Pressure Cooker Carne Adovada

All of the taste of a traditional Carne Adovada, but made in a non-traditional way with some surprising ingredients, right in your pressure cooker or instant pot.

Pressure Cooker Carne Adovada

Before we begin. I know you’re wondering if I’ve lost my mind, suggesting raisins and fish sauce in Carne Adovada. I use those ingredients to add sweetness and umami to a dish that traditionally calls for a lot of different steps to achieve that flavor.

Now with that out of the way, let’s begin.

I hate doing dishes, and when you cook as much as I have been lately, there are a lot of dishes generated. So I’m always looking for ways to cut down on dishwashing.

A lot of this involves single pot cooking, where my Instant pot comes in very handy. But for this dish, I also needed to brown onions and bloom a few spices.

WHAT’S WITH THE MICROWAVE?

I really didn’t feel up to dirtying another pan, but I knew skipping out on browning the onions was not a smart idea.

So I used the microwave. I’m here to tell you, you CAN actually brown onions in the microwave. I chopped up the onions and put them in a paper bowl along with the oil and spices and cooked them, and they browned on their own, with no babysitting, while I cut up the pork.

I think I got a wee bit too much water in this dish because I was afraid to not put enough and burn a 2 pounds of pork, but I think you could get by with less, or you could turn it into a bit of a gravy dish and eat it over rice. I ate it plain so it would be low carb, and that worked well too.

WANT MORE AWESOME INSTANT POT MEXICAN RECIPES? CHECK OUT THESE RECIPES!

THIS PART IS VERY IMPORTANT TO MAKING A GOOD CARNE ADOVADA

Do not confuse Mexican chile powder with Cayenne pepper. The Mexican version is blended with other spices such as cumin and other things. It’s a rich flavor, but it’s not pure heat like cayenne pepper will have. Even so, this is a richly-spiced dish, but try not to make it inedible by using the wrong kind of chili powder.

 EQUIPMENT YOU MAY NEED TO MAKE THIS INSTANT POT PRESSURE COOKER CARNE ADOVADA:

• Instant Pot Mini Duo, or Instant pot 6 quarts, or Instant Pot 8 Quarts
• Measuring Cups
• My favorite Cutting Board
• Good set of Kitchen Knives

★ Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below! Just click on the stars in the recipe card to rate. 

4.5 from 4 votes

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Pressure Cooker Carne Adovada

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

35 mins

Total Time

50 mins

 

I know you’re wondering if I’ve lost my mind, suggesting raisins and fish sauce in Carne Adovada. I use those ingredients to add sweetness and umami to a dish that traditionally calls for a lot of different steps to achieve that flavor. Try it, you'll like it!

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Dietary Consideration: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, High Protein, Keto, Low Carb, Paleo

Cooking Style: Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker

Ease of Cooking: Pour and Cook

Recipe Type: Pork, Pressure Cooker

Servings: 8

Calories: 132 kcal

Author: Urvashi

Ingredients

• 1 ounce raisins
• 2 pounds pork shoulder, cut into large pieces
• 1/4 cup soy sauce or fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1 cup red onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 tablespoon Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar Raw Unfiltered (Non-GMO Certified), 32.0 FL OZcider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Ancho chili powder
• 1 can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
• 1/4 cup Mexican red chile powder (NOT Cayenne, look for ones that have other spices blended)
• 1/2-3/4 water
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthum gum (or use a corn starch slurry)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Place raisins into your blender jar, and cover with hot water while you get everything else ready.

2. Place pork in your Instant Pot.

3. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine oil, onions, garlic, salt, oregano, both chili powders, and canned chipotle chili, sauce from chili and cook it on high for 5-7 minutes, stirring once or twice.

4. Pour this along with and cider vinegar and soy sauce or fish sauce into your blender jar with the raisins, and purée until smooth.
5. Pour this mix onto your pork.

6. Use the 1/2 cup of water to wash out your blender jar and pour this into the pot as well. Add another 1/4 cup water if you need to.

7. Set your electric cooker on High Pressure for 20 minutes, and quickly release pressure when done.

8. If you have too much liquid, either set your pot on sauté for 5-10 minutes to let some of it evaporate, sprinkle with xanthum gum to thicken while sautéeing,  or make a slurry by mixing the cornstarch and the water, and pour into the pot. Let it boil and thicken.

Nutrition facts per serving

132kcal | Fat: 5g | Saturated fat: 1g | Carbohydrates: 5g | Fiber: 1g | Protein: 14g

I am not a registered dietician or nutritionist. Nutritional information is provided a courtesy, and can vary depending on the exact ingredients you use.