Red Curry Cauliflower Rice Vegetable Soup-Instant Pot. I had vegetables left in the refrigerator, and wanted to use them to make something very delicious. I started with minced cauliflower (aka cauliflower rice), mushrooms, zucchini, onion, cherry tomatoes and mixed greens (with kale, spinach and collard greens.) My original intention was to make a stir fry, and use Thai Red Curry Sauce to spice it up with yummy flavor. I also am trying to create as many recipes as possible in the Instant Pot, because everyone needs good food, right now. The Instant Pot lets you make great recipes in a hurry, which is perfect for your hungry crowd when you are pressed for time. This dish is vegan, gluten free and dairy free.
When I put all the vegetables into the Instant Pot, it still looked like stirfry. But, due to the pressure cooking process, the moisture from the vegetables and the steam, created a thick and spicy soup, that was incredibly delicious. It required only 8 ingredients, took less than 20 minutes, and tasted like homemade soup that has been simmering all day with a yummy kick from the red curry sauce.
How Does The Instant Pot Pressure Cook Food?
The Instant Pot actually has 9 different functions, including pressure cooker, slow cooker, yogurt cooker, saute setting, egg cooker, steamer, sterilizer, rice cooker, and cake baking. Check out my review of the Instant Pot, where I discuss several of those functions, and share recipes that I have made with the Instant Pot. Here, we made this soup with the pressure cooking, so we will talk about that function.
When you turn the pressure cooker on, and secure the lid, the pot will begin to build pressure and steam. The valve must be in the sealed position, which on my pressure cooker, is up, or to the right. As the steam and pressure build, the temperature begins to rise, and can reach a temperature over 265 degrees. The combination of this heat, pressure and steam, cooks the food much more quickly than standard cooking methods.
This method allows the food to cook evenly, deepens and enhances the flavor, and maintains the vitamins and minerals. Since you don’t need to add excessive water, the flavors are true and not diluted. This principle is definitely applicable with this soup–the fresh vegetables keep their flavor, are not mushy, and are still full of nutritional benefits.
For the most frequently asked questions about the Instant Pot, check out the manufacturer’s answers, here.
Red Curry Cauliflower Rice Vegetable Soup-Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 4 cups minced cauliflower
- 4 cups mixed greens, kale, spinach and collard greens
- 2 cups sliced mushrooms
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 zucchini, shredded
- 2 cups vegetable broth, organic
- 1-1/2 cup Thai Red Curry Sauce I used Trader Joe's 11 oz. Thai Red Curry Sauce, but any brand will be fine. See notes for recipe if you prefer to make your red curry sauce from scratch.
- 3 tbsp dried hibiscus, toasted coconut, green onions and garlic chives for garnish
Instructions
- Pour olive oil into Instant Pot inner cooking pot. Without putting the lid on, set Instant Pot to saute to allow it to start warming up as you chop your vegetables.
- Chop onion, shred zucchini. Add vegetable broth to Instant Pot. It is important that the liquid is on the bottom of the Instant Pot so that the vegetables don't stick as it heats up.
- Add onion, zucchini, minced cauliflower, mushrooms and greens to Instant Pot. Add tomatoes on top. Pour Thai Red Curry Sauce over the top of vegetables. Do not stir.
- Place lid on Instant Pot, and close vent (to right). Set your Instant Pot to cook on pressure cook for 4 minutes. (You might need to cancel the saute setting before setting it for the 4 minute pressure cook)
- Carefully watch Instant Pot, and when the high pressure cooking is finished after 4 minutes, QR, quick release pressure. I place a towel on the vent to minimize spraying around the kitchen. Using potholders, remove inner pot from Instant Pot. Stir soup to mix vegetables and sauce.
Notes
- If you prefer to have homemade Thai Red Curry Sauce, try this recipe from Pinch of Yum.
Nutrition
Steps For Making Red Curry Cauliflower Rice Vegetable Soup
Add olive oil to bottom of pot, add vegetable broth and place vegetables in inner pot
Add tomatoes
Add Thai Red Curry Sauce
Ready to cook. Do not stir.
Place lid on pot and secure. Set for 4 minutes on pressure cook setting.
When finished, place a light towel over vent when releasing steam
After 4 minutes of pressure cooking, your dish will look like this.
Pour soup into bowl and garnish with flowers, toasted coconut, garlic chives or green onions.
Red Curry Cauliflower Rice Vegetable Soup. Those beautiful red flowers are dried hibiscus, which I found at Trader Joe’s.
Red Curry Cauliflower Rice Soup serving
Tips For Cooking In The Instant Pot:
- I always place a light towel over the vent when the steam is being released to avoid steam damage to my cabinets, or burns.
- On occasion, if you are cooking foods without high water content, they may stick to the bottom of the pot. To avoid that, I turn my pressure cooker on before placing the inner pot on the heating element. The Instant Pot can take up to 5-20 minutes to heat up and start the actual pressure cooking, so I let the Instant Pot heat up for 5 minutes before placing the inner pot in and securing the lid.
- Pasta can be very finicky when cooked in the Instant Pot. If you cook it too long, it becomes gummy and the pressure that sprays out is excessive and sticky. Never overcook pasta, and after venting, rinse the vent immediately to avoid any clogging of the vent. I also find that lentil pasta is the best pasta to cook in the Instant Pot.
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