Punjabi Rajma Masala - Kidney beans (rajma) simmered in an onion-tomato gravy with common Indian spices. Paired best with rice and this dish is also known as rajma chawal (rajma rice). Its gluten free and if you omit butter, it can be made vegan. Nothing can be as filling as this simple Rajma curry and a rice with onions and lemon wedge on the side. If you don't mind the heat, a green chilli may also be good.
Rajma, the red kidney beans were introduced to the Indians by Spaniards. Originating in South America and travelled through the Europeans into the subcontinent, the rajma became an instant hit here in the northwestern part of India. Why it didn't reach as far as the South of the Vindhya's is a big question I often wonder!
The best variety of rajma is produced in the foothills of the Himalayas. The Jammu rajma is well-known nation wide and has a sweetish taste to it. It is soft and buttery when it cooks which is how a rajma must be in the rajma masala. These red kidney beans, when cooked right, blends in so well with the masala. And, when paired with rice it becomes a wholesome meal - rajma chawal.
It is a comfort food. Rajma masala / rajma chawal is an everyday meal that you enjoy after a day's work. The simple punjabi style rajma masala cooked at home is matchless and unparalleled to what you get at any restaurants.
Rajma masala can also be made in a slow cooker. It can be made ahead of time, stays good for a couple of days and the leftovers are even more tastier!
Punjabi Rajma Masala - Kidney beans (rajma) simmered in an onion-tomato gravy with common Indian spices. Paired best with rice and this dish is also known as rajma chawal (rajma rice). Its gluten free and if you omit butter, it can be made vegan. Nothing can be as filling as this simple Rajma curry and a rice with onions and lemon wedge on the side. If you don't mind the heat, a green chilli may also be good.
- 1 cup red kidney beans (rajma), soaked overnight
- 1 cup water or as required
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 bay leaf
- ½ inch cinnamon stick
- 2 black cardamom pods
- 4 cloves
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 green chillies, slit lengthwise (adjust as per your spice level)
- ½ tablespoon grated ginger (or minced)
- 1 tablespoon grated garlic (or minced)
- 1 cup finely diced onion (or processed) (4 small sized Onions)
- 2 cups finely diced tomatoes (or processed) (3 medium sized Tomatoes)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- Salt to taste
- Coriander leaves for garnishing
- a pinch of kasuri methi leaves (dry fenugreek seeds) add after crushing between your palm
Rinse the beans thoroughly in water and soak them overnight. Add almost twice the amount water to soak them. Then, discard the water and pressure cook the beans with salt in clean water for about 12-14 minutes. Keep it for 7-8 whistles in Indian pressure cooker.
Heat a Kadai or a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat, add oil & butter; once it is hot, add bay leaf, cinnamon sticks, black cardamom pod, & cloves.
Once they splutter and swell, remove them from pan. Then add the cumin seeds. Immediately add the turmeric powder, chillies & onions; sauté until the onions become brown.
Halfway through sautéing - once the onions start changing its colour and become translucent, add the minced ginger and garlic.
Keep the flame on medium & stir them frequently, (i) to prevent the ginger-garlic mix from sticking to the bottom of the pan (ii) to prevent the onions from burning.
Once the onions turn brown, add the tomatoes, little salt; cover and cook for about 10 to 12 minutes. Stir at regular intervals to prevent it from sticking to the bottom. When the liquid content reduces and the tomato mix becomes thick, add the spice powders - turmeric, chilli, coriander & cumin. Mix them well.
Now, stir them frequently and keep it on the med-low flame until the moisture dries completely from the tomato mix. You can also see the oil separate itself from the tomato mixture (you will see little bubbles on the sides of the mixture). The masala would have become dry.
Then add the cooked beans and add 1 cup of water, simmer it for another 10 minutes. Use the water from the cooked beans and mash the beans slightly.
Garnish it with coriander leaves and serve with rice or roti. The gravy thickens as it cools. Dilute it with warm water if it becomes too thick.
- Always soak the beans, any kind in sufficient amount of water. The beans will expand in size as they absorb water. If there is not enough water, they remain hard. While soaking make sure you have water at least 4 cm above the beans. Also, discard the water from the soaked beans and use clean water to cook it.
- The ginger-garlic paste sticking to the bottom of the pan is the indication that it is cooked well.
- The tomato mixture will splutter as it cooks. So keep the flame on the lower side, keep stirring frequently and then cover it with the lid and cook.
- This is a slightly tangy gravy, so the 1:2 ratio of onion vs tomatoes should work well. If you feel the tomatoes are too tart, add a pinch of sugar to balance the sour taste. Conversely, if there is less tanginess in your gravy, you can add yoghurt or menon juice or amchur podwer (dry mango powder)
Seema Doraiswamy Sriram says
Oh my god, drooling over every bit of it!!
Ruchi says
Such beautiful clicks... Loved it. Love Rajma . Lovely share
Lathiya says
I love rajma...though we make once in a while at home...you reminded me to make this now.. looks delicious
Bhawana says
Rajma masala with rice is our comforting food. This combo taste awesome. You have clicked beautifully.
Sonal says
this is all time favorite for the family and often made at home over the weekend. you got a lovely color of rajma there.
Jagruti says
Only just about an hour ago we had rajma, chawal and roti for our dinner 🙂 Love punjabi rajma anytime. Your pictures are so good.
sapana says
We make rajma chawal once in a week, it is mandatory. The pictures are so beautiful and I love how each bean can be seen in the clicks. I am in love with the second picture, breathtaking and mouthwatering.
Jayashree says
Tasty curry goes well with both rotis and rice. It is my son's favourite.
sujitha says
Absolute comfort curry for all the day, Rajma beans are highly nutritional one. Always this curry makes a complete meal.
priya satheesh says
Nothing can be more comfort like having Rajma curry with hot plain rice.. Absolutely delicious and inviting click !
Rafeeda - The Big Sweet Tooth says
Rajma masala is comfort food at its best... I am salivating at the sight of the curry... such beautiful color... I love kidney beans and end up eating it with the curry like soup instead along with rice... hehe...
Nivedita says
Rajma dishes are very rich always. This looks creamy and yummy.
Thanks for the information about it's history. In my opinion may be because South India is already having lot of grains of her own.
But now we all have this input regular menu. By the way I have a bowl of rajma remaining. Will make it tomorrow with your recipe.
Vidya Narayan says
Rajma Chawal to me is comfort food in plain simple terms. Being a south Indian, while growing up, we never made this much at home as it has garlic and onions, which folks at home never appreciated much. We only make Rajma sundal i.e. stir fry snack option with coconut and basic tempering in coconut oil. While growing up and experimenting in kitchen, I often made this for us (me and sis) and loved having this with rice. This is a staple at home as husband is a huge fan too, this is extremely filling and feels so good. I always have soaked rajma in fridge and use it generously even on salads.
Sushma says
Rajma masala looks delicious. Love to have it with some hot rice.
Pavani says
Nisha, you have made humble rajma masala look very exotic 🙂 I find clicking bean based (especially the brown kind) difficult to photograph, but you have done an excellent job. This is such a hearty and comforting dish.
Nisha says
Thanks a lot Pavani. 🙂
Sharmila - The Happy Friend sPotpourri Corner says
Super tempting pics love them.. With a bowl of chawal awesome they are..
Vanitha says
Absolute comfort food and all-time favorite combo with rice!! Love it; very tempting!
Drashti Dholakia says
Rajma & Chawal is a perfect combo 🙂 Lovely clicks. Loved reading the backstory about kidney beans
Priya Suresh says
Rajma masala was my favourite anytime, especially when served with jeera pulao i can sit and have without any guilt, fabulous protein rich masala.
Shobha Keshwani says
This is my hubby's favourite .. nothing like hot rajma chawal. comfort meal.
bellingtonfarm says
My vegetarian daughter will just love this!!! But she will want it teamed up with lots of naan !!!
DivyaGCP says
Healthy and flavorful curry.. Very inviting.
Helen Prabha says
Wow....I jus love rajma....will be delicious with rotis. 🙂