooks that call for stove top pressure cookers, so converting recipes to the IP would be a natural progression and Jaffrey a natural pick to write the recipes.The recipes are old familiars, dal, butter chicken, korma, designed for the IP. Even so there are a few surprises and new fresh dishes like avocado radish salad.One word of caution here. I usually shrug off the IP moniker because there are a lot of knock off electric pressure cookers that will do the same thing just fine. Maybe some small adjustments are needed, but I find most authors who write recipes for the IP are using most of the same settings, saute, then pressure cook. Jaffrey does not, she uses a lot of the IP functions. The most obvious and the one that you need to make sure your PC has is low pressure. Many electric PC only have high pressure, and it would be frustrating because a fair number of these recipes are for low pressure. 7 of the chicken/egg recipes, pretty much all the seafood etc are low pressure.she also makes use of functions in functions, perhaps something starts on pressure then switches to the rice function to finish it off, the slow cook function is used.So this, compared to other "instant pot" cookbooks, actually really uses multiple IP settings and isn't as usable for generic electric PC unless you have the low pressure setting.However, this book clearly states it's for IP and that isn't an issue or deduction, just something to be aware of if, like me, you have a different pot and are used to cookbooks that really can be used with just any electric cooker.Now let's talk recipe! As usual, when I get a Jaffrey cookbook, there are so many I want to dive into a try. The pictures are mouthwatering, Her introductory paragraph on each recipe interesting. The recipes are laid out by ingredient and then the well written instructions.The halibut in green parsi sauce was amazing. The fish was perfectly cooked and the sauce was spicy and complimentary. The sauce is cooked under pressure, the fish poached in the hot sauce to ensure it's flaky but not mushy. Although several of her rice recipes sounded good, because of the assertive flavors I went with plain rice to accompany the fish. It's saucy and the rice soaked up the sauce perfectly.Gujarti hot sour sweet kidney beans were a treat. I didn't have fresh curry leaves but didn't miss them. These are great paired with naan to scoop them up.some of the recipes take up to 2-3 pages, possibly the compact size of the book. There is a recipe that refers to croutons and lists the page as (000) so you need to look up croutons in the well laid out index, no biggie but I thought it worth a mention.the book is laid out by chapters:soupsbeansvegetablesseafoodpoultry and eggsmeatsgrainsside dishesIn addition to the index in back, there is a table of contents in the front with each chapter and then the recipes in the chapter.** I have read some other reviews and while they aren't wrong, I stand by my stars. This book is exactly as described, it's Jaffrey adapting Indian recipes for the IP, Not creating new ones. It is slim, It's not one of her 35.00 massive cookbooks, it's not new recipes, for me it's exactly what I expected when I read the description and got the book.

In all fairness, so far everything I've tried has come out tasty. But, one can't follow the instructions blindly. The business of sautéing veggies on high is just plain wrong (Instant Pot does not recommend this in their manual.) I was happy to see that many of the recipes did not duplicate my other Indian Instant Pot cookbook, which I prefer. The use of the low pressure setting is rather unusual, and of course many of those recipes could be just as easily made on the stove top. That said, I did try the pressure cooker for the Southern Style Mushrooms in a Creamy Coconut Sauce...they came out great and were very easy to reheat the next day.It was nice to see at least one recipe using the slow cooker method. The Lamb with Spinach came out fantastic!Tonight I'm making the Butter Chicken (very different from the one in my other IP cookbook) but I'm doing it on the stove. Hey, a recipe is a recipe!

This cookbook is great! It makes Indian cooking very accessible to the Western home cook. There are only a few specialty spices that I ordered online, but it was totally worth it to stock my spice cabinet! These recipes make it much easier to cook up a delicious meal on a weeknight. Her instructions are easy, and the results are very delicious and worth gathering the various ingredients. Once I stocked up on some of the spices, I have used this book once a week. The Whole Garam Masala Basmati Rice Pilaf has become a staple in our dinners, as it is super simple to follow, and keeps well in the fridge to reheat later. This has become my new go-to for healthy, flavorful, and easy dinners.

Book arrived safe and in perfect condition

Fullträff!Väl beskrivna recept! Fantastiska smaker stor variation, lagom med information om hur man tillagar rätterna!Denna boken blev min första ”go to” för hemmalagad indisk mat! Madhur blev min guru!Kan bara rekommendera!!!Finns en uppsjö av fina och intressanta indiska kokböcker - har köpt rätt många efter denna!Återkommer dock fortfarande ofta till dessa recepten och även hennes andra böcker..Om ni vill lära er att laga ”riktig” indisk mat med egen garam masala och alla andra underbara kryddor köp denna (eller någon annan av hennes otaliga böcker) och grotta ner er och njut!Rekommenderar starkt🤩

I have been cooking using her cookbooks for over 30 years and never tire of them. Easy to follow instructions for exotic results.

Seduced by Madhur Jaffrey's reputation, I wanted a contrast to Urvashi Pitre's Indian Instant Pot cookbook, something that might take me to a higher level. How wrong I was! Far too many recipes having nothing to do with the Instant Pot, and it's as if the book's editor just threw something together in a couple of days to bank on Jaffrey's prestige. A major disappointment.

Simple to follow.

I really feel that i have to defend this cook book. As i recent purchaser of an Instant Pot and a lover of Indian food I preordered this. I have made two things so far. The instructions are straight forward, easy to follow and have made delicious meals. Looking at the negative reviews -its for an Instant Pot, the directions are easy if you have one. Yes, the recipes have a lot of ingredients-i for one have made hundreds of curries and most are the same-i have all the ones she uses and more. Rick Steins India has more complex directions and ingredients.It has beautiful pictures. My only negative is i would have liked more recipes for what i paid but so far, delicious, healthy, quick easy food with easy to follow instructions-Just what i want. Just remember to have a separate seal especially for cooking curries. I use the red one for cooking any curry in my IP. I like this book, a lot.