Instant Pot Gongura Chicken Curry Recipe

Gongura ( Pulicha keerai in tamil) is a plant, grown for its edible leaves, and it is called by different names in India. This is a popular dish from south India, and the tasty chicken curry is made with fresh gongura (roselle) leaves. Gongura chicken curry is spicy and tangy in taste, soo good with hot rice or naan bread. Easy to make this healthy chicken curry using the Instant Pot. Enjoy making this seasonal greens for a delicious meal or a very different chicken curry for a party.

This recipe includes,

• Step by step pictures and instructions of how to make the gongura chicken curry in the instant pot
• What is Gongura ? and its benefits, and where to buy it
• How to clean the gongura leaves and chicken
• Serving suggestions and storing instructions
• Stove top cooking method recipe link – step by step pictures given in the post
• Yield from the recipe

This gongura chicken curry (stove top method ) is a popular recipe in the blog. Many requested for a instant Pot recipe, so I thought of posting the Instant pot version. Very easy to make this curry in the instant pot, pressure / quick realize is much faster than the regular pressure cooker which at least takes 10 minutes to do it.

If you’re looking to make something healthy with greens /vegetables or if you are a curry lover, then this gongura chicken curry is a very good option. The spice level of the curry is medium spicy, if you want is less spicy then reduce the quantity of red chili powder to 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ( instead of 1 teaspoon). My kids do not eat very spicy food, but they like this curry and the spice level is perfect for them.

What is Gongura?

Gongura is a plant, Roselle (Kenaf Leaves in english), grown for its edible leaves in India and few other countries. It  comes in two varieties, green stemmed leaf and red stemmed. The red stemmed variety is more sour than the green stemmed variety. I used red stemmed leaves in this recipe. These leaves is a rich source of iron, vitamins, folic acid and anti-oxidants essential for human nutrition. Many usually take sorrel for lot of its medicinal values. Its help in reducing inflammation in nasal passage , aides in digestion and many more. Including the fresh leaves in the food is the best way to consume it.

How to clean and dry the fresh Gongura leaves?

• Pluck only the leaves from the stem. In a wide bowl, add enough water and leaves, and clean /rinse it well to remove any impurities. Drain the dirty water and repeat the above step once or twice depending on the dirt on the leaves.
• Drain the water completely from the leaves, and pat dry them on a paper towel /cloth, some water on the leaves is okay. This is optional – cleaning and drying the leaves overnight will save some time and leaves will get dried thoroughly.

What to do with the leftover steam after plucking the leaves?

This is most useful thing, “YOU CAN REGROW NEW LEAVES” with this steam. Soak the root part ( bottom side of the stem)  in a cup of tap water for one full day or two. Then plant the stem directly in the soil or in a large pot ( depending on the number of stems). Water them regular everyday, you will see new leaves popping up in a weeks time. You can pluck these new leaves directly from the plant and use it in the recipe. I buy few bunches of gongura only once in the starting of summer, and re use the stem to grow fresh leaves for the entire summer, how cool is this right?

Where to buy fresh Gongura leaves?

These are seasonal greens and only available during summer to fall months. I buy mine in Indian market here in USA, or also find them in farmer market in California. I am not sure where else to buy them fresh, or I have not seen any stores selling frozen leaves as well.

Cleaning the chicken as given below is completely optional

Cleaning the cut chicken pieces is completely optional, I personally like to clean the meat for all the Indian curries in the mentioned below way. Also using turmeric, helps to clean any bacteria in the chicken, and plain yogurt / curd helps to tenderize the chicken naturally.

How to clean ? cut the boneless / skinless chicken into small pieces ( 1 inch strip or cube ), add the cut pieces in a bowl, add 3 tablespoons – white distilled vinegar, 3/4 th teaspoon – turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon – salt, 2 tablespoon – plain yogurt, and water to cover the chicken. Mix it well, and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Now drain the water completely, and rinse the chicken again with fresh water one more time, make sure to drain the water completely, and set the chicken pieces aside for marination.

Can I use other meats instead of chicken?

Yes, you can add other meats instead of the chicken. Mutton /Lamb is one best substitute to chicken, and the curry tastes equally delicious. Mutton take longer time to cook, so make sure to increasing the pressure cooking time until the mutton is completely cooked. Remaining steps and process remains the same as in the recipe below.

How to make the curry nuts free?

Skip the cashew nuts in the recipe , which I only used to garnish the curry in the end. Note – if you are not allergic to nuts, then I highly recommend to add fried cashew nuts, because it enhances the taste and texture of the chicken curry.

Serving suggestions.

This is a spicy and tangy chicken curry, so plain rice , mildly flavored rice , naan bread will go well with the curry. Check the links below for the recipes,

• Best Naan Bread Recipe
• Thengai Paal Sadam | Coconut Milk flavored Rice

Storing and heating instructions. 

• Refrigerate any leftover chicken curry in a clean dry container, preferably glass. Chicken curry stays good for 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator. Make sure to place the container in the inner most part of the refrigerator ( away from the door) , use a clean dry spoon when you use the curry every time, these things may help the curry from getting spoilt quickly. To reheat – microwave the required quantity of curry for few minutes or until warm.
• This chicken curry can be made ahead of time for a party or pot luck. Cook the gongura chicken curry, cool down completely to room temperature. Transfer to foil trays or a big container and refrigerate it. If using foil trays, then cover the trays with the lid if you have one or use a clear wrap and cover the foil. Can also use foil sheet warps to cover over the clear warp just for an extra protection and leak proofing.
• To reheat the foil trays –  pre heat the oven to 350 degree F , place the trays in the oven and heat it for 10 to 15 minutes or until the curry is heated , stir halfway. Another way to heat is to use a chafing dish – burner to reheat the curry ( recommended this method – this helps the food to keep warm for the entire party). Note – do not microwave the foil trays.

What is the yield from this recipe?

This recipe yields ONE Quart’s of gongura chicken curry, easily enough for 6 to 8 people.

Check the link below for other Gongura Recipes ,

A very tasty and addictive pickle, also know as thokku or pachadi. Gongura pickle is spicy and tangy in taste, soo good with hot rice and a drizzle of ghee. Easy to make this delicious pickle with this recipe, super fresh and preservative free, much better than store brought! Make this homemade Gongura Pickle during summer and enjoy it for the rest of the year. Find below Gongura pachadi / pickle picture from the blog.

•  Gongura Thokku | Pachadi | Pickle  – stepwise pictures and detailed instructions given.
• Gongura Chicken Curry  – Cooking on stove top method

For other Indian cuisine curry recipe check the link below, I have listed few below, for the complete list of recipes, check the link here – Indian Cuisine Recipes

• Easy Instant Pot Palak Paneer
• Restaurant Style Easy Instant Pot Butter Chicken Recipe
• Best Instant Pot Chicken Curry Recipe
• Easy Instant Pot Pav Bhaji Masala
• Coimbatore Style – Street Food Kaalan | Mushroom Masala
• Saravana Bhavan Style – Instant Pot Vegetable Kurma / Korma

Step by step pictures of how to make the gongura chicken curry using the Instant Pot 

Ingredients required for the chicken marination – Boneless / skinless chicken thighs ( clean and cut chicken into small pieces), ginger and garlic paste, turmeric, salt, curd, lemon juice, red chilli powder, tomato (pulse / whip in the mixer to break down the tomatoes into smaller pieces, fine puree not needed ), garam masala, coriander powder, water.

Ingredient required for making the curry – finely chopped onions, cinnamon sticks, cloves, green whole cardamom, dry red chillies, curry leaves few, oil, cashew nuts, ginger and garlic paste and water.

Ingredients for roast and grind – Gongura leaves (wash the leaves, drain the excess water and set aside the leaves) and whole green chillies ( don’t cut).

Marinate the chicken

In a bowl, add all the ingredients under the chicken marination with the cleaned chicken pieces. Mix it well and let it marinate for few minutes until the cooking time.

Sauté using the Instant Pot

Roast – I used Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus 8 Quart for cooking. Place the inner vessel into the Instant Pot. Press SAUTE mode on HIGH power. In CUSTOM settings, SET Timer for 15 minutes. Now Press START. Once the preheating is done ( you’ll get a beep sound), add 3 tablespoons oil or ghee (optional), followed by cashews nuts and fry it till slightly brown, drain oil and remove fried cashews and set aside. Now in the same remaining oil, add gongura leaves and whole green chilies and sauté both until the gongura leaves shrink in size, and changes color ( approximately 2 to 3 minutes). Remove the sautéed leaves and chilies from the cooker.

Grind the above mixture when pressure cooking the chicken – Grind ( sautéed chilies and gongura leaves) to a smooth paste in the mixer / food processor by adding some water ( add 4 to 5 tablespoons of water, don’t add more). Set aside the ground paste.

In the same pot , add 5 Tablespoons oil, cinnamon sticks , clove , cardamom , whole dry red chilies , add curry leaves and sauté for a minute or two. Then add chopped onions and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until the onions turns translucent (slightly brown) , Add ginger and garlic paste and sauté till raw smells goes (for a minutes).

Now add the marinated chicken with all the masala , mix well and let it come to a boil, continue to cook for one more minute ( approximately 3 to 4 minutes after adding the marination) Now add mentioned quantity of water to the chicken masala and mix well. Make sure there is no food stuck to the bottom of the pot to avoid burnt error. Press CANCEL.

Pressure cook the chicken

Close the LID of the Instant Pot . Press the PRESSURE COOK mode on HIGH power, and SET CUSTOM TIMER to “FIVE” minutes. SEAL the Pressure Valve ( this model IP automatically seals the vent). Switch off the KEEP WARM MODE ( light should not be on in the keep warm mode). Now press START. After the pressure cooking is done. Press CANCEL. Then do QPR (quick pressure release) by moving quick release switch from SEAL TO VENT position to remove any remaining pressure.

Sauté again

After the steam is released, open the lid of the Instant Pot. Now add the roast and ground paste ( gongura leaves and green chillies) to the pressure cooked chicken, stir well. Then press SAUTE mode on HIGH power. In CUSTOM settings, SET Timer for TEN minutes. Now Press START, let the chicken curry come to a boil , then continue to boil for TWO more minutes (set external timer for two mins) , Press CANCEL ( you don’t have to wait for the pre heating to be done, when you press sauté mode, curry will start to boil in 30 seconds to ONE minute (because curry is already hot), continue to boil for two minutes and press cancel) .

Remove the inner pot from the instant pot. Add the fried cashew nuts and garnish with chopped cilantro (optional), stir well. Serve the curry hot for best taste, with rice or naan bread .