Rajma Masala – Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker

Rajma chawal is one of the regulars at any punjabi house. A delicious and easy rajma masala recipe good to serve with naan, roti, chapathi, plain rice or Jeera rice. Red kidney beans are known as Rajma in Indian language and are used to make North Indian rajma masala, an onion tomato based gravy that is either made to thick or thin consistency to suit ones taste or liking.
Below is the list of ingredients to prepare perfect Rajma Masala:
Rajma 1 Cup (16 tbs), soaked
Onion 1 Large, pureed
Ghee 1 Tablespoon
Oil 1 Tablespoon
Cumin seeds 1 Teaspoon
Turmeric powder 1⁄4 Teaspoon
Ginger garlic paste 1 Tablespoon
Tomato 4 , pureed
Red chilli powder To Taste
Coriander cumin powder 1 Teaspoon
Salt To Taste
Garam masala To Taste
Water 2 Cup (32 tbs) (use as required)
Coriander leaves To Taste


Kidney beans are fat free, an excellent source of molybdenum. They are a very good source of folate, dietary fiber and copper. Kidney beans are a good source of manganese, phosphorus, protein, vitamin B1, iron, potassium and magnesium.
I usually prefer to stock dry kidney beans. Soak overnight and use in recipes to speed up the cooking time.

I use pressure cooker whenever I prepare beans curries as they require long time to cook. You can use electric or stove top pressure cooker for this recipe and follow the same ingredients/directions.

Rajma Masala

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Author: Bhavna

Ingredients

  • 1 cup dried kidney beans , soaked overnight
  • 3 cups water or as needed
  • 2 tbsp ghee or 1 tbsp Oil + 1 tbsp Ghee
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 large onion , pureed with little water
  • 4 medium tomatoes , pureed with little water
  • 1 tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste
  • 1 tsp Coriander Cumin powder (Dhaniya Jeera)
  • Red Chili Powder to taste
  • Garam Masala to taste
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/4-1/2 tsp turmeric
  • ¼ cup cilantro

Instructions

  • Rinse and then soak beans in water overnight or at least for 8 hours.
  • Set electric cooker Pot for “Sauté” or stove top pot over med-high heat, add Oil +ghee.
  • When ghee is melted, add Cumin Seeds and let it get dark brown, add Haldi (Turmeric) and add onion puree. Stir and let it cook.
  • Add Ginger garlic paste, salt and cook little further for about a minute or so.
  • When onion starts getting brown, add tomato puree and cook until reduced and oil is separating from mixture, about 10 minutes.
  • Add rest of the powdered spices, red chili powder, Garam Masala, Coriander cumin. Stir.
  • Add beans with water. If using an Instant Pot, set to Beans/Chili and cook for 25-30 minutes, then letting the steam release naturally until the float valve drops. If using a regular pot on the stove, cook for about an hour or so, checking periodically until beans are cooked through and soft.