Rajma Masala is what I call my “rainy day curry” because I always have the ingredients in my pantry and don’t need a plan to pull together a wholesome and tasty meal. This vegetarian comfort food turns a few simple ingredients into a richly spiced bean curry with delicious tomato gravy that just begs to be sopped up with rice and parathas.
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What is Rajma?
Rajma is a Hindi word for Red Kidney Beans. The curry made with red kidney beans is also called Rajma or Rajma Masala.
Served with brown rice, Rajma Curry is a delicious way to enjoy a classic, comforting dish. The simple pot-in-pot method makes this recipe a true one-pot wonder. Beans and rice are a timeless combination, and Rajma Chawal (red kidney beans curry with rice) is a perfect example of why this duo works so well together!
Ingredient Spotlight
- Red Kidney Beans - dark or light kidney beans work in this recipe. I prefer to use dry beans, check the detailed recipe card on how to make this curry using canned beans.
- Aromatics - finely chopped yellow onion, ginger and garlic.
- Spices - whole cumin seeds, turmeric, red chili powder, ground coriander powder, and garam masala. I also have shared Mom's Garam Masala, our special family recipe, or try my Easy 5-Ingredient Garam Masala that is ready in 10 minutes and all you need is black peppercorns, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and cumin.
To Soak or Not to Soak
This Rajma Masala recipe calls for soaking dry red kidney beans which not only cut the cooking time in half but also helps them cook evenly. No time to soak beans? No Problem! See below for all my tips on doing an instant soak or skipping the soak and extending the cooking time. We used dried beans to avoid the extra salt in canned beans and achieve that perfect soft creamy texture inside the beans that comes from proper cooking.
How to Make Rajma Masala
Here is a step-by-step process with photos of how to cook Rajma curry in the Instant Pot. In the recipe card notes, I have also included a stovetop version
- Set Instant Pot to Saute mode and heat ghee. Add cumin seeds and allow them to sizzle, for about 1 minute. Press the Cancel button to turn off the Instant Pot.
- Add onion, ginger, garlic, green chili, onions, tomato puree, soaked beans, salt, coriander powder, turmeric, red chili powder, garam masala, and water. Give a quick stir.
- To make the optional pot in pot brown rice: Add brown rice, water, and salt in a stainless steel bowl. Place a tall trivet inside the Instant Pot. Place the rice bowl on top of the trivet.
- Close the Instant Pot lid with Steam Release to Sealing. Set Instant Pot to Bean/Chili mode and adjust the cooking time to 30 minutes. Allow natural pressure release.
- Open the Instant Pot lid, take out the rice bowl, and trivet.
Serving
Garnish the rajma with cilantro. Serve hot with brown rice for a delicious gluten-free vegetarian meal. Or serve it with homemade parathas, or naan alongside a crunchy salad.
Storing
Rajma Masala is a great make-ahead recipe. If making it for a party, you can easily make it a day before and refrigerate it overnight. Reheat it on the stovetop until it comes to a boil and is heated through. Refrigerate leftover Rajma curry for up to 5 days. You can also freeze rajma in freezer-safe containers for up to 2 months.
Substitutes
- A good brand of store-bought tomato puree like Pomi strained tomatoes, is convenient, a time-saver, and adds a beautiful red hue to the curry. You can also roughly chop 2 ripe tomatoes and puree them in a blender.
- Don't have time to soak Rajma? Rinse and drain dry rajma. Follow the recipe as is except add an extra half a cup of water and pressure cook for 50 minutes followed by natural pressure release.
- Want to use canned kidney beans? Saute the onions and cumin seeds in ghee for 5 minutes or until the onions get translucent. Then add the remaining ingredients, reduce the water to half a cup, and add only one teaspoon of kosher salt. Pressure cook for 5 minutes followed by natural pressure release. Instead of brown rice, you can cook white rice with a shortened pressure cooking time.
- To make Vegan Rajma, use oil instead of ghee.
Pro Tips
- No time to soak the beans for 4 to 6 hours? Here is another trick to instantly soak them. Bring 3 cups of water to a gentle boil. Add rinsed beans and keep covered for 30 minutes.
- Hard water can make softening the beans more difficult so make sure to use bottled water to cook rajma. Organic beans or older/poor quality beans may need an extra 5 to 10 minutes of pressure cook time. Make sure to buy smaller quantities of beans and use them within a year of purchase.
More Bean Recipes
Did you enjoy this quick and easy curry? Here are some more lentil and bean recipes to try:
- Lobia curry - Curried black-eyed peas
- Matki chi Usal - Spicy sprouted beans curry
- Dal Makhani - Creamy black gram and kidney beans curry
- Chana Masala - North Indian Chickpea Curry or Chole
- Chana Saag - Chickpeas with greens in a tangy onion-tomato-based sauce
Recipe
Rajma Curry with Brown Rice
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry rajma/red kidney beans soaked for 6 hours or overnight **
- 1 tablespoon ghee or oil for Vegan
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 yellow onion diced finely
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste grated
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste minced
- 1 teaspoon hot green chili minced
- 1 cup tomato puree
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1½ cups water
- ½ cup chopped cilantro for garnish
Pot in Pot Brown Rice (optional)
- 1 cup brown rice rinsed and drained
- 1¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Rinse and soak dry Rajma for 6 hours or overnight in a covered container.
- Set Instant Pot to Saute mode and heat ghee. Add cumin seeds and allow them to sizzle, for about 1 minute. Press the Cancel button to turn off the Instant Pot.
- Add onion, ginger, garlic, green chili, onions, tomato puree, kidney beans, salt, coriander powder, turmeric, red chili powder, garam masala, and water. Give a quick stir.
- Optional Pot in pot brown rice: Add rice, water, and salt in a stainless steel bowl. Place a tall trivet inside the Instant Pot. Place the rice bowl on top of the trivet.
- Close the Instant Pot lid with Steam Release to Sealing. Set Instant Pot to Bean/Chili mode and adjust the cooking time to 30 minutes. Allow natural pressure release.
- Open the Instant pot, take out the rice bowl, and trivet.
- Garnish the rajma with cilantro. Serve hot with rice or parathas.
Notes
- Organic beans or older/poor quality beans may need an extra 5 to 10 minutes of pressure cook time
- Use filtered water for soft-cooked kidney beans
- You can substitute store-bought tomato puree with homemade by roughly chopping 2 ripe tomatoes and pureeing them in a blender
- Forgot to soak the beans? Add an extra half a cup of water and increase the pressure cook time to 50 minutes followed by natural pressure release
- No time to soak the beans for 4 to 6 hours? To instantly soak rajma, bring 3 cups of water to a gentle boil. Add rinsed beans and keep covered for 30 minutes.
- Want to use canned kidney beans? Saute the onions and cumin seeds in ghee for 5 minutes or until the onions get translucent. Then add the remaining ingredients, reduce the water to half a cup and add only one teaspoon of kosher salt. Pressure cook for 5 minutes followed by natural pressure release. You can cook pot-in-pot white rice with the shortened pressure cooking time
- To make Vegan Rajma, use oil instead of ghee.
- Stove Top Recipe - Rajma masala can also be cooked in a stovetop pressure cooker. Follow the recipe up to step 3. Then pressure cook for 4 whistles on medium heat. Garnish with cilantro.
Maneesha says
Simply delicious! Love it, Archana! I added some lemon juice at the end and paired it with basmati rice. I love your Instant pot Indian recipes!
Archana says
Thank you so much for the lovely feedback!
Helaine says
Hi,
I've made many of your recipes so I thought I'd try this one tonight. I noticed that it called for red chili powder but
it's not listed in the ingredients so I was sure how much to put in. Also, I probably should know this, but where do
I find hot green chili?
Archana says
Hi Helaine, you are right. I had missed adding the red chili powder to the ingredient list. It should be 1 teaspoon of mild red chili powder. I have updated the recipe card. Hot green chilies are available in Indian grocery stores. You can also substitute with serrano or jalapenos.
Jack says
I found myself on my own cooking for dinner for one- and decided to try this recipe. I've never used an instapot, but the directions looked simple enough, so I followed it step by step. I grew up vegetarian and then married into a meat and potatoes family, so this was a safe bet for me to try on my own. I used a jalapeno pepper. I love the simplicity, the spices are perfect, and the brown rice adds such a nice wholesome flavor offset to the spicy bean curry. I used 1/4t of cayanne pepper where the red chile powder is called for in step 3 because red chile powder was not in the ingredients list and I found the cayanne powder first in my cabinet when I got to that step. Just enough heat and bursting with flavor. So perhaps I'll pair it with scrambled eggs for breakfast and put it over a baked potato for dinner tomorrow so that none of it goes to waste. Terriffic!!
Archana says
Thank you SO much for your detailed review.
Neil Carlson says
Delicious! I used canned beans and followed the instructions for that option. The liquid amount seemed too little, though. Was I supposed to drain the beans or not? I'll try dry beans next time.
Archana says
I would drain out the beans when using canned. I am so glad you enjoyed it.
Amy says
If using canned kidney beans, what weight should be used? Thanks!
Archana says
2 cans which are 30 oz. Make sure to pressure cook for only 5 mins. Also rinse and drain the beans.
Mark H says
Wouldn’t it b pe better to sauté the onions first (even if using dry beans)?
Archana says
You can saute if you like! But the longer pressure cooking time makes that step completely optional. I have tried both ways and there is no difference in taste and texture.
rita says
good recipe. I don't have an instant pot, but used my pressure cooker. translated well, came out tasty
Archana says
Thank you Rita!
Shaina Bhumitra says
Hi archana you are a life saver. You taught me how to cook! Normally you’re recipes show how much time to let natural release before opening but it does not say it here. How long do I leave it for?
Archana says
Hi Shaina, You can allow 10 to 15 minutes of natural pressure release for this recipe.
Lisa says
Awesome and adaptable! I added a lot more spice, because we like a huge kick, and stirred some chopped baby spinach in at the end for a little extra nutrition.
I even used extra long white basmati, and just did a forced release after 5.minutes, and it turned out amazing! Love that pot in pot method!
Archana says
Amazing! Love the idea of adding chopped baby spinach. I often do that in my dal and bean recipes.
This Canadian Mom Cooks Indian says
Turned out delish. Your recipe card does not mention what to do with the second cumin spice, so I omitted and it was still tasty.
Archana says
So glad you enjoyed it! Cumin seeds are added to ghee 🙂
GT says
Tried the recipe today and it turned out sooo tasty!!!! Hubby loves rajma and I always get the frozen ones from Indian store but tried this recipe today and he loved it!! Thank you for sharing.
Archana says
You are most welcome!
Olsen says
Does your nutrition information include the rice?
Archana says
Yes! It includes brown rice too.
Luisa Moore says
Truly a great rajma, well done! I’ve made this SO many times now. It’s my favourite version, hands down
Archana Mundhe says
Thank you Luisa!