Instant Pot Pot Roast with Ginger & Lemongrass

Brown the beef first. That mahogany crust is where everything happens — skip it and you get weak broth instead of something that tastes like it sat overnight. Twenty-five minutes of prep, an hour twenty of actual cooking, and you’ve got fall-apart meat with an herb salad that cuts through all that richness. Asian pressure cooker pot roast. Sounds fancy. Isn’t.

Why You’ll Love This Instant Pot Pot Roast

Forty-five minutes under pressure instead of three hours in the oven. Works as a main dish for weeknight dinners — beef, broth, herbs, rice. Done. The herb salad isn’t just garnish. It’s the whole point. Fresh mint and coriander against braised meat is the actual flavor story here. Fish sauce and soy sauce do what stewing beef needs — umami that doesn’t taste like beef. It tastes like something else happened. Leftovers get better. Overnight in the fridge, flavors actually meld instead of staying separate.

What You Need for Pressure Cooker Pot Roast

Boneless beef chuck. Not lean cuts. Chuck has connective tissue that breaks down into gelatin, which is why it works in a pressure cooker — 50 minutes and it falls apart instead of staying stringy. About 1.2 kilos, cut into six pieces so they cook evenly.

Vegetable oil. Twenty-five milliliters. Enough to get the pan shimmering without drowning the meat.

Low-sodium beef broth. Seven hundred milliliters. Not the salty stuff — you’re controlling the salt here.

One large red onion and two French shallots, both sliced thin. Onions go soft and sweet, shallots add a mild bite that doesn’t overpower.

Two garlic cloves minced. A five-centimeter piece of fresh ginger sliced thin — don’t grate it, slices stay in the broth longer and release flavor slowly. One lemongrass stalk, bruised and cut into three segments. Two fresh red bird’s eye chilies. Light soy sauce, twenty milliliters. Fish sauce, fifteen milliliters.

For the herb salad: thirty grams coriander, ten grams Thai basil, ten grams fresh mint. Three scallions sliced thin. Two more garlic cloves minced, one red chili deseeded and minced. Lime zest and juice. Lime wedges.

Salt and pepper for the meat. That’s it.

How to Make Instant Pot Pot Roast

Set the pressure cooker to sauté mode. Wait two to three minutes until the oil shimmers — actually shimmers, not just warm. You’ll hear it crackle when the first piece of beef hits the pan.

Brown the beef. All sides. This takes maybe four minutes total if the heat’s right. Listen for that sizzle. You want mahogany brown, almost burnished, not gray. Gray means it steamed instead of seared. Salt and pepper the pieces as they brown. Don’t be shy — the long cooking flattens seasoning.

Pull the beef out. Leave everything else.

Throw in the onions, shallots, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, and chilies. Stir constantly for three to four minutes. The kitchen smells sharp and alive now — ginger cutting through everything, lemongrass getting slightly funky. Onions go translucent and soft. Stop before they brown. Brown aromatics taste bitter once they’ve been under pressure for fifty minutes.

Pour the beef broth in. Scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. All those brown bits stuck on there — that’s flavor, and it’s going into the broth. Add soy sauce and fish sauce now. The fish sauce is pungent and weird smelling on its own. In the broth it’s just salt and umami. Return the beef pieces. Make sure they’re mostly submerged. Some sticking up is fine.

Seal the lid. High pressure, manual mode, fifty minutes. This is longer than some pressure cooker recipes call for, but beef chuck needs it. The meat should shred if you poke it after cooking. If it doesn’t, something’s wrong with your cooker or the meat was huge.

Natural pressure release. At least fifteen minutes. This matters. Quick release and the meat dries out. The residual heat keeps cooking it gently instead of shocking it cold.

Open the lid carefully — steam’s still hot. Remove the beef to a plate.

How to Get the Sauce Right

Pour the braising liquid through a fine sieve. Discard the lemongrass, ginger, chilies, and anything solid. You’re left with clear amber broth that tastes like beef and herbs and fish sauce.

Set the cooker back to sauté mode. Simmer the liquid until it reduces by about thirty percent. This takes ten to twelve minutes. You’re looking for it to coat the back of a spoon without being sticky. Stir often so it reduces evenly, not just on the edges.

The sauce should gloss. Slightly thick but still pourable. If it’s too thin, let it go longer. If it’s too thick, splash some broth back in. Some people add cornstarch here. Don’t. It makes the sauce silky in a way that feels wrong against braised meat. The gloss should come from the gelatin in the broth itself, not from starch.

Return the beef to the sauce. Coat each piece. Let it sit in there for a minute so it absorbs the liquid again.

Instant Pot Stewing Beef Tips and What Goes Wrong

Don’t overcrowd the pan when you’re browning. Beef packed tight just steams gray. Work in batches if you have to. It takes thirty seconds longer but the crust is actually brown.

Lemongrass bruising — hit it hard with the back of a knife. You want cracks running through the stalk so the oils release into the broth. Whole stalks do almost nothing.

The herb salad is not optional. It’s not a garnish. It’s the reason this dish works. Fresh herbs against braised meat. Coriander, mint, basil, the bite of raw garlic and chili, lime acid cutting through all that richness. Chop everything just before serving. If you make it an hour early, the herbs wilt and the lime turns everything bitter.

Fish sauce swap for soy sauce if you’re doing vegetarian. You’ll lose something. The savory depth changes. But it works.

Leftovers are actually better. Cover and refrigerate. Reheat covered on low. The flavors meld overnight instead of staying separate. The herb salad stays fresh — don’t make it ahead. Make it fresh when you reheat and serve.

Squeeze the lime right before eating. Not while you’re cooking. Acid and fresh herbs sitting together for more than a minute and the whole thing goes soggy and tastes metallic.

Listen for the sizzle when beef hits hot oil. Smell the ginger and lemongrass releasing oils during the sauté phase. Watch the beef edges for that mahogany color, never black char. The aromas are sharp and potent — keep ventilation on. But it’s the good kind of chaotic.

Instant Pot Pot Roast with Ginger & Lemongrass

By Emma

Prep:

25 min

Cook:

1h 20min

Total:

1h 45min

Servings:

6 servings

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg boneless beef chuck roast trimmed, cut into 6 pieces
• 25 ml vegetable oil
• 700 ml low-sodium beef broth
• 1 large red onion thinly sliced
• 2 French shallots finely sliced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 5-cm piece fresh ginger sliced thin
• 1 10 cm stalk lemongrass bruised, cut in 3 segments
• 2 fresh red bird’s eye chilies
• 20 ml light soy sauce
• 15 ml fish sauce
• Herb Salad
• 30 g chopped coriander leaves
• 10 g chopped Thai basil
• 10 g chopped fresh mint
• 3 scallions thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 red bird’s eye chili deseeded and minced
• 5 ml lime zest grated
• 25 ml fresh lime juice
• Lime wedges for serving

Method

1. Braised Beef
2. 1 Heat pressure cooker on sauté mode 2-3 minutes until oil shimmers. Brown beef pieces evenly - listen for that hearty sizzle, deep browning for flavor crust. Salt and pepper lightly; remember inferior seasoning leaves flat taste after long cooking.
3. 2 Remove beef, set aside. In same cooker, toss in onions, shallots, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, chilies. Stir fast; aromatics release intense fragrance, onions translucent, about 3-4 minutes - don’t let brown to avoid bitterness.
4. 3 Pour beef broth, deglaze the fond stuck on base; lift all those browned bits. Add soy sauce and fish sauce now for umami boost - oyster sauce replaced here for a lighter but pungent edge. Return beef pieces in.
5. 4 Seal lid, set to meat/poultry or manual high pressure for 50 minutes (a bit longer than usual, watch for fork-tender meat). Natural pressure release at least 15 minutes to avoid meat drying or toughening. If short on time, quick release but expect slightly chewier texture.
6. 5 Open carefully, remove beef to plate. Pour the braising liquid through fine sieve into pan, discard lemongrass, ginger, chilies and solids. Set to sauté simmer, reduce liquid by approx. 30% until glossy and slightly thickened — about 10-12 minutes. Stir often; sauce should coat back of spoon, not watery.
7. 6 Return beef to sauce, coat thoroughly. If sauce feels thin, pinch cornstarch mixed with water to thicken at this point, but avoid starch overuse; ruins clean flavors and mouthfeel.
8. Herb Salad
9. 7 Toss all herb salad ingredients in bowl except lime wedges. Chop herbs fresh just before serving to keep brightness and texture. Garlic and chili finely chopped, for punch but not overpowering.
10. 8 Heap salad on braised beef, squeeze lime wedges generously over all. Lime acidity cuts fat, lifts dish freshness.
11. 9 Serve with steamed jasmine rice or sticky rice, absorbs sauce, balances spice.
12. Tips and Substitutions
13. 10 Use duck fat instead of vegetable oil for richer flavor, skip if avoiding saturated fat. Fish sauce swap for soy sauce for vegetarian adaptation but lose savory depth. Lemongrass bruising essential—pierce stalks with back of knife to release oils.
14. 11 If you lack pressure cooker, slow braise in covered Dutch oven 3 hours @ low heat until meltingly tender. Keep an eye on liquid reduction. Beware overcooking times; beef chuck varies in connective tissue content.
15. 12 Don’t overcrowd when browning beef - goes gray, steams instead of browns. Work batches if needed. Lift all solids on stove before pressure cooking to deepen flavor with fond dissolved in broth.
16. 13 Herb salad not just garnish but integral contrast; herbs wilt rapidly if preassembled too early.
17. 14 Sauce thickness key. Too thin? Simmer longer. Too thick? Splash broth or water back.
18. 15 Adjust chili count according to heat tolerance, but whole bird’s eye chilies in braise mellow with long cooking. Reserved fresh chopped chili in salad keeps fresh heat.
19. 16 Got leftovers? Reheat covered on low – beef benefits from sitting overnight, flavors meld better. Save herb salad fresh; don’t mix in advance.
20. 17 Squeeze lime right before serving or it will turn herbs soggy and bitter.
21. 18 Listen for sizzle when browning. Smell ginger and lemongrass releasing oils during sauté. Watch beef edges caramelizing; look for mahogany, never black burnt spots.
22. 19 Visual check: meat should shred easily when poked after pressure cooking. If tough, cook longer next time or check pressure seals on cooker.
23. 20 Indoor aromatic chaos — keep ventilation on, ginger and chili aroma is sharp and potent but addictive.

Nutritional information

Calories

420

Protein

40g

Carbs

7g

Fat

25g

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Frequently Asked Questions About Instant Pot Pot Roast

Can I use a different cut of beef? Chuck’s the right choice because it has connective tissue that turns to gelatin under pressure. Brisket works. Shorter grain, more chew. Lean cuts like sirloin or tenderloin just get tough and stringy. Not worth it.

What if I don’t have an instant pot? Dutch oven, covered, 325 degrees, three hours. Maybe longer. Check it halfway through. The liquid shouldn’t evaporate — add broth if it does. The meat should shred easily when done. Then reduce the sauce the same way on the stovetop.

Can I make this without fish sauce? Yeah, but it won’t taste the same. Extra soy sauce doesn’t replace it. Fish sauce adds a savory depth that soy can’t match. If you’re vegetarian, skip it. The dish still works, just tastes different.

How do I know when the sauce is thick enough? Dip a spoon in and run your finger across the back. If the line stays instead of flowing back together, you’re done. Some people like it thinner. Some like it thicker. Depends on preference.

Should I brown the beef in batches? If you’re cooking less than a kilo, one batch is fine. More than that and the pan gets crowded. Beef touching beef steams instead of browns. Takes longer but the color matters.

Can I prep this ahead? Brown the beef the day before and store it. Sauté the aromatics the day before. But don’t mix them together until you’re ready to pressure cook. The acids in the fish sauce and lime start breaking down raw vegetables if they sit too long.

What about the herb salad — can I make it earlier? No. Thirty minutes max. Herbs wilt, lime turns them soggy and bitter. Make it when you’re reheating the beef or right before serving.

Why does my meat come out tough? Cooker pressure seal issue, or you didn’t cook it long enough. Beef chuck needs fifty minutes minimum. Check your pressure cooker manual for how to test the seal. Also check the liquid level — if it evaporated during cooking, the meat dries out.