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What Is Rajma Masala?▼
Rajma masala is a North Indian vegetarian curry made with red kidney beans, onions, and tomatoes. The curry gets its deep red colour from the red kidney beans, the tomatoes, ginger and garlic. It’s extremely easy to prepare this curry as the flavours arise from letting it cook and simmer.
Rajma makes for an excellent lunch or dinner. Red kidney beans are an extremely nutritious vegetarian protein source! They’re full of fibre, making them quite filling and satisfying. I used to love having rajma at lunchtime with a mountain of rice!
While you do typically see my pictures of rajma separated from the rice, I’ll be honest and confess after those pictures are taken, I go crazy and mix it up! I plowed through the rajma just so I’d be left with the gravy and the rice. Yes, while I do find the best part actually the gravy and rice, you can’t have that gravy without the red kidney beans in there! I always make my food a mess after these photos - because messy food is fun food, right!
Well, I actually find that all mixed up still looks quite enticing! What do you think? Let me know in the comments, and if you like your food mixed or separated!
Why Make Instant Pot Rajma Masala?
So, why should you use the Instant Pot to make the traditional Rajma Masala? Well, if you’re going to make the traditional stove-top recipe, I recommend you soak your red kidney beans before pressure cooking. Of course, you can get away without soaking, but it will take much longer to get your beans perfectly cooked!
This Instant Pot recipe is an incredible shortcut! Suppose you have an Instant Pot and you’re going to cook your red kidney beans in the Instant Pot. Soaked red kidney beans will take you about 7 minutes to cook in the Instant Pot, while unsoaked beans will take 20. For more details on cooking the best beans in the Instant Pot, be sure to check out my Cooking Instant Pot Lentils & Beans Complete Guide!
That being said, if you’re in a pickle and didn’t soak your beans and you’re really craving rajma for dinner tonight, then might as well cook the whole dish in the Instant Pot, right? You won’t have to dirty extra dishes, and the active time will be very little. You’ll just need to do a bit of preparation before cooking, and then you dump everything in and let the Instant Pot do the work! Finish it off at the very end of the cooking time, and voila! Your hearty curry is now ready for you to enjoy! And let me tell you that this recipe tastes just like the traditional stove-top method! Who can say no to this? If it’ll save time, dishes, and effort, then I’m all for it!
I’ll let you know that it will take about an hour and a half for your rajma to come together, so you will have to bear that in mind. That’s what happens with your red kidney beans that aren’t soaked! While this seems like a long time, however, you can do lots of things in that time! Here are some ideas for how you can pass the time:
- You could prepare your accompanying side dishes
- Do some chores
- Just sit back and watch TV!
Whatever you choose to do in that time, simply let the Instant Pot do the work here and enjoy minimal clean-up and active time!
Tips for Amazing Rajma Masala
- Completely cook out the whole spices to unlock and enhance flavors in the curry
- Thoroughly cook out the masala because this will be the base of the gravy and create all of the amazing flavors in your rajma. Ensure that the ginger, garlic, and onion puree are entirely cooked through with the rajma masala, deggi mirch and salt.
- After the timer of the Instant Pot has gone off, let the pressure release naturally, which will take about 15 minutes. If you don’t do this, your red kidney beans won’t be soft and fully cooked.
- If you are adjusting the consistency of your gravy by adding extra water, make sure to cook the gravy a bit longer so it can reach the desired thickness.
Ingredients for Instant Pot Rajma
As I mentioned earlier, the flavor from rajma masala really comes from the red kidney beans! As your curry is cooking with the beans, the beans will release their flavor. That being said, we don’t need many spices for this recipe. The spices we’ll be using are jeera, hing, deggi mirch, and rajma masala. A little of these will go a long way!
Here’s what you’ll need for this Instant Pot Rajma recipe:
- Rajma/red kidney beans
- onion
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Onion
- Tomatoes
- Cinnamon stick
- Whole cloves
- Cumin seeds
- Rajma masala
- Water
- Deggi mirch
- Salt
- Hing
- Ghee/olive oil
- Garam masala
- Cilantro, for garnish
How to Make Instant Pot Rajma Chawal
- Begin by adding the ginger, garlic, and onion in a food processor with a bit of water. Purée until everything is well combined.
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode and add ghee or olive oil. When the oil is hot, add hing, cumin seeds, bay leaf, cloves and cinnamon. Cook until whole spices become aromatic.
- Add onion, ginger, garlic puree, mix well and add rajma masala and deggi mirch. Continue cooking until the mixture is dry and reddish brown. Add a splash of water if the mixture gets too dry and starts to stick.
- Puree the tomatoes in a food processor. Add the tomato purée, dried red kidney beans, garam masala and salt to taste. Add 2-3 cups of water and mix well.
- Select Cancel on the Instant Pot and close the lid of the Instant Pot. Set the Instant Pot to Bean & Chili mode and set timer to 50 minutes. Ensure that the valve is set to Sealing mode.
- Once the timer is over, let the pressure release naturally (about 15 minutes).
- Adjust for seasoning, and if the consistency of the gravy is too thick, add 1/2 Cup of water at a time to adjust the consistency. Make sure to bring gravy to a simmer for 5-10 minutes to ensure the flavors meld together.
- Garnish with cilantro and enjoy with rice, roti or paratha.
How to Serve Instant Pot Rajma
The “rajma” part of Rajma Chawal is the rice! I usually serve my rajma with Simple Fluffy Basmati Rice. However, if you’re looking to take things up a notch, you could also pair your rajma with Restaurant-Style Jeera Rice. When I’m really looking for a complete and satisfying meal, then I’ll go the extra mile and prepare some Crispy Aloo Bhujia.
I personally never serve my rajma with bread, but here are some breads that you may enjoy your Instant Pot rajma with:
What’s great about this Instant Pot rajma recipe is that it will take 50 minutes plus the time for the pressure to naturally release (about 15 to 20 minutes) for the curry to completely cook. So that means you can sit back Now that’s the dream combo right there! You could also serve with some yogurt and/or your favourite pickle on the side!
Can I Make Instant Pot Rajma Ahead of Time?▼
Of course you can! You can certainly meal prep Instant Pot Rajma! The Instant Pot can hold a lot, so definitely take advantage to make extra if your heart desires! Rajma masala is an excellent dish to make ahead in general. I’ve had some very tasty leftover rajma chawal for breakfast and loved every bite of it! To relive the wonderful experience of this very indulgent vegetarian curry, then go ahead and make multiple portions!
Storing and Freezing Instant Pot Rajma
You can keep cooked rajma masala in the fridge for 3-4 days, or freeze it for up to 6 months. Store remaining portions in an airtight container. Store the rajma masala separate from your rice, and combine together when you’re ready to serve!
Reheating Instant Pot Rajma Chawal
To Reheat From the Refrigerator
In the microwave: Heat uncovered for 2-3 minutes, stirring at 45 second intervals.
Over the stove: Transfer the contents to a pan or pot and bring to a gently simmer over medium low heat.
To Reheat From the Freezer
In the microwave: Heat uncovered for 2-3 minutes, stirring at 45 second intervals.
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