This recipe is so easy to make in the instant pot. Super quick and easy. The rice comes out superb every time.

Ingredients:
1 chopped onion
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tsp of chopped garlic
4 tablespoons of tomato sauce (you can add more if you like it saucy)
1.5 cups of basmati rice (washed well)
2 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
1 to 1 1/2 cups of frozen mixed vegetables (you can definitely use fresh vegetables too)
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of black pepper
1 tsp of onion powder
1 tsp of cumin powder
1 tsp of paprika
1/4 tsp of cinnamon
1/4 tsp of chili powder (optional) - i don't add this
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
cilantro to garnish

1) Add olive oil to instant pot on saute mode and add garlic and chopped onion.
2) Brown onion on the saute mode.

3) Add rice, vegetables, tomato sauce, chicken broth and spices. Mix well.
4) Close lid and set timer for 5 mins on high pressure with vent sealed.

5) Quick release once 5 mins are done.
6) Garnish with cilantro and serve hot

Makes 6-8 servings
Calories per serving: 190, Fat: 3.6g, Carbs: 32.1g, Fiber: 1.9g, Protein: 5.3g, Sugar: 1.3g, Sodium: 333.2 mg

My husband loves this Japanese street food and i wanted to see if i could make these at home. I didn't have octopus on hand so i used shrimp and since my mom is vegetarian i made some with just green onions for her. The taste was superb and very similar to what Indians call bhajia or deep fried fritters. You can definitely be creative with your fillings. You need a stove top or electric takoyaki ball maker available online at amazon. You could also use an electric cake pop maker for these. I was lucky as my mom already had one for making her prized vitumua (coconut rice pancakes) which require the same cooking aparatus.

Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cup of dashi (i didn't have this so i used chicken stock/broth. You can use vegetable broth too)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp of salt
2 large eggs
1 tsp soy sauce
sprinkles of panko crumbs, or rice breadcrumbs
5 green onions (chopped)
10-12 shrimp chopped into thirds
generous amount of olive oil for coating pan (1/2 tablespoon per ball)

1) Combine flour with salt and baking powder. Mix well.
2) Add eggs, stock/dashi and soy sauce and mix well.

3) Heat oil in the pan (1/2 a tablespoon per ball) and keep on low to medium heat. This is very important because if your heat is too high, the balls will burn. You need enough time to fill and rotate balls evenly to cook.

4) Pour flour mixture to fill line on each ball in the pan.
5) Add your toppings. In my case, shrimp and green onions. I added 2 pieces of shrimp and sprinked green onions evenly into each ball.
6) Sprinkle panko or rice crumbs into each ball.

7) Start to rotate the ball with chopsticks once the bottom is cooked sideways, so each side cooks.
8) Don't worry about overfilled liquid because once you start to turn each ball, there is room to stuff the cavity with more liquid and fillings.
9) Keep rotating the ball until all sides are golden brown. This is a slow process because you are cooking on low to medium heat.

TIP:You might need to add more olive oil depending on how golden brown you like your balls.

Gyoza sauce:
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp crushed garlic
1/2 tsp crushed ginger
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Makes approx: 21 balls
Serve with gyoza sauce or chilli sauce with garlic or Sriracha sauce.
Calories per ball: 114, Fat: 7.1g, Carbs: 4.8g, Fiber: 0.5g, Protein: 7.4g, Sugar: 0.4g