This restaurant style recipe is aromatic, lightly spiced, creamy, delicious and nutritious. The kidney beans are cooked in a delicious, flavorful onion tomato gravy till they are buttery soft, and melt-in-the-mouth. It’s normally prepared on the stovetop and the rajma is cooked in a Pressure Cooker. But now I have started making this kidney beans curry in the Instant Pot. While you can serve this rajma curry with any Indian bread but what tops the list is to serve it over a bed of hot steaming white rice. YUM!
It’s a one-pot mealAn easy dump-and-go methodVery nourishing and wholesomeVegan and gluten-free beans recipeComforting weeknight mealRich in protein and fiberCooking rajma in the Instant Pot saves on time and effortNeeds basic pantry essentials
Every family has it’s own way of making this vegan curry and this is how we make it. Ever since I got the Instant Pot, I make rajma masala in it.
I love that cooking in the Instant Pot means zero monitoring and fewer dishes to wash! But I understand that not all own an Instant pot, so I have included the stovetop version as well.
I prefer dry beans over canned ones because they are healthier, contains less sodium, no preservatives plus they are cheaper.
Veggies and herbs like onions, and tomatoes, garlic, green chillies, cilantro, and ginger are the other basic ingredients you will need to make the masala base.
Spices - cumin seeds, Kasuri Methi, bay leaf, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala, turmeric, amchur powder and chilly powder are the few spices you will need.
Heat oil in a pan, temper mustard seeds. Once they crackle, add the onion paste. Fry for a minute and then add the tomato paste or puree. Continue to fry for a minute or two. Then add the dry spices like turmeric powder, dhania jeera powder, chilly powder, and amchur powder. Cook for 2 minutes and then add the cooked kidney beans. Mix well together and cook for another 2 minutes. Lastly add crushed Kasuri methi and garam masala. Take it off the flame and garnish with chopped cilantro along with some lemon juice. You can also mash some of the beans to make it thicker, but the curry will thicken as it cools.
Make it a complete meal by serving it with cucumber salad, chaas and roasted papad.
Alternatively, you can also serve this Instant Pot Rajma with brown rice, cooked quinoa, bulgur or cauliflower rice for a low-carb meal.
Rajma Chawal is perfect for weeknight dinners, weekend meals with family, lunchbox, potluck or entertaining as well.
Add more veggies like potatoes, bell peppers, carrots to this rajma masala to make it more wholesome but it will not be authentic rajma masala.
Instead of red kidney beans, you can use any other beans. In place of chopped tomatoes, you can also use tomato puree or sauce. Add a teaspoon of sugar to balance the tartness.
While cooking, you can add ⅛th teaspoon of Baking Soda for buttery soft Kidney beans. Instead of tomatoes, you can also add tomato paste.
The cooking time remains the same even if you double the recipe. Just double the liquid when you double the quantity of beans.
I sometimes add spinach puree or cut spinach to this gravy to make rajma palak. It’s a great way of adding greens to your food. You can try that too.
Like this recipe? Please show your love by leaving a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating below!
You can also follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest to see more delicious vegetarian and vegan recipes and what I’m getting up to.
