Punjabi chole is a North Indian chickpea curry with a unique and delicious blend of flavors. In this Instant Pot Punjabi chana masala, the beans cook in the Instant Pot in the sauce until they melt in your mouth! Serve with rice, naan, or flatbread. Glutenfree Soyfree Nutfree

Chole, is a traditional chickpea curry from different northern states of India. Punjabi chole comes from the state of Punjab and has this distinct flavor profile in the sauce. Caramelized onion, whole spices, melt in your mouth chickpeas, this chole feels like home. Once you make this restaurant style chickpea curry, you will make it again and again!

The sauce is made with lots of caramelized onions, black cardamom, ginger, garlic, and a chole masala blend that you can find in an Indian grocery store or online. If you can’t find chole masala, you can use garam masala instead.

The other feature of Punjabi chole is that you cook the chickpeas until they are super soft and melt in your mouth and the color of the chickpeas and the sauce becomes almost the same. That is why the pressure cooking time is much longer than what you would for chickpeas that are just about cooked for using in salads.

This is also applicable for a lot of other beans or legume-based Indian dishes. They are usually cooked for a longer time, like you’d cook a chili, so that everything caramelizes and becomes aromatic, and the beans almost begin to dissolve into the sauce, and all of the flavors of the sauce go into the beans. If you follow my recipe exactly, that’s the texture that you’ll get.

If you prefer a firmer chickpea texture, you can just cook it for about half the cooking time, and it will still work out well.

Instead of chickpeas, you can use other beans in this recipe, because the sauce is where all the flavor is at! 

Chole is the original Chana masala. Chana masala is a simpler chickpea curry and everyone has their own version, not necessarily authentic indian. For the real deal, try this chickpea curry and fall in love with chickpeas all over again.

Why You’ll Love Punjabi Chole

• melt-in-your-mouth chickpeas in a creamy, caramelized sauce thats packed with Indian spices!
• easy to make in the Instant Pot or on the stovetop
• naturally gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free

Continue reading: Punjabi Chole (North Indian Chickpea Curry) Instant pot. stovetop option.

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The festive season is here! If you’re planning a menu for Diwali or any other seasonal gathering, I have a wonderful menu of no onion no garlic recipes for you. Dal makhani, Tofu Tikka Masala, peanut potatoes, Turmeric cashew rice! The menu uses one base sauce, so you can cook a whole meal in a lot less time.

Many if you often ask me for no onion no garlic recipes, especially around the festive season. If you are planning to make an onion-free, garlic-free Diwali or Indian party menu, here are some options for you. If you want to read more on how to cook without onion and garlic, I have a guide you can check out! It has tips to convert any recipe to be onion garlic free. If you want to add onion and garlic, see recipe faq.

You can make all of this on the same day, because it’s so streamlined. The whole meal relies on a single base sauce that you divide up to make tofu tikka masala, dal makhani and a side of crispy, peanutty potatoes. You serve it all up with roasted cashew and turmeric rice and a quick yogurt dip, called raita.

Serve it all up with store-bought flatbreads, homemade flatbreads, or naan. You can make naan from the blog and keep them frozen and reheat on the day you want to serve them, or you can make other kinds of flatbread or even toast up sourdough bread.

Also serve with other condiments of choice, like mango chutney, mint chutney, or tomato chutney or some Indian pickle. You can make these in advance or buy them pre-made at the Indian market.

If you do want to make parts of this menu this ahead, though, you definitely can! You can make the sauce and refrigerate or freeze or make the dal and potatoes and tikka masala sauce ahead and refrigerate! Bake the tofu the day of serving. There are make-ahead directions in the recipe card.

We are going to make the dal first, because the black matpe beans, or black whole urad(which is traditionally used for dal makhani), take like an hour to cook. Start cooking that, and then start making the sauce, and go from there. The recipe is written the same way. See recipe notes for making the dal with other lentils.
Also check out this Diwali menu that uses an onion base sauce for Dal do pyaaza, Gobi Matar makhani and Chana Saag! You can use both these menus to meal plan as well by making portions ahead and making a new dish every day!

Why You’ll Love this No Onion No Garlic Menu

• 1 flavorful base sauce to make 3 dishes, plus rice and raita
• onion and garlic-free, but still tons of flavor!
• tender baked tofu tikka masala
• savory dal makhani
• crunchy peanut sesame potatoes
• creamy raita
• fluffy cashew turmeric rice
• uses Instant Pot and oven to save active cooking time. Look at that gorgeousness below!

More Vegan No Onion No Garlic Recipes

• Dhaba Rajama
• Jeera Aloo
• Baked Chana Pulao
• Handi Lentils
• Dal Bukhara
• Pair with my naans(regular or Gluten-free) or flatbreads, and various Indian sweets and desserts like Ras Malai tres leches cake and Carrot halwa cheesecake!

Continue reading: No Onion No Garlic Diwali Menu (Dal makhani, Tofu Tikka Masala, peanut potatoes, Turmeric cashew rice )

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Kashmiri mushrooms — hearty mushrooms in spiced sun-dried tomato sauce cook up like a dream in the Instant Pot! This Indian mushroom curry has much flavor in the sauce with whole spices and ground spices! This dish is from the state of kashmir. It cook handsfree in the instant pot, No standing around! served with rice, flatbread, or naan.

This is an amazing recipe from the state of Kashmir in India. It’s usually made with meat (tamater hatche te maaz- mutton with sundried tomato sauce), but I use mushrooms in this delicious sauce, which is made with spices and sun-dried tomatoes (tamater hatche in kashmiri). 

Most of the Kashmir region is on high altitude, so depending on the season, fresh veggies like tomatoes and onion are not easily available. So Kashmiri cuisine often uses things like ground ginger instead of fresh ginger, sun-dried tomato instead of tomato , and lots of whole and dried spices to make their sauces, meat curries or bean curries.

Mushrooms cook up in a simple sauce with some whole spices, ground spices, and sun-dried tomatoes blended up into a puree. 

I make it an Instant Pot by adding everything to the pot and pressure cooking so that you don’t have to sauté the sauce for a long time. It still gets nicely roasted under pressure with the mushrooms, and it’s pretty quick recipe. You don’t have to stand around sweating while the mushrooms get done, either. 

Why You’ll Love Kashmiri Mushrooms

• flavor-packed, easy dinner
• cooking in the Instant Pot means no standing over the hot stove
• allergy-friendly: soy-, nut-, and gluten-free.

More Instant Pot Indian Recipes

• Instant Pot Kitchari
• Instant Pot Vegan Tikka Masala
• Instant Pot Patta Gobi Subzi
• Dhaba Rajma Masala Recipe – Instant Pot Kidney Bean Curry

Continue reading: Kashmiri Mushrooms (Instant pot mushrooms in Sun-dried tomato sauce)

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Ghugni – tender brown chickpeas(desi Chana) in a flavorful onion curry topped with crunchy onion and fresh cilantro – is a delicious meal served with flatbread, roti, or crackers.

Ghugni is a flavorful Indian bean curry. Variations of ghugni are made in the Indian states of Bihar, Odissa, Uttar Pradesh, bengal. The most popular version uses dried white peas. This ghugni uses brown chickpeas(kala chana or desi Chana) and is inspired from the Uttar Pradesh version.

You cook the brown chickpeas (aka kala chana) in the Instant Pot or other pressure cooker, then simmer them in a deeply-seasoned sauce. The brown chickpeas are toothsome compared to creamy white chickpeas and they pair well with the delicious onion sauce. This is a dryish dish served as a snack or part of meal, served with onion, cilantro, cumin, and plenty of fresh lime juice!

1 Year ago my Instant Pot cookbook released after 4 years of work! 150 Recipes, 400 pages, lots of pictures, Glutenfree Soyfree Nutfree options for all! Get your copy if you haven’t yet! A big Thank you to everyone who got my books!

Why You’ll Love Ghugni

• tender brown chickpeas in an addictive, easy-to-make curry sauce
• protein-and fiber-packed
• naturally gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free
• versatile – use other chickpeas or beans, if you prefer!

More Chickpea Curries

• Chickpea Coconut Curry
• Chickpeas in Turmeric Peanut Butter Curry
• Mango Curry Chickpeas
• Chickpeas in Coconut Onion Sauce – Manglorean Chana Gassi

Continue reading: Kala Chana Ghugni (Indian Brown Chickpea curry)

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In the midst of soup season, I am coming at you with another vegan version of a comfort food classic.
Vegan French onion soup – this popular French soup is usually made with beef stock and caramelized onions, then often served gratinéed with croutons or a larger piece of bread covered with lots and lots of cheese floating on top on cheese topped bread on the side.

This vegan version is every bit as delicious but made with 100 % plant-based ingredients and made in the Instant Pot. Which means, no standing around sautéing for hours!

The cooking time for this soup is long but active time is just a few minutes!  Tag me and do rate the recipes when you try! If you love this recipe and finding new ways to use your instant pot, get my Instant pot cookbook! 150 recipes, 400 pages, lots of photos, took 2.5 years, it has many new ways to use your instant pot for making everyday cooking simpler, faster and fun!

More soup recipes:

• Hot and Sour Soup with Ramen
• Vegan Potato Soup
• Pumpkin Soup (Instant Pot)
• Lentil Soup Instant Pot or Saucepan
• Instant Pot Lasagna Soup

Continue reading: Vegan French Onion Soup

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For a quick and easy side that packs some serious flavor, make these garlic mushrooms! They have such a satisfying meaty, juicy texture, are incredibly flavorful, and go so well with any vegan main.
I like to cook mushroom in the instant pot as they get that delicious  Townes mushroom flavor without having to stand around sautéeing for 20-30 mins. Mushrooms cooked under pressure with less liquid have amazing flavor and texture.

You can serve them as a side for vegan nut roast for the holidays, or any weekday with pasta, over mashed potatoes, over grilled cauliflower or vegetables. Really any way you like.

You can make them creamy by adding in 1/4 cup of non-dairy cream, such as cashew cream or blended silken tofu instead of the cornstarch slurry.

Which kind of mushrooms to use:

I recommend you use white button mushrooms, cremini mushrooms or baby bella.

why you’ll love these instant pot garlic mushrooms

• they are super easy
• they are Gluten-free Nutfree and Soyfree
• They are a perfect side
• They are super flavorful

More easy side dish recipes

• Vegan Mushroom Sauce – No Oil Option
• Vegan Gravy 1 Pot without mushrooms  GF SF Option
• Easy Vegan Mashed Potatoes in Instant Pot or Saucepan GF SF
• Vegan Spinach Pinwheels with Cream Cheese SF
• Chickpea Spinach Pie with Berbere Spice SF
• Scalloped Potatoes
• Vegan Cheese Sauce (Instant Pot Potato Carrot Cheese Sauce)

Continue reading: Instant Pot Garlic Mushrooms

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This vegan Mushroom biryani is a delicious one-pot dish made with rice, sliced mushrooms, and a fragrant blend of whole and ground spices and herbs. Traditionally a biryani is made with meat, often chicken, that is marinated in yogurt and then layered with parboiled basmati rice and fresh herbs like cilantro and mint

For this chicken biryani-style recipe we are using mushrooms instead of chicken but you can also use other chicken substitutes here. Great chicken alternatives are soy curls, seitan or store bought vegan chicken or other vegan chicken substitutes. Check the notes on how to use those.

As for the cooking method, I am using an Instant pot. Hence just pot to wash up afterwards!  You will be amazed by how fluffy the rice will turn out. See recipe notes for stove top instructions.

There are many ways to make Biryani. There are also variations in the recipe based on region, be it Hyderabadi biryani, Lucknowi biryani. Todays recipe is a generic Biryani recipe that I often use with vegan meats. The flavor and umami from the mushrooms make this Biryani delicious and meaty. You can add some veggies or protein along with the mushroom.
I cook the mushroom first to get that browned Caramelized mushroom flavor. Mushrooms cooked under pressure get that flavor without having to stand around and sauté it for a long time! Just add to the instant pot with be try limited liquid and you get perfectly browned mushrooms. Then add the rice and water and spices and pressure cook.

More Instant Pot Recipes:

Vegan Instant Pot Methi Chicken Curry

Curried Chickpeas and Rice in a Jar (Instant Pot)

Vegan Pumpkin Chipotle Fried Rice (Instant Pot)

Vegan Cheese Sauce (Instant Pot Potato Carrot Cheese Sauce)

Instant Pot Vegan Black Bean Soup

Instant Pot Teriyaki Fried Rice

Continue reading: Mushroom Biryani

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Here’s an amazing Vegan Cheese Sauce that is super smooth, very creamy, and irresistibly cheesy. The best part? It’s all made in the Instant Pot so pretty hands-off! It tasted just like the real deal and your guests won’t believe it’s vegan!

Now, I already have this Vegan Queso recipe in the archive but while the queso recip0e is ideal as a dip or for nachos, this is more of an all-purpose cheese sauce. It’s brilliant drizzled over veggies and obviously utterly divine with pasta. Actually, it goes so well with pasta ! I added a Mac cheese recipe to the recipe card.

The recipe starts off with some creamy vegetables like cauliflower or zucchini, carrots, and potatoes. Cashews add more creaminess,  and we also add in some spices like ground mustard, garlic, and onion powder for flavor. Then two important ingredients – miso paste and nutritional yeast! These two additions add the umami so don’t skip them.

Nutritional yeast has nothing to do with the active dry yeast that you buy for baking. It’s deactivated yeast and you can find it online at amazon but also at grocery stores. Adding nutritional yeast to dips and sauces lends them a cheesy flavor that you will find to be very addictive.

On to the method: This vegan cheese sauce recipe is so quick and simple to make using the Instant Pot. Simply dump everything together in the pot, cook it on high pressure and then puree it in a blender into a smooth creamy sauce. DONE!

I love to use this cheese sauce for Mac and cheese, over tacos, in deep dish cheesy pizzas or pastries. It’s versatile and so delicious!

More cheesy goodness:

• Vegan Spinach Mozzarella Cheese Melts
• Vegan Spinach Potato Cheese Stuffed Naan
• Sheet Pan Cheeseburger Veggie Dinner with Garlic Mayo Dressing
• Loaded Baked Potato Wedges with Creamy Cheese Sauce and Tofu Bacony Bits
• Vegan Mac and Cheese Powder

Continue reading: Vegan Cheese Sauce (Instant Pot Potato Carrot Cheese Sauce)

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What can’t chickpea flour do! It’s a great gluten-free flour with various uses. Make an omelet, waffle, scramble, fritter, cheese, pizza crust and what not.

I was thinking of making something pepperoni-ish but didnt want to knead it and make it a long process. Enter chickpea flour. I loved the texture of the Soyfree chickpea flour tofu I make in the instant pot(you can get that recipe in my cookbook! It’s just blend/mix and pressure cook! No standing around, no stirring, no elbow grease!, then cube it and use as you like). So I tested it out with all the pepperoni flavors and bam! Low effort pepperoni!

Just blend the batter, pour into thin cups, pressure cook it and you’re done.

You can play around with the flavor to preference, add a bit more oil for fattier, more spices or herbs to flavor preference, Add 2-3 tablespoons all purpose flour (if you are ok with gluten) for chewier and so on. Do not however taste the uncooked batter. Chickpea flour tastes very bitter when uncooked. You have been warned

The flavor is amazing! Texture with chickpea flour is not very chewy. It’s smooth and somewhat chewy when made in the instant pot, a bit less smooth when made on stove top. Use this method to make other flavors of veggie meat!

Make this Chickpea Flour Pepperoni for your pizza or vegan charcuterie board

Hello summer, hello garden parties, hello season of socializing and hosting events and dinners outside! As the days get warmer our feeds are filling up with all sorts of fun entertaining ideas and vegan charcuterie boards have started popping up left and right. No surprise – they’re popular, fun, filling, and they feel fancy.

Can a charcuterie board be vegan? Well, the answer is:  yes, you can totally make a vegan charcuterie board. Vegan meats and cheeses are widely available in stores and are a great choice for a board but homemade is always best.  This vegan pepperoni would be a perfect addition along with some vegan cheese and some fancy olives.

Ways to use vegan pepperoni:

Your pepperoni can be used in sandwiches, charcuterie boards or as a topping for pizzas.

For making vegan pepperoni pizza

If you’re adding it to pizza I usually like to drizzle a little bit of olive oil on the pepperoni to make it crisp up and and taste a bit richer. You can use them as deli slices in your sandwiches or any which way.

To use them on a pizza add a layer of pizza sauce and layer of vegan cheese then top it with this peperoni, then add another layer of cheese, some fresh herbs if you want and drizzle some olive oil all over and then bake.

Depending  on what kind of pizza you’re baking, you can bake at 400 or 425F for 10 to 15 minutes and then broil to melt the cheese  and to serve

I put these on my gluten-free almond flour pizza crust so the entire thing is gluten-free! The pepperoni is nut free, the pizza crust is not but you can use a different pizza crust

More uses

You can also crumble the pepperoni up, sizzle the in oil and add them to pasta or some tofu scramble or use them however you want.

Why will you love this Glutenfree vegan pepperoni

• it takes minimum effort, No kneading!
• It’s just blend/mix and pressure cook! No standing around, no elbow grease!
• it tastes amazing
• its versatile. Adjust the flavors to preference
• use the method to make sausages of various flavors!

More things to put on a vegan charcuterie board:

• Vegan Spinach Pinwheels with Cream Cheese
• Everything Bagel Vegan Cheese Ball
• Tomato Chutney
• Tortilla pinwheels

Continue reading: Vegan Pepperoni with Chickpea Flour – Glutenfree

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Coming at you with the best butter dal ever! This dal is a famous dish straight from a Dhaba in my hometown. For those who don’t know, Dhabas are little roadside restaurants serving simple yet flavorful and rustic dishes. They are an essential and vibrant component of the Indian food scene.

As compared to five-star restaurants, Dhabas have their own charm and lure and so does this dal. Minimalistic ingredients but bang-on flavor. This dhaba style butter dal always impresses us. After all, all of us sometimes want a big old bowl of comfort food and this dal is just that.

It’s called Butter dal because the Dhaba fries the dal in hot spiced butter  before serving.

Butter dal is a perfect and delicious Indian dal.   This recipe just happens to be onion and garlic free. It’s one of those recipes that doesnt use them by default. Street vendors don’t always have refrigeration, and Onion and garlic in the tropical heat can get quite smelly so some chefs just make the dishes without them.

why you will love this vegan butter dal!

• it’s an easy but super delicious dollar.
• It is highly allergy friendly gluten-free nut free soy free.
• It also is allium free and doesn’t use any onion and garlic and is Jain friendly.
• uses mostly common Indian spices. Use whichever you have.
• The dal can be served with rice or corn greens, with roti or naan, or baked potato, or as a soup.

In book news: The book got featured on Washington post!, veg news magazine top cookbooks, tree hugger, green matters and more!. I’m loving all the reviews, do keep them coming. I am loving the book remakes tagged on social! Please review the book on Amazon or other retailers as reviews are incredibly helpful to get the book consistent distribution and marketing.

There are some supply chain issues at some retailers. if the prices look too high it’s probably they are running out of stock. wait for a day or so for the stock issues to be resolved to get better pricing. Thank you to everyone who is buying the book and cooking from it!! .

More Indian dals:

• Instant Pot Dal Bukhara Dump and Done!
• Vegan Handi Lentils (Creamy Indian Dal)
• Toor Daal with Bay Leaf and crisp Cilantro
• Masoor Dal Tadka 
• potato spinach dal – aloo palak dal 

Continue reading: Dhaba Style Butter Dal (vegan)

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