Punjabi Rajma Masala
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.
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
Pre-Work
-
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.
Preparation
-
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.
Recipe Notes
- 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)