Introduction

There are few modern tools that have survived the test of generations in an Indian kitchen. Over time we have grudgingly replaced the grinding stone with the electric grinder and the hand grater with the food processor, however, the pressure cooker retains its place of pride. It was an essential tool in my grandmother’s kitchen, in fact her main pressure cooker endured thirty years of everyday use. Of course my mother used hers, and in my kitchen I too have had an assortment of pressure cookers—the first one arrived as a wedding gift from my mother-in-law. I began consistently using it once my children were born, beginning with making baby food in minutes, then homemade chicken broth, and finally moving to nourishing lentil and rice stews called khichuri.