Instant Pot Rajma Masala

5 from 57 votes

Rajma masala, also called rajma, is a hearty and flavorful curry made with red kidney beans. With just 5 minutes of hands-on time, this rajma curry is perfect for busy weeknights or whenever you crave a comforting and satisfying vegan meal.

Prep Time5

Cook Time40

Total Time45

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 144kcal

Author: Shilpa Kerur

Ingredients

2 cups red kidney beans
2 tablespoon oil
1 large onion roughly chopped
2 medium tomatoes roughly chopped
1 inch ginger
3-4 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon chili powder or cayenne
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala (use store-bought or homemade garam masala)
1 teaspoon Kasuri methi dried fenugreek leave
A small pinch hing asafetida
Salt to taste
2 tablespoon cilantro

Instructions

Soak rajma in sufficient water for 8 hours (or overnight). Rinse under running water and set aside.
Grind together onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, hing, ground turmeric, chili powder, ground coriander, and ground cumin using ¼ cup water.
Set the Instant Pot to saute mode and add oil. Add the ground masala paste and salt. Mix well and saute on less for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the soaked rajma and 3 cups of water. Secure the lid of the IP and seal the vent.
Set it to Bean/Chili mode and cook for 30 minutes. Once the Instant Pot beeps, turn it off. Do a natural release of pressure for 10 minutes and then do a quick release.
Add garam masala, crushed Kasuri methi, and cilantro. Mix well. Serve hot with plain steamed rice or jeera rice.

Video

Notes

Traditional rajma masala is made using dried rajma beans. Soak them in enough water beforehand and rinse them in running tap water before using them. Unsoaked beans will take a long time to cook and get the perfect texture.

For every cup of dry beans, we will need 1.5 cups of water. In this recipe, I have used 2 cups of dry rajma and 3 cups of water. Adjust the quantities as per your preference.

To make Indian kidney bean curry using canned kidney beans, follow this recipe, add the cooked beans, and set the Instant Pot to pressure cook mode for 3-4 minutes. The rest of the cooking process remains the same.

You can use the pot-in-pot cooking method to make rice when using canned beans. Place washed rice and water in a small pot and place it on a trivet. Place the trivet on top of the curry before pressure cooking. Rice and the curry will be ready at the same time using this pip method.

You can also use canned beans and make this red kidney bean curry. In that case, adjust the cook time to 3 minutes. The rest of the recipe remains the same.

Do a natural release of the pressure for 10 minutes and then do a quick release. You can also skip the quick release and let the pressure release naturally.

I am using the Bean/Chili mode of my Instant Pot and cooking it for 30 minutes. This gives me soft beans that hold their shape and are not mushy. Alternatively, you can do a manual pressure and adjust the cooking time to 20 minutes.

Nutrition