Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice

Ingredient

1. 1 pound (454g) dried red kidney beans , soaked overnight for at least 8 hours (913g after soaking for 13hrs)
2. 1 pound (454g) smoked pork hock
3. 1 pound (454g) Andouille sausages or kielbasa sausages
4. 4 cups (1L) unsalted chicken stock
5. 2 tablespoons (30ml) vegetable oil or olive oil
6. 2 tablespoons (30ml) regular soy sauce
7. 6 cloves (20g) garlic , minced
8. 1 (206g) green bell pepper , diced
9. 2 ribs (138g) celery , diced
10. 1 (289g) medium onion , diced
11. 3 (1g) bay leaves
12. ½ teaspoon (0.4g) dried thyme
13. ½ teaspoon (0.5g) dried oregano
14. 1 teaspoon (3g) smoked paprika
15. ½ - 1 teaspoon (1.2g) cayenne pepper
16. Rice

Instruction

1. Just drain and rinse the beans before cooking.
2. Overnight Soaking Method (Recommended): Place 1lb (454g) dried red kidney beans and 1½ tbsp (25g) fine table salt in a large container. Pour 6 cups (1.5L) cold water in the container and give it a few stirs. Soak beans overnight for at least 8 – 16 hours. *Pro Tip: If your house is very warm, place the beans in the fridge to avoid fermentation.
3. Quick Soaking Method: *Note: If you’re short on time, use this quick soaking methods, but the result won’t be as good as the overnight soaking methods. Place 1lb (454g) dried red kidney beans, 1½ tbsp (25g) fine table salt, and 6 cups (1.5L) cold water in Instant Pot. Close lid and Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 0 minute + 30 minutes Natural Release. *Pro Tip: No matter which methods you use, rinse red beans under cold running water and drain well before cooking.
4. Wait until the indicator says “HOT” (~8 mins).
8. Adjust how much cayenne pepper to use according to how spicy you want your red beans and rice to be. We used ½ tsp (1.2g) cayenne pepper and it was close to medium spicy.
9. Deglaze Instant Pot & Add Soy Sauce: Pour ½ cup (125ml) unsalted chicken stock in Instant Pot, then deglaze by scrubbing all the flavorful brown bits off the bottom of the pot.
11. Pressure Cook Red Beans and Rice: Push all ingredients to one side, then add in the soaked & well-drained red kidney beans. Give everything a quick mix so all ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
12. Make sure all the red beans are fully submerged in the stock.
14. Place pork hock in a large mixing bowl, then shred the meat with 2 forks. While you are shredding the pork, thicken the gravy by simmering the red beans until desired consistency (~5 to 10 minutes). Stir occasionally. Place shredded pork hock back in the Instant Pot. Taste & adjust the seasoning accordingly (for reference, we added roughly 1 - 2 pinches of salt to open up the flavors & season the dish properly).
15. Serve: Add rice in a serving bowl, then pour the deliciously saucy red beans beside or on top of the rice. Garnish with some freshly chopped cilantro, then serve. Enjoy