Instant Pot Beef Curry Stew

I can't believe that I never posted an Instant Pot recipe or video of me making Japanese Beef Curry Stew. I first started making this when I got my IP two and a half years ago and it's WAY better in the IP.  It only takes 25 minutes IP cooking time and the meat is so tender.  There's no need to let it simmer for hours to get the meat soft. A few years back I previously posted the stove top version of this recipe and I'm happy to say that I now have an IP version.  Ingredients are all the same, just with a few minor adjustments for the IP conversion.

INSTANT POT JAPANESE BEEF CURRY STEW

INGREDIENTS:

2-3 lbs. chuck roast, cut into cubes
2 tbsp. garlic, minced
2 cups baby carrots
1 cup celery, chopped
2 large russet potatoes, cut into large cubes
1/2 onion, diced

4 cups water
1 large or 2 small pkgs. S&B curry sauce 
oil

DIRECTIONS:

Turn IP on to saute and add about 2 tbsp. of oil.  Add stew meat and brown for about 5 minutes. Add onions and celery and stir. Add carrots, potatoes, and water.  Cover with lid. Hit meat/stew button and adjust timer to 25 minutes. Be sure pressure valve is at sealing.  When timer is over, let NPR for 10 minutes and then QR.  If liquid starts to leak out of valve, just slowly release the valve to let the pressure release slowly. Once pressure pin drops, open lid and gently stir the pot. Turn off IP and turn on to saute. Let come to boil and add curry blocks. Gently stir until curry blocks are dissolved. 

Serve over hot rice and enjoy!

Instant Pot Lechon Kawali

     I'm so happy I've finally made the attempt to make on of my favorite Filipino comfort foods in the Instant Pot which was Lechon  Kawali. I've made this several times in the oven but with its high fat content and with the high oven temperature, it would smoke out my kitchen. Plus it took a while for it to cook too. So since I've been slowly trying to convert nearly everything I cook via stove top or oven,   I knew there had to be a way to at least prep cook the pork belly and finish off with broiling the top layer of fat.

     My local Costco sells pork belly cut into about 2-inch or so thick slices. I normally use his cut of meat to marinate in a char siu sauce and layer grill on the BBQ. I finally had a very late epiphany to try to make Lechon Kawali with it and finally did so a few days ago. I just seasoned each pork slice with black pepper and garlic salt, added 1 cup of water to the IP liner, and set the cooking time for 20 minutes. Once done I sliced each pork piece and baked for 10 minutes. Set oven to broil and broiled each side for about 7 minutes each time. Everything worked in my favor and it turned out SO delicious! 

     I maybe could have broiled it a little more longer but I got impatience and hungry 😝. Next time I make this though, I'm going to try the baking and broiling without slicing up the pork beforehand. I'll just leave it in whole slices so I can get the top layer of fat more crispier. 

     After the Lechon was done cooking, I turned it into a specialty dish well known at a local Filipino restaurant in Hawaii (Thelma's of Waipahu) called the Thelma's Special. Which is pretty much lechon with chipped yellow onions, chopped tomatoes, and seasoned with shoyu and apple cider vinegar. I got my Waipahu raised hubby's seal of approval and said it's nearly like the real thing 😄. So for your eating pleasure here is the recipe.

INSTANT POT LECHON KAWALI & "THELMA'S SPECIAL"

INGREDIENTS:

4 lbs boneless pork belly 

Black pepper 

Garlic salt

1 cup water

DIRECTIONS:

Season all sides of pork belly with black pepper and garlic salt. Add water to instant pot liner. Add pork slices to liner. Cover with lid and set timer to manual for 20 minutes. Be sure valve is at sealing. When timer is done, let NPR 10 minutes and then QPR. Heat oven to bake at 400 degrees. Remove pork from IP. Slice pork into 1-inch pieces and place onto wire rack on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. When done, change oven temperature to broil. Broil one side of pork for about 7 minutes or until you see it crisping over enough...just keep your eye on it. Remove from oven and flip pork pieces to opposite side and broil the other side to repeat process. Once done remove from oven and let cool. Serve with lechon sauce or use pork to make your very own "Thelma's Special".


"THELMA'S SPECIAL"

INGREDIENTS:

2-3 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup shoyu
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

DIRECTIONS:

Place cooked lechon in bowl. Add tomatoes and onions. Mix shoyu and vinegar. Pour about half of mixture over pork and vegetables. Add more to taste. Then ENJOY!

Instant Pot Pork & Tabungao (Opo Squash)

I make this Filipino dish all the time over the stove. It's such comfort food for us and we like it soup like. When a make the Filipino Port Guisantes (Pork & Peas) a few weeks back in the Instant Pot, I knew I could do the same with this dish too. This too took only seven minutes cooking time (after pressurizing) in the IP when it normally takes about an hour total over the stovetop. 

Here's the recipe!

Instant Pot Pork & Tabungao (Opo Squash)

3 lbs chopped pork butt or shoulder

1/2 onion sliced

2 tbsp minced garlic

2 ripe tomatoes, chopped

2 medium sized tabungao (Opo squash), peeled and sliced

1/4 cup patis (fish sauce), 

1 cup chicken broth

2 cups chichiron (fried pork rinds), optional

1 cup dried shrimp, optional 

Black pepper to season 

Oil

Directions:

Sauté pork, onion, garlic, and oil in the Instant Pot for about 5 minutes. Cancel sauté. Add chicken broth, patis, and squash. Mix well. Seal lid and be sure valve is on sealing. Hit meat button and adjust time to 7 minutes. When done let it NPR (normal pressure release) for 10 minutes, then do a QR (quick release) of the valve. Remove lid, turn off IP, and hit sauté. Add tomatoes, dried shrimp, chichiron, and black pepper. Mix well and let cook till last remaining ingredients are soft. Taste broth and add more patis if needed to your preference. 

MANGAN TAYON!