Rajma (Red Kidney bean curry) in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot. Rajma Masala. Vegan Gluten-free Soy-free Indian Recipe. Jump to Recipe
We dont eat much Rajma at home… Gasp ! I know right. I am a Punjabi (North Indian), and we punjus pretty much live off Rajma and Chole/chana masala every other day.(Rajma: Red kidney beans curry and Chole: Garbanzo bean curry). And to think that hubbs doesn’t like Rajma.. Double gasp!
Yes, there are some very very few things in the world that he doesn’t like. He will eat it, but not with relish. Its all because he had enough Rajma in his 4 years in the college cafeteria, during undergrad.. Lets just say it was bad, watery, undercooked, bland(few more of his choice adjectives) enough to alter hubb’s preferences.
I do make Rajma once in while, with all sorts of dread. Sometimes I make the longer more authentic mom’s version and sometimes a quick version, but usually in limited quantities..:)
This recipe works on him most times, if served hot and spicy.
Quick Rajma (Red Kidney Bean Curry) Vegan Gluten Free
Quick Rajma (Red Kidney bean curry). Indian curried Kidney Beans with spices. Rajma Masala Recipe. Vegan Gluten-free soy-free.
Servings: 2 servings
Calories: 374kcal
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons oil
- 1/2 cup (80 g) onion chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) cumin powder
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) turmeric powder
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) black pepper
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon kashmiri garam masala or garam masala or chana masala blend
- 1 bay leaf
- pinch of asafoetida (hing – optional)
- 1 inch ginger chopped (can be substituted with ginger paste)
- 4 to 5 cloves of garlic peeled and chopped (can be substituted with garlic paste)
- 1/2 (0.5 ) green chili chopped or to taste
- 2 medium tomatoes chopped small
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 15 oz (16 oz) can dark red kidney beans (drained or 2/3 cup dry kidney beans, soaked overnight or atleast 4 hours)
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) rock salt/black salt
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) raw sugar
Instructions
- In a pressure cooker or Instant Pot, add oil and heat on medium heat. Add onions.
- Cook until onions are translucent. Add in the spices, kashmiri garam masala, bay leaf, asofetida, chili, ginger, garlic and mix well for half a minute.
- Add in the chopped tomato and cook on medium low on stove top, partially covered with occasional stirring for 10-12 minutes, till tomatoes are mushy and leave the sides of the pan. (In the Instant pot, add a generous splash of water and stir frequently to cook until tomatoes are tender)
- Add in the lemon juice salt, sugar and red kidney beans and 1 cup of water for cooked and 1.5 cups of water for soaked kidney beans.
- Pressure cook for 2 whistles on medium high and 3 to 4 whistles on medium-low heat for uncooked soaked beans. (Manual 15 minutes for cooked/canned, 25 minutes for uncooked soaked beans, at high pressure.). Let the pressure release naturally. Mash some of the kidney beans with the spatula.
- Serve hot topped with lemon wedges, cilantro, garam masala and Rotis or Naans(flat breads) or fresh Basmati rice. Quick and fun everyday Kidney beans curry.
Notes
Nutritional value is based on 1 serving
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Quick Rajma (Red Kidney Bean Curry) Vegan Gluten Free
Amount Per Serving
Calories 374 Calories from Fat 45
% Daily Value*
Fat 5g8%
Sodium 600mg26%
Potassium 1263mg36%
Carbohydrates 63g21%
Fiber 19g79%
Sugar 6g7%
Protein 21g42%
Vitamin A 1270IU25%
Vitamin C 24.8mg30%
Calcium 85mg9%
Iron 7.5mg42%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
escribble says
September 15, 2011 at 11:17 pmI am a Punjabi too, but I hail from Malaysia.
I just ate Rajma for the very first time in my life, a week ago (GASP!) and don’t very much relish it. Perhaps I grew up eating it as sweet dessert.
Your recipe does look more delicious than my first attempt at cooking it 🙂
http://kirantarun.com/blog
Kirsten says
September 16, 2011 at 12:02 amThis looks SO good! Can’t wait to make it 🙂
jess says
September 16, 2011 at 1:05 amricha, this looks gorgeous! kidney beans are generally my least favourite of all the legumes, but i think i will be trying this rajma!
Kalyani's Platter says
September 16, 2011 at 6:48 amlooks healthy and delicious ……
Padhu says
September 16, 2011 at 8:31 amlooks so yummy
Rosa's Yummy Yums says
September 16, 2011 at 9:42 amSo tasty and healthy! A wonderful curry.
Cheers,
Rosa
Ricki says
September 16, 2011 at 7:19 pmI’m not Punjabi, but I think I could live off this every day! It sounds amazing. Thanks so much for submitting to WW this week! 🙂
Richa says
September 16, 2011 at 7:22 pmThanks Kiran, you should try it. it might take some time to adjust to a savory rajma.. but hopefully it will be worth it!
Thanks Kirsten and Jess. Do let me know how the curry turns out!
Thanks Padhu, Kalyani and Rosa.
Thanks Ricki. Always a pleasure to link up with WW.
Sobha Shyam says
September 16, 2011 at 8:34 pmi love rajma and likes to have them with roti, ur version of rajma sounds delicious..
Junia says
September 17, 2011 at 2:57 amwow this curry looks delicious!!! i can’t imagine why he wouldn’t like it, but then again, i guess we all have those things we’ve eaten too much that we’ve gotten sick of!
Sunshine And Smile says
September 17, 2011 at 3:25 amthis is my husband’s fav meal. Not much mine though but these days I enjoy it too! 🙂
vintagemom says
September 17, 2011 at 2:15 pmThanks for coming to my lunchbox party! Hope to see you next Friday 🙂
Lisa @ Allergy Free Vintage Cookery
Vaishali says
September 17, 2011 at 6:24 pmI love rajma, although Desi’s a bit iffy about it. Yours look super, and good to know it’s quick.
sangeeta says
September 18, 2011 at 6:20 amLoved your blog!!!
Rajma chawal is an all time favorite, a comfort food for me 🙂
Your pictures look fabulous.
Richa says
September 19, 2011 at 11:48 pmthank you Sobha, Junia, Vaishali, Lisa, kankana and Sangeeta!
Nony says
October 3, 2011 at 6:02 amRajma with rice is my favorite!! Great recipe! PS…I just had a quick look at the other 2 blogs you listed..and i love them!! Animal cruelty is so heart breaking. It’s nice to see that you’re doing everything you can on your end and getting the word out 🙂
Also, I’m from Seattle area as well, I go to school out in Boston for now. But maybe I’ll run into some day (probably at an animal rights event hehe) when I’m visiting home 🙂
Richa says
October 3, 2011 at 6:09 amThanks Nony. I am trying to do what i can.. seems less some days.. but trying..
do ping me when you are around.. tweet me at betit19 or mail me at richahingle at gmail.
stang05 says
June 1, 2012 at 1:47 pmWell this looks really good to me…not sure what one would not like about it?? Everbody to their own(right). When I started out 3yrs ago towards full-time vegetarianism I followed an Auyervedic way of eating,,,but not long after went to vegan then more high raw….but when I do a cooked meal this would be something I would do….love your site and recipes…thx
Adrienne says
February 24, 2013 at 12:23 amMaking this right now – thanks!!!
Nayanisha says
July 8, 2014 at 3:14 amThat looks perfect for mid-week dinner! Just wondering if it would be the same steps without a pressure cooker? I would assume it takes longer…?
Richa says
July 8, 2014 at 3:51 amsoak the kidney beans overnight if using dry beans. they will take more water and longer to break down on stove top. the canned beans will work better without a pressure cooker. cook for 30 minutes or so. mash some of the beans and serve.
Alex C. says
November 30, 2015 at 7:07 pmWe made the beans tonight. Delicious! But we noticed a mistake. The ingredients list 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, but the instructions never refer to the juice. We just assumed we were supposed to add it at the end.
Richa says
November 30, 2015 at 9:54 pmGreat! Thanks for letting me know. fixed it.
Jack says
March 20, 2016 at 1:36 pmThis recipe is excellent. It was delicious!
Heather says
November 6, 2016 at 2:36 pmHow much water should I use if I’m using dried beans in a pressure cooker (InstantPot)?
Richa says
November 6, 2016 at 6:11 pmyou would use about 3/4 cup dried and 3 times the amount water to pressure cook
April Hall says
May 2, 2017 at 4:28 pmI made this a while ago, and it was very tasty. I wanted to make it again, but didn’t have kidney beans. But I do have a big ol bag of pinto beans, so I used those. It’s great! Yum!! So if you don’t have kidney beans or just don’t like them very much, have a go at this recipe using pinto beans, or even some other kind of beans.
CHERYL K OSLIN says
January 22, 2019 at 8:47 pmI finally made this tonight and it turned out wonderful! Thank you for all your delicious recipes! 😊
yvonne says
June 30, 2019 at 12:23 pmHiya! I dont have a pressure cooker. But out for dinner at the new indian restaurant in town I had this curry and I loved it!! Can I make it on the stove? And how would I do that? Also, do you have a regular recipe? Haha, Im in no rush if it adds flavor!
Richa says
July 1, 2019 at 1:33 pmYes you can. Follow the steps in a saucepan over medium heat and use cooked/canned kidney beans. Add 1 cup of water and the beans to the sauce mixture and cook partially covered for 13 to 15 mins or until the flavor develops and the beans soften a bit. you can blend a half cup of the bean and sauce to thicken if needed and simmer for another few mins
Satin says
February 2, 2021 at 7:54 amDear Richa, I’ve grown up with my mum’s Punjabi rajma but this is hands down the best I’ve tasted (sorry mum!). I added some cooked cubed potato towards the end as the kids like potato in their curries. . Another 5 stars from me! Thank you from a busy mum raising an exclusively vegan family 😍