Rajma Curry with Brown Rice

Ingredients:

For the Rajma Masala:

• 1 cup dry rajma (red kidney beans), soaked overnight
• 1 tablespoon ghee or oil (for vegan)
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 yellow onion, diced finely
• 1 teaspoon ginger paste
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 1 teaspoon hot green chili, minced
• 1 cup tomato puree
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro for garnish

For the Pot-in-Pot Brown Rice (optional):

• 1 cup brown rice, rinsed and drained
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions:

1. Soak the Rajma: Rinse and soak the dry rajma beans overnight in a covered container.
2. Sauté Aromatics: Set your Instant Pot to Saute mode. Heat ghee or oil. Add cumin seeds and let them sizzle for about a minute. Cancel the Saute mode.
3. Add Ingredients: Add onion, ginger, garlic, green chili, tomato puree, kidney beans, salt, coriander powder, turmeric, red chili powder, garam masala, and water. Stir well.
4. Prepare Pot-in-Pot Rice (optional): Add rice, water, and salt to a stainless steel bowl. Place a tall trivet inside the Instant Pot. Place the rice bowl on top of the trivet.
5. Pressure Cook: Close the Instant Pot lid with the Steam Release valve set to Sealing. Set the Instant Pot to Bean/Chili mode and adjust the cooking time to 30 minutes. Allow for a natural pressure release.
6. Serve: Open the Instant Pot, remove the rice bowl and trivet (if using). Garnish the rajma with cilantro and serve hot with rice or parathas.

Notes:

• For older or lower-quality beans, you might need to increase the cooking time by 5-10 minutes.
• Use filtered water for tender rajma.
• You can make your own tomato puree by blending roughly chopped ripe tomatoes.
• If you forgot to soak the beans, add an extra half cup of water and increase the cooking time to 50 minutes.
• For a quicker method, bring 3 cups of water to a boil, add rinsed beans, and cover for 30 minutes.
• If using canned kidney beans, sauté the onions and cumin seeds, then add the remaining ingredients with reduced water and salt. Pressure cook for 5 minutes.
• For a vegan version, use oil instead of ghee.
• You can also cook rajma masala on the stovetop in a pressure cooker. Follow the recipe up to step 3, then pressure cook for 4 whistles on medium heat.