What is Rajma?
Rajma Masala | Rajma Recipe : Rajma means kidney beans in Hindi. But this delicious vegetarian curry has become so popular that the dish has become synonymous with kidney beans.
This dish made with kidney beans and rajma beans is called rajma gravy.rajma beans is delicious and another name is rajma masala, which called as “red kidney beans in a spicy gravy.”
No matter what you call it, you will love the melt-in-your-mouth rajma beans and the creamy, spicy curry that comes with it.
Why You Will Love This Rajma Recipe
This rajma recipe follows the traditional (and most common) method of making rajma curry. If you follow the recipe, you can’t do anything wrong with this simple and delicious recipe.
In this rajma recipe, the kidney beans are cooked in pressur cooker and then added to a sautéed base with the spices, onions, and tomatoes. The result is a thick, delicious, spicy curry with beans that just melt in your mouth.
I like using dried rajma. It is cheaper than canned food and you can cook and spice it up to your liking.
Also, we always prefer and recommend using fresh ingredients for healthy living. By making this recipe using canned beans, you can save time!
A fragrant and flavorful spice base is mixed with water and simmered to a curry-like consistency, then finished with cream.
Add cream to make the big masala restaurant-style. It is quite delicious and goes well with naan or roti.
Rajma is a weekend recipe and is perfect for Sunday lunch at home. Follow the Punjabi style while making this hearty dish and skip the other side dishes.
If you have rajma (red kidney beans) and rice, what else do you need? You don’t need anything else except naan bread to soak up the extra gravy!
In fact, eating beans with rice provides a complete source of protein, but it is difficult for vegetarians and vegans to achieve this.
Rajma eaten with rice is not only delicious and inexpensive, but also very healthy and nutritious! So now that you know this traditional Punjabi Rajma recipe, start cooking it.
How to make Rajma Masala
1.My detailed step-by-step procedure will help you make the best rajma recipe.
2. I cooked the beans in a pressure cooker, but you can easily cook them in a wok or Instant Pot. The recipe card below gives instructions to cook beans using three methods.
Soak the beans
3. Sort out the dry beans and remove the badly shaped or discolored ones. Soak 1 cup of rajma in enough water after rinsing it several times.
The ideal soaking time is 8-9 hours, so I usually soak it the night before cooking.
Once the beans are fully soaked, discard the soaking water. Drain the soaked beans and rinse them several times to remove any remaining dirt.
Cook the beans
Place the washed and drained rajma in a 3-liter stovetop pressure cooker.
If you don’t have a stovetop pressure cooker, cook the beans in a pot, wok or Instant Pot. Add water as required while cooking. (Details given below the recipe card).
When using canned rajma
For simplicity, choose canned rajma. If using canned beans, drain the liquid and rinse the beans with water several times using a sieve.
Drain the water, add the canned beans to the prepared curry base and cook on low flame for a few minutes till the beans are heated through.
4. Add 3.5-4 cups of water and stir. Press the rajma until it whistles 18-20 times (or about 15-20 minutes).
The cooking time of the beans depends on the quality and maturity of the beans.
5. While the rajma is cooking, prepare the following:
1. Finely chop 1 large onion (¾ to 1 cup chopped onion).
2. 2 large tomatoes (1 cup chopped tomatoes)
3. Make a paste of ginger, garlic and green chillies.
To make the paste, crush or grind 1 inch ginger, 5-6 small garlic cloves (or 3-4 medium garlic cloves), and 1-2 green chilies in a mortar or small grinder.
6. When the pressure releases on its own and the pressure inside the rice cooker reduces, open the lid.
To check if the rajma beans are cooked, eat a few beans or press them with fingers. The cooked beans should be soft and not chewy.
The rajma beans should be fully cooked and should have a melt-in-your-mouth texture. It should not be al dente or slightly chewy.
If it is not cooked completely, pressure cook it again (add water if required) and cook for a few minutes.
Make the masala base
7. Heat 3 tbsp butter (or 2 tbsp butter + 1 tbsp oil) in a separate vessel or frying pan or wok. Reduce the flame to low or medium.
8. First add 1/2 tsp cumin seeds and wait till they crackle and turn brown. – Then add finely chopped onions.
9. Start stirring and roasting on medium-low flame. Keep stirring while roasting the onions. This way, it cooks evenly and doesn’t burn.
Be careful not to burn the onions. Burnt rajma tastes bitter.
10. It’s okay if the onions turn light brown. Saute the onions till they caramelize and turn golden brown.
11. Reduce the flame and add chopped ginger, garlic and chilli paste. Stir and cook on low flame for 5 to 10 seconds or till the raw smell of ginger and garlic disappears.
12. Add finely chopped tomatoes. Mix well. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on medium-low flame till the tomatoes soften.
13. Mix all the spice powders one by one.
• Turmeric powder ¼ tsp
• ½ tsp red chili powder (or red chilli or chili powder)
• 1 tsp coriander powder
A pinch of asafoetida
• Garam masala powder ½ tsp.
Note: If you are gluten-free, make sure to get certified gluten-free asafoetida, as many commercial brands use wheat to process this spice.
14. Mix well again. Continue to roast the entire masala base on medium-low flame till the fat starts separating from the sides of the masala.
The onion and tomato masala will become thick, shiny and lumpy.
Make the Raj Masala
15. Using a slotted spoon or sieve, remove the rajma seeds from the cooking liquid and add them to the masala. Stir and roast for 1 minute.
16. Add 2 cups of fresh water to the pot. You can also add boiled rajma stock instead of fresh water if you wish. Add salt if required.
17. Mix all the rajma curry mixture.
18. Cook the curry uncovered on low to medium-low flame for 10-12 minutes or more till the curry thickens a bit. The rajma sabzi should not be watery.
19. Crush some rajma seeds on the back of a spoon. This helps in increasing the stickiness.
20. Cook on low flame till the curry leaves are of medium consistency. Keep stirring occasionally while the rajma masala is cooking.
21. Punjabi rajma masala should be thick and the curry should be of the right consistency, neither too thick nor too thin. Once the consistency is right, add 1 teaspoon crushed kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) and 2-3 tablespoons light cream.
If using heavy cream, add only 1 tablespoon. Mix well and cook on low flame for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Adding cream is optional and can be easily skipped. Adding cream adds sweetness to the curry, gives it a restaurant-style taste and balances the acidity of the tomatoes.
22. Turn off the flame.
Instructions for serving and storage methods
23. Serve rajma masala with steamed basmati rice, jeera rice, saffron, roti, parathas or naan. The combination of rajma and rice is very popular in North India.
You can also garnish it with coriander leaves for a fresh flavour and colour while serving. You can also add grated ginger as a garnish.
Green peas curry is best eaten the day it is made. However, if you have some leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a day.
The consistency of the curry thickens as it cools, so while heating or reheating it, add a little water to reduce its consistency.
How to Cook Green Beans in a Pot or Frying Pan
First, soak the rajma overnight or for 8-9 hours. Drain and wash with fresh water.
Next, add enough water, soaked rajma and salt if needed in a large pot. Cover and cook on medium-high flame for about 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the beans are soft.
Please note that the time taken to cook the beans completely will vary depending on the freshness, age and quality of the beans.
How to make very thick gravy for Rajma Masala?
Instead of mashing the cooked beans, you can take about ¼ cup of cooked beans and mash or blend them with water to make a smooth paste.
Put this paste in curry leaves and boil. The thickening of the prepared Rajma Masala sauce is due to the addition of starch.
