Pressure cooking katahar curry with bandaniya/shadow beni

Katahar is one of those vegetables which does not really melt down when it cooks. Some of the cooks I know just leave it to boil in the coconut milk and curry powder until the flesh does not feel like 'old claat' and the seeds could crumble.  There is an art too as the long cooking also helps the old claat to absorb some of the flavours and the gravy/sauce thickens as it 'reduces' or boils down.. I mean katahar curry when deconstructed is really some nutritious seeds and fibrous flesh floating in a thick rich coconut curry sauce.

So on a busy day and thinking of something new to do I say what the hell, save gas and save time by cooking the katahar curry in the pressure cooker.

I know this is like making baigan choka or sayakaying sada roti in a microwave.

I mixed up the masala - thinking it was too much. I chunkay the katahar remembering the experts 'let it fry good, lef it. leh it bun lil bit' before throwing in the coconut milk. The coconut milk though is an art.. because in a pressure cooker it does not 'reduce the same way'. I wonder if the old claat would absorb the flavours under pressure, if they needed long slow simmering. Some things just cannot be rushed!

I thrown in the bandaniya/shadow beni, the first time I have ever cooked with it. Mon Repos market vendors are selling now (Trinidad inspiration coming down) and the fragrance leaves on the hand more than it seems the flavour of the raw leaves on the tongue.

So , it all boils up, I put on the pressure . The bandaniya is in the pot the fragrance rises above the masala. 10 minutes or so later, I look in the pot.

Katahar curry , a bit soupy since the liquid is there. I boil down the liquid a bit.  The old claat has the flavours and the coconut curry surwah is tasty with the bandaniya.

The old claat and the seeds are still intact too.. I thought they would have disappeared.

New thing tried and done. Not too bad, I will do again.