Instant Pot massaman beef curry

Pound the whole spices -- toasted coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg -- to a powder; pick out the cardamom shells. Add a little fermented shrimp paste and the red curry paste and pound together into massaman paste.

Optional: sear the beef in oil in a separate pan, browning two sides of each piece; remove.

Deglaze the pan with a tiny bit of water, scraping up the browned bits.

On the Instant Pot's saute mode (10 minutes, medium), boil about half a cup of coconut milk, add the curry paste and let it reduce with the paste; turn to low until the oil separates and the paste sizzles in it.

Add the rest of the coconut milk and no water, since a closed pressure cooker loses none.

Add the beef with its juices and the pan juice; season with fish sauce, palm sugar and some tamarind.

Pressure cook on high for 30 minutes (Instant Pot guideline: 20 minutes per pound of stew beef, for 1.5 lb); the timer starts only once at pressure, after 10 to 15 minutes of preheating.

Natural release about 10 minutes, with a cold wet towel on the metal part of the lid to speed cooling; no quick release with thick, oily curry. Then a quick release to check nothing remains.

Check the beef is fork tender.

On saute mode, add the unpeeled scrubbed potatoes, onions and roasted peanuts and simmer 10 to 15 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes.