Curried Chickpea stuffed Acorn Squash, all made in a Pressure cooker. One Pot meal! Vegan Gluten-free Soy-free.
You know whats the fun part of using a pressure cooker? Everything is faster and energy efficient. As an Indian, I have my requisite set of stove top pressure cookers (read 4 or 5 per Indian household).
Pressure cookers have come a long way from the just the manual control and stove top, to highly programmable, safe, blue tooth controllable, electric, multi-functional, multi pressure Instant Pot!.Instant Pot is fast becoming a household name with innumerable options and ease. If you haven’t tried pressure cooking, let 2015 be the year to add that to the to do list!
Today, I cook up chickpeas and brown rice stew in a pressure cooker and also throw in the acorn squash in a steamer basket. So everything gets cooked up together and is ready in 25 minutes! The squash cooks up perfectly in the pressure cooker. No hours of baking needed. Stuff the squash with the cooked chickpea and brown rice stew and serve! One Pot meal with chickpeas, brown rice, greens and squash!
More pressure cooker recipes from the blog.
- Dal Makhani- Black Gram Lentils Soup
- Dal Baati – Pigeon Pea Soup with Stuffed Pastries.
- Bisi Bele Bath Pressure Cooker Split Pea Brown Rice Soup
- Sprouted Mung Bean Dal Soup. Sabut Hari Moong Dahl. Vegan…
- Chana Masala – Chickpea Curry with Red Bell Pepper
- Black Eyed Pea and Lentil Soup with Sriracha Tadka
If using cooked chickpeas cook the stew for 12 to 14 minutes. You can also chop up the squash into chunks and cook with the stew.
The chickpeas need to be soaked because I am adjusting the cooking time depending on the squash and brown rice. If you use unsoaked chickpeas, the squash will become a mush in the 35 minute cooking time :).
I generally cook my beans and split peas in a Pressure cooker. It takes the guess work out of the time needed. Freshly cooked beans also produce less gas, if you know what I mean 🙂
Any of the split peas or chickpeas also do well in pressure cooker. Split peas are notorious for taking 3 to 4 times the cooking time mentioned for a saucepan, if they are old!
Pressure Cooker Curried Chickpea stuffed Acorn Squash
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (123 g) dry chickpeas about 1 3/4 cup when soaked
- 1/4 cup (47.5 g) brown rice washed and soaked for half an hour
- 2 cups (500 ml) water
- 1 small acorn squash halved and seeds removed
- 1 tsp oil
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) cumin seeds
- 1/2 cup (70 g) chopped red onion
- 4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
- 1/2 inch (0.5 inch) ginger minced
- 1 green chili minced
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) turmeric
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) garam masala
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) dry mango powder amchur or use 1/2 tsp more lime juice
- 2 small tomatoes chopped
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) lime juice
- 1 cup (40 g) loosely packed chopped greens like rainbow chard or spinach
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) or more salt
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne
- cilantro paprika and black pepper for garnish
Instructions
- Soak the chickpeas overnight, soak the brown rice for atleast half an hour(about the time needed to prep).
- In a pressure cooker, add oil and heat over medium heat.
- Add cumin seeds and cook until they change color and get fragrant. about a minute.
- Add onions, garlic, ginger and chili and a good pinch of salt. Cook for 5 minutes or until translucent.
- Add spices and mix well for a few seconds. Add tomato, lime juice, and greens, cook until the tomatoes are saucy. 4 to 5 minutes. Add a splash of water to deglaze if needed in between. Add in salt, cayenne, chickpeas, rice and 2 cups water. Mix well.
- Depending on the size of the pressure cooker and squash, you can add one half or both halves of the squash to the cooker. Place squash in a steamer basket or steamer plate (or any kind of holder which has space to allow the steam to circulate) over the chickpea mixture. Close the lid and cook over medium high heat until the (high) pressure is reached. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally. Open the lid, Carefully remove the steamer basket. Taste and adjust the chickpea rice stew. Taste and adjust salt and spice. Generously fill the squash with the chickpea rice mixture, garnish with cilantro and black pepper and serve.
- Note: If the chickpeas are not cooked to preference. Cover the cooker (dont lock the lid) and cook over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes.
Notes
Bake the squash: Spray the squash halfs with oil. sprinkle with salt, pepper and garam masala and Bake at 400 degrees F for about an hour. Serve stuffed with chickpea stew. Nutritional values based on one serving
Nutrition
Rita
I wish I had known you need a steamer basket or steamer plate (or any kind of holder which has space to allow the steam to circulate) before I bought all the ingredients for this recipe. A picture of one would have have helped. Now this recipe is going to take me over a hour. Oye!
Nina
This was delicious! We did all on stove and oven. We only had delicata squash and it was fantastic stuffed with the chickpea rice mixture. A keeper!
Jessi
Richa, what would be your instructions for the Instant Pot for this recipe?
sandrinigirl
Yep…love cooking with pressure cookers..the best!
Jordyn
I’ve been too afraid of a pressure cooker from my mom’s history with them. But this looks super user friendly. I’d love one for cooking beans and whole grains.
Deb C
I do have a pressure cooker, but it is a disappointment. I researched before buying it and it was supposed to be good. It is not. It burns everything on the bottom and does not cook the rest of it even after cooking three times the recommended time.
I want a pressure cooker, but I am back to square one trying to find a good one.
Richa
what kind of stove do you have? Maybe the stove or the cooker is heating up too much? Steel or aluminium cookers heat up faster, so the recipes have to be adjusted accordingly (reduced heat cooking and for less time than stated).i havent had a burning problem in any of cookers unless i cook on higher heat and forget about it.
upstatelisa
I have never used a pressure cooker but they have always intrigued me!