Rajma Masala in Instant Pot (Indian Kidney Bean Curry)

Rajma Masala is a North Indian Curry recipe made with Kidney Beans in an onion tomato gravy base. A healthy, protein rich main course vegetarian and vegan curry best served with steamed Basmati Rice and salad.

Rajma, quite similar to Chole is a staple curry in a North Indian household. Some grind fresh spices for the curry whereas some opt for store bought, just like I have. It is also one of the most ordered dish at Indian restaurants. It frankly does not need any side dish, a simple chopped salad would suffice.

My husband loves all things legumes and beans. Chana Masala and Rajma tops his list which means we make this once or twice a month and mostly on weekends.

Since I am not a North Indian, I do not claim that this recipe is authentic Punjabi Style Rajma Masala. This is something my mother made, very similar to the Chana Masala recipe on the blog and I have just followed her footsteps.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instant Pot Rajma made in Bean / Dal Mode
• Canned Kidney Beans or Pre-cooked Rajma
• Rajma Masala With Pressure Cooker
• Rajma Masala Without Pressure Cooker
• Rajma Masala Without Soaking
• Rajma Masala Without Onion and Garlic
• Step by Step Instructions
• Serving Suggestions
• Ways to use Leftover Rajma Masala
• Other Instant Pot Recipes to try
• Rajma Masala in Instant Pot (Indian Kidney Bean Curry)

If you are fans of Kidney Beans, you should try Rajma Pulao (One Pot Rice Dish) and Rajma Sundal which is a South Indian Snack with cooked kidney beans and coconut.

Kidney Beans are rich in plant-based protein and keeps you fuller for longer. It is perfect for weeknight dinners, weekend meals with family or entertaining as well.

Ingredients

• Kidney Beans - Highly recommended to use soaked beans for 8 hours or overnight. Always drain the water used for soaking. Use fresh water to cook.
• Onion - Tomato Gravy Base with Ginger- Garlic-Green Chilli paste
• Spices - Turmeric Powder, Red Chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala powder. You can add store bought ready Rajma Masala instead of garam masala, if you like.
• Coriander leaves

In the past, I have cooked Rajma in a pressure cooker and the gravy base separately on stove top. With the addition of Instant Pot in the kitchen, this curry was made easily in an easy dump-and-go method.

Perfectly cooked buttery kidney beans were a huge hit at home and the best part about Instant pot is that there is zero monitoring and less utensils to wash in the sink!

Instant Pot Rajma made in Bean / Dal Mode

The best feature about the Instant Pot is the Bean / Dal function. This automatically sets the cook time to 30 minutes High Pressure. The Kidney beans are buttery soft and cook perfectly well. You can manually set the temperature to Pressure Cook Mode on High for 30 mins too.

Since I am experimenting with various features of Instant Pot, I thought of using the bean / dal mode and share the details on the blog.

Rajma with Fresh tomatoes or Tomato Puree

I use home made tomato puree instead of chopped tomatoes especially for curry or gravy recipes.

It is simple and effortless. Just grind the roughly chopped tomatoes (without any water) into a thick puree and use. Since I opt for minimally processed ingredients in the kitchen, this works for me.

If you are busy, store bought tomato puree would work just fine.

Canned Kidney Beans or Pre-cooked Rajma

Since canned beans are pre-cooked, the cooking time reduces substantially. Just rinse the canned beans under tap water, drain and cook the Rajma Masala on High Pressure for 5 minutes only. The same is also applicable if you have some leftover cooked Kidney Beans in your refrigerator.

Rajma Masala With Pressure Cooker

If you use a pressure cooker, this requires 2 whistles on high and then reduce the flame to low and cook for another 10 minutes.

Rajma Masala Without Pressure Cooker

Cooking Rajma or Kidney Beans on Stove Top is time consuming and requires constant monitoring. However, in case you do not have an instant pot or pressure cooker, this is the next best option.

For the quantity mentioned in the recipe below, it would take atleast 45 minutes for just cooking the beans.

To check if the beans have cooked, test by taking out one bean and mashing it using a fork. If the centre is still firm or hard, it will require further cooking.

Rajma Masala Without Soaking

Though I do not recommend cooking any beans without soaking, if you are hard-pressed for time or have forgotten to soak kidney beans overnight, you can cook the rajma on High Pressure for 1 hour and 15 minutes. NPR for 10 minutes OR do a manual pressure release.

While cooking, you can add a pinch or 1/8th tsp of Baking Soda for buttery soft Kidney beans.

Note - Soaking beans aids in easy digestion. Kidney Beans take a while to digest so would recommend using canned beans, pre-cooked beans or opt for soaking method.

Rajma Masala Without Onion and Garlic

Skip the Ginger Garlic Paste and the onions from the recipe. Add extra tomatoes if you like and balance the tartness with some sugar.

Step by Step Instructions

(1) Soak 1 cup of Kidney Beans (Rajma) in atleast 3 cups of water for 8 hours or overnight.

(2) Next morning, drain the water, rinse and keep aside.

(3) Switch on the Instant Pot Saute Mode and once it displays "On" or "Hot", add oil and cumin seeds.

(4) Once cumin seeds toasts well, add the finely chopped onions and the Ginger-Garlic-Green Chilli Paste. Saute well until the onions soften a bit.

(5) Add the tomato Puree and the spices (turmeric, red chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala powder). Mix well and let it cook for a couple of minutes.

(6) Now add the soaked and drained rajma or kidney beans, water and salt to taste. Mix once and ensure the sides have been scraped off all masala. CANCEL Saute Mode. Close the lid and adjust vent to sealing position.

(7) Press Dal / Bean Mode. It automatically sets the time for 30 minutes High Pressure Cooking.

(8) After 30 minutes, release the pressure manually. Open the lid. Switch off the Instant Pot, add finely chopped coriander leaves, mix once and serve.

Recipe Notes

• If you want to thicken the gravy after it has pressure cooked, switch on Saute Mode and allow it to cook for a couple of minutes (stirring in between). The volume of liquid will reduce and you will get a thicker gravy.
• The recipe can be easily doubled or tripled (it will take the same time to cook).
• It is freezer-friendly and also stays fresh in the refrigerator for 3- 4 days when stored in an airtight container.
• Always re-heat only the amount of curry you wish to consume using a clean dry spoon in a microwave oven or stove top.

Serving Suggestions

This curry tastes best with Rice. Serve the curry with Jeera Rice, Plain Basmati Rice or Green Peas Pulao.

It can also be served with Roti, Chapati, Naan, Plain Paratha or Spring Onion Paratha as well.

Ways to use Leftover Rajma Masala

As in case of most curries, Rajma tastes best the next day. However, if you like to experiment and please your family, you can try these options.

1. I always make Paratha's for breakfast using leftover rajma. I grind the curry into a thick puree, add it to a bowl of flour, season it with salt and a few spices (turmeric, chilli) and add some sesame seeds or carom seeds. Knead the dough and then roll out thick parathas and cook with ghee.
2. Making cutlets or vegetable cakes are another great option. The curry needs to be ground well and added to a mix of boiled and mashed potatoes, bread crumbs or ground oats and roasted chickpea flour for binding. They make amazing patties for burgers and wraps.

Other Instant Pot Recipes to try

• Black Eyed Peas Curry in Instant Pot or Lobia Masala - Gluten Free, Low Oil, Vegetarian and Vegan Curry made with cow peas.
• Instant Pot Vegetable Biryani - Perfect weekend one pot meal. Serve with Onion Raita.
• Instant Pot Dal Makhani - A Vegan recipe without the dairy-cream or butter. Made with Kidney beans and Black Gram, this hearty North Indian Dal recipe is a crowd pleaser.

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We will be back again with yet another exciting recipe .. Until then, stay healthy and happy!

Vidya Narayan