How to make Rajma In Instant pot

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Instant Pot Rajma- One Pot Punjabi Rajma made without soaking Dried Kidney Beans in Pressure Cooker. Vegan,Gluten Free Indian instant pot recipe

I never thought making Rajma will get so easy. There is no soaking and no endless sauteing to make the masala.

There are obvious virtues in making a proper Rajma Masala but making Instant Pot Rajma without Soaking with the least effort possible has been my goal for as long as I can remember!

This is a shortcut method.

Why make Rajma In Instant Pot

This method is sort of OPOS- One Pot One Shot Instant Pot recipe.You put the dried kidney beans along with a puree of tomatoes and onions and pressure cook it all together for 65 minutes on HIGH.

At the end of 65 minutes, you add the Spice and chickpea flour( Besan )mix to make the gravy thick & bring it to boil.That’s it.

It’s a 95 % hands free recipe.60 minutes out of the total 72 minutes is inactive time .Meaning you don’t have to do anything and can spend that time doing to laundry or watching Netflix!

Oh also! no chopping onions or tomatoes! What a win!

How to make Rajma In Instant Pot

Ingredients for Rajma

• Dried Kidney Beans/Rajma
• Vegetables – Onions,tomato,ginger & Garlic
• Indian Spices -Black Cardamom,Bay Leaf,Chilli powder,dried Mango powder,Garam Masala and Kasoori Methi

A note on the Spices- If you can’t find all the spices, simply omit and make the curry without them.

How to make Kidney Beans without soaking in the instant pot

Step 1: Wash the Dried kidney beans(Rajma).

Step 2:Puree the onions, tomatoes,ginger and garlic into a smooth paste.(1,2)

Step 3: USing the SAUTE mode, heat the oil.Add the bay leaf, cumin and black cardamom.(3)

Step 4: Add the puree, Rajma and water in the inner pot of your instant pot and saute for 3-4 minutes till the puree turns reddish orange.(4,5).

Step 5:Add the dried Rajma along with salt and 3 cups of water(6,7)

Step 6: Cancel Saute and Select PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL HIGH option, Close the lid..Pressure cook on HIGH pressure for 65 minutes with the steam valve at SEALED position followed by Quick Release.

Step 5:Add the spice mix, give it a mix and let it boil once in sauté setting.Squeeze a whole lime and check the salt etc.(8)

Garnish with Coriander and serve hot.

A Faster Rajma in instant pot

You can make a faster version of this curry but simply soaking the rajma overnight. Soaking will do two things

1. Make the Rajma cook evenly.
2. Halve the pressure cooking time.

It also helps when you have older kidney beans. They tend to be a little more difficult to cook.

Dietary Details of Rajma

This curry is

• Vegan(if you use oil instead of ghee)
• Gluten Free and very healthy.

Tips and Tricks

• This curry can be made a whole lot faster by soaking the kidney beans overnight. Follow the same steps except set the pressure cooking time to 20 minutes instead.
• If you can’t find a certain spice- simply omit it.
• Make sure you puree the onions, tomatoes, ginger and garlic well.This will ensure a smooth and silky gravy.
• Type of Kidney Beans- I have used light brown colour kidney beans but feel free to use the dark brown/maroon beans for the same recipe.
• Chickpea Flour – This ingredient thickens the gravy.If you can’t find it, replace it with cornstarch instead.Mix cornstarch in 2 tbsp of water before adding.
• Make sure the kidney beans are not too old.If they are old- they will take longer to cook.

How to serve Instant Pot Rajma

Serve the Rajma with Chappatis or Steamed Rice.I usually love it with simple Jeera Rice.

Rajma Rice(Rajma Chawal) is a very famous indian combination.It’s a dish thats made almost weekly in most north indian households.

I use a 6 qts instant pot and I love it! If you are in India and are looking to understand how I use it here, you should read my post on instant pot in India.

More Instant Pot Lentil Recipes

Instant Pot Chana
Instant Pot Kali Dal aka Dal Makhani
Instant Pot Langarwali Dal
Instant Pot Toor Dal
Instant Pot Dal Palak

Here are some More Indian Instant Pot Rice Recipes

Instant Pot Jeera Rice
Instant Pot Ghee Rice

Also, read about my experiment with making Perfect Instant Pot Basmati Rice & Instant Pot Sona Masoori Rice.

Read about how to make indian food in Instant Pot in detail here

Part 1: Instant Pot for Indian Cooking

Part 2: Which Instant Pot Model to buy

Part 3: Making Indian Food in Instant Pot

Part 4: Instant Pot Frequently Asked Questions

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