Instant Pot Jewish Noodle Kugel also known as Noodle Pudding, is a favorite Holiday, Shabbot, Chanukkah, Brisket side dish. It also makes a great dessert.
Add egg noodles and water to just barely cover the noodles to Pressure Cooker cooking pot.
Lock on lid and close Pressure Valve. Cook at High Pressure for 1 minute. When Beep sounds, do a Quick Release by carefully using intermittent movements to toggle the Pressure Valve open and close, to avoid spewing liquid.
Immediately, rinse under cool water to stop the cooking. Set aside.
Filling
Beat or whisk eggs. Add cottage cheese, sour cream, sugar, cinnamon, salt, lemon juice and beat well. Fold cooked noodles into mixture.
Drain water from raisins and fold into mixture.
Generously grease your Push Pan, Pour noodle mixture into Push Pan and dot with butter.
Add 1.5 cups of water to Pressure Cooker cooking pot and place in a trivet. Place Kugel on top of trivet.
Lock on Lid and close Pressure Valve. Cook at High Pressure for 20 minutes.
When Beep sounds, allow a 15 minute Natural Pressure Release.
Open lid and if using topping, add it now.
Place Mealthy Crisplid on top of pressure cooker. Set temperature to 375 degrees and cook for 5 minutes.
Topping (optional)
Crush corn flakes and mix with sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over the top of noodle mixture and dot with butter prior to crisping.
Notes
Both Black Raisins or Golden Raisins can be used at the same time. Other types of dried fruit can be used too! Play around with the recipe and use different types of dried fruit and pasta shapes for special occassions.
Sun Dried Fruit Medley is really nice to use. It adds color and the combination of the dried fruit is super tasty.
Running cold water over the cooked noodles will stop the cooking process, so that the noodles do not become over cooked during pressure cooking of the kugel.After the Instant Pot Noodle Kugel is "baked" you will want to give the top a nice browning so that some of the noodles turn brown. The crispy part on top is the best! If you want the cornflake topping, add it now and then brown the top. If not using the cornflake topping, still, brown the top!
Browning the Top
Use a temperature of 350 degrees and place your Crisping Lid on top. Keep an eye on it, so that the kugel does not burn.
Any type of pasta or semolina noodle is fine to use in this recipe. If using a different shape of pasta or noodle, your cook time will be different. I particularly like to use spaghetti noodles and use a 9 Inch Springform Pan! It is really pretty when you cut into the kugel.
Look at package of pasta and find the variable cook time. Choose the lesser time given and then subtract 2 minutes. For example, if your package of pasta says "cook for 8 - 11 minutes," take that 8 minute number and cut it in half, which is 4. Then subtract 2 minutes from the 4 minutes and you will end up with the proper cook time. In this example the cook time will be 2 minutes.
After the 2 minute pressure cook time is up, wait 5 minutes and then release the rest of the pressure.
If the variable cook time on your package of pasta is 11 - 16 minutes, err on the lesser side. In this instance, the cook time would be 3 minutes. It is better to end up with overly firm pasta rather than mushy because you can continue to cook the pasta, but if it is mushy, there is nothing you can do to correct.
If the pasta is too firm or al dente for your taste, simply put the lid back on the pot and let the pasta sit in the hot pot. The residual heat will continue to cook the pasta. Check after a few minutes to see if the pasta has reached the perfect firmness for your liking. If not give it a stir and let sit some more.
This recipe uses a bit of a natural release and the total time is figured into that, so only the cook time needs to be adjusted. The natural release time allows for a little pressure to release, so that the starchy water can settle and not spit out through the pressure valve when the pressure is released.