Equipment

1. Electric pressure cooker (e.g. Instant Pot)
2. Blender or food processor

Prep Steps (both methods)

1. Grind any whole spices. Mix all of the spices except the garam masala and set them aside.
2. Blend (or very finely chop) the onion, garlic, ginger, and chilies. Scrape the mixture out and set it aside. Don't bother cleaning up your blender, as you'll use it for the tomatoes next.
3. Blend/puree the tomatoes with their juices. Set aside.
   (If you're not using a blender or food processor, finely chop the tomatoes, or use crushed tomatoes or passata).

Electric Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot) Method

1. Add vegetable oil to the electric pressure cooker. Set to sauté, and allow the oil to heat up.  Add the salt and spices (minus garam masala) and sauté for 30 seconds.
2. Add the onion mixture from the first prep step and sauté for an additional 3-4 minutes, stirring regularly.
3. Add the tomatoes to the pot and sauté for an additional 3 more minutes.
4. Add the water and beans. Stir the mixture and seal the pressure cooker, then cook at high pressure for 45 minutes.  Allow the pressure cooker to release naturally.
5. Finish with garam masala, salt to taste, and cream (if desired).  Garnish with fresh cilantro or dried methi. Serve with basmati rice.

Stovetop Method

1. Precook the dry beans using your preferred method, or substitute 3 cups of rinsed, canned kidney beans.
2. Add vegetable oil to a large pot on the stovetop. Set heat to medium, and allow the oil to heat up.  Add the salt and spices (minus the garam masala) and sauté for 30 seconds.
3. Add the onion mixture from the first prep step and sauté for an additional 3-4 minutes, stirring regularly.
4. Add the tomatoes to the pot and sauté for an additional 5-6 minutes, stirring regularly.
5. Add the cooked beans along with approximately 1 cup of the water.  Reduce the heat to a simmer.  Cover and cook for 30 minutes, or until the flavours have blended and the beans are very tender.
6. (Optional) Add more of the water to the rajma masala if you want it a little thinner/soupier.  Add a few tablespoons at a time until you're satisfied with the consistency.
7. Finish with garam masala, salt to taste, and cream (if desired).  Garnish with fresh cilantro or dried methi. Serve with basmati rice.

Equipment Note - Both the blender (or food processor) and the electric pressure cooker are optional, but they make rajma masala MUCH simpler to make.  The blender in particular eliminates a ton of chopping and gives you a nice, smooth curry.  If you don't have an electric pressure cooker, you can still make this a simple and speedy meal by using canned or pre-cooked kidney beans.

Green Chilies - I use small and relatively mild green chilies to make rajma masala.  You can also use serrano chilies or jalapeños, though they'll generally be a bit hotter.  If you're spice-averse, you can even use about 1/4 of a green bell pepper.

Kashmiri Chili Powder - If you don't have kashmiri chili powder, you can use good paprika (sweet or hot, per your personal tastes).  You can add a little cayenne pepper too if you want to amp up the spice level.

Cream - You don't have to add cream to your rajma, but it does add richness and depth of flavour.  Restaurant-style rajma will almost always have cream added - often quite a lot more than called for here.  If you want to keep the recipe entirely plant-based, consider substituting coconut cream.  It will impart a slight coconut flavour to the recipe, but this works quite nicely with the beans and spices.

Serving Size - It's tough to generalize serving sizes for curries like this, as it depends on how much rice (and/or naan, roti, etc.) you serve it with.  This quantity easily serves eight, but could be stretched out to serve many more with sides and other curries.  The recipe halves fairly easily, but also makes excellent leftovers, so don't be afraid to make a bit more than you need.