35 min
Instant Pot Red Lentil Coconut Curry
Red lentils, tomatoes, mild spices, coconut milk and spinach make a creamy meatless curry from inexpensive pantry staples.
Instant Pot Family Dinners
Instant Pot Rajma Masala with Warm Roti
Canned kidney beans turn into a thick, gently spiced North Indian-style tomato gravy while warm roti and an optional cool cucumber yogurt make it a complete busy-night meal.
Directions
Make the cucumber yogurt
Stir the yogurt, squeezed cucumber, 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 2 tablespoons cilantro together. Refrigerate while the rajma cooks.
Build the aromatic base
Select Sauté on a 6-quart electric pressure cooker and heat the oil. Cook the onion for 6 minutes until softened. Add ginger and garlic for 30 seconds, then stir in cumin, coriander, paprika, garam masala, turmeric and optional chile powder for 20 seconds.
Deglaze completely
Cancel Sauté, pour in the vegetable broth and scrape the base until completely smooth. Add the rinsed kidney beans and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Spoon the crushed tomatoes over the beans in an even top layer and do not stir, keeping thick tomato away from the hot base.
Check the fill line
Confirm the contents remain below the half-full line used for beans and other foods that can foam; reduce the batch if your model manual requires it. The 1 1/2 cups broth must remain underneath the beans and tomatoes.
Pressure cook and release
Lock the lid and cook on High Pressure for 4 minutes; allow about 12 minutes to reach pressure. Let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then vent the remainder in short controlled pulses. Pause if liquid sputters and open only after the float valve drops.
Thicken the rajma
Stir thoroughly, then mash about 1 cup beans against the side of the pot. Select Sauté on Low and simmer 5 to 7 minutes, stirring often, until the gravy is thick but spoonable and reaches 165°F. Cancel Sauté and stir in lemon juice, another pinch of garam masala and most of the remaining cilantro.
Warm the roti and serve
Warm roti one at a time in a dry skillet for 20 to 30 seconds per side or according to the package. Spoon rajma into bowls, garnish with the final cilantro and serve beside folded roti and cucumber yogurt. Keep the pot mild and offer chile at the table.
Why this works
Why it worksThin broth sits on a completely scraped base while crushed tomato stays on top, helping prevent the common electric-cooker burn warning.
Why it worksCanned beans make this a true busy-night recipe; pressure drives the onion-spice flavor into them while partial mashing supplies a slow-simmered texture.
Why it worksWarm folded flatbread matches the photographed meal, while the optional cool cucumber yogurt balances the concentrated tomato-spice gravy.
Useful kitchen gear
Tools that make this easier.
Compare the function and specifications first; skip anything your kitchen already handles well.
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Compare on Amazon6-quart electric pressure cookerThe layered tomato method, 1 1/2-cup thin-liquid base and staged release are calibrated for this capacity.See current options →
Compare on AmazonStainless-steel potato masherA few presses against the pot wall thicken the bean gravy without turning every kidney bean into purée.See current options →
Compare on Amazon12-inch cast-iron skilletA broad dry surface warms six roti quickly while the finished rajma rests off heat.See current options →
Swaps & notes
Easy swaps
- Cooked-from-dry kidney beans can replace canned beans only if they are already completely tender; use 6 cups cooked beans and keep the same short flavoring cycle.
- For vegan rajma, use unsweetened plant yogurt for the cucumber side and confirm the roti contains no dairy.
- Basmati rice can replace roti; cook 1 1/2 cups rice separately so the tomato-bean pressure formula remains unchanged.
Cook notes
- Total time includes the onion sauté, about 12 minutes to pressurize, the 4-minute cycle, a 10-minute natural release, final simmer and overlapping yogurt preparation.
- Written for a 6-quart electric pressure cooker. Follow your model manual's minimum-liquid, half-full bean limit and venting procedure; never force the lid.
- This recipe uses canned beans so it does not rely on pressure cooking to make raw kidney beans safe. Never use an electric cooker's slow-cook function for raw red kidney beans.
- Kashmiri chile is generally milder than cayenne, but brands vary. Omit it from the family base and add heat individually if needed.
- Squeeze the cucumber well so the yogurt stays creamy rather than watery.
Storage
Cool rajma and roti separately within 2 hours. Refrigerate rajma and cucumber yogurt for up to 4 days and roti for up to 3 days. Reheat rajma with a splash of broth, stirring, to 165°F; rewarm roti in a dry skillet. Freeze rajma for up to 3 months, but do not freeze the yogurt side.
Questions
Why use canned kidney beans in an Instant Pot?
They make the meal realistic for a busy night and avoid variability from old or hard beans. Pressure still quickly infuses them with the onion-tomato masala while the natural release protects against sputtering.
Can I stir the tomatoes in before cooking?
Do not. Thick tomato on the base can scorch before enough steam forms. Layer it over the beans, then stir only after pressure has fully released.
How do I make the rajma thicker?
Mash more beans and simmer on Low Sauté for one or two additional minutes, stirring constantly. It will also thicken slightly during the five-minute serving rest.
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Instant Pot Rajma Masala with Warm Roti
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1. Make the cucumber yogurtStir the yogurt, squeezed cucumber, 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 2 tablespoons cilantro together. Refrigerate while the rajma cooks.
2. Build the aromatic baseSelect Sauté on a 6-quart electric pressure cooker and heat the oil. Cook the onion for 6 minutes until softened. Add ginger and garlic for 30 seconds, then stir in cumin, coriander, paprika, garam masala, turmeric and optional chile powder for 20 seconds.
3. Deglaze completelyCancel Sauté, pour in the vegetable broth and scrape the base until completely smooth. Add the rinsed kidney beans and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Spoon the crushed tomatoes over the beans in an even top layer and do not stir, keeping thick tomato away from the hot base.
4. Check the fill lineConfirm the contents remain below the half-full line used for beans and other foods that can foam; reduce the batch if your model manual requires it. The 1 1/2 cups broth must remain underneath the beans and tomatoes.
5. Pressure cook and releaseLock the lid and cook on High Pressure for 4 minutes; allow about 12 minutes to reach pressure. Let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then vent the remainder in short controlled pulses. Pause if liquid sputters and open only after the float valve drops.
6. Thicken the rajmaStir thoroughly, then mash about 1 cup beans against the side of the pot. Select Sauté on Low and simmer 5 to 7 minutes, stirring often, until the gravy is thick but spoonable and reaches 165°F. Cancel Sauté and stir in lemon juice, another pinch of garam masala and most of the remaining cilantro.
7. Warm the roti and serveWarm roti one at a time in a dry skillet for 20 to 30 seconds per side or according to the package. Spoon rajma into bowls, garnish with the final cilantro and serve beside folded roti and cucumber yogurt. Keep the pot mild and offer chile at the table.