Rajma Recipe
Rajma masala is a common everyday curry made with red kidney beans. It is served mostly with plain rice, jeera rice, or roti.
Rajma masala is a common everyday curry made with red kidney beans. It is served mostly with plain rice, jeera rice, or roti.
- salt as needed
- 1 green chili slit
- â½ to â¾ tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
- â½ tsp red chilli powder
- â½ tsp cumin
- 1.5 tbsp ghee or oil
- â¾ cup onions chopped (1 large) or â½ cup puree
- â¾ cup tomato chopped (2 medium ) or â½ to â¾ cup pu
- rajma â½ cup heaped or soaked 1 cup plus 1/3 cup
- water 1 cup plus â½ cup
- turmeric as needed
- 1 tsp coriander powder (optional)
- â¼ tsp cumin powder (optional)
- â¾ tsp red chilli powder
- few julienne of ginger
- coriander leaves for garnish
- Carbohydrate 0.0394888888087722 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.00166666666328526 g
- Fiber 0.00444444443542737 g
- Protein 0.00404444443623891 g
- Saturated Fat 0.000451111110195878 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (0g)
- Sodium 51.7062222221636 mg
- Sugar 0.0350444443733448 g
- Trans Fat 0.000531111110033571 g
- Calories 0 calories
Step-by-step
- Wash and soak rajma for 8 to 10 hours in ample water. If you prefer to pressure cook them first, you can do it for 3 to 4 whistles on a medium flame with 2 cups of water.
- Heat a pan with oil and saute cumin until it sizzles.
- Saute ginger garlic paste until a nice aroma comes out.
- Add onions or paste and saute until it turns golden.
- Saute tomatoes or puree until the raw smell vanishes.
- Add all the spice powders and salt. Saute until oil begins to leave.
- Add kidney beans and pour water. Pressure cook on a medium flame for 1 whistle. Reduce the flame to low and pressure cook for 2 whistles. When the pressure goes off, open the lid and stir.
- If you have pressure cooked them already in the first step, then you can add them here along with left over stock. Simmer for 10 to 15 mins.
- Check if they are done completely.
- Sprinkle some coriander leaves. Serve rajma masala with onion and lemon wedges.
Dry legumes require adequate hydration time to soften uniformly during the cooking process. Soaking red kidney beans for eight to ten hours breaks down complex oligosaccharides and ensures the interior cooks at the same rate as the exterior skin. Proper soaking also cuts active cooking time down significantly, saving fuel and preserving the structural integrity of each bean.
- Soak the beans in ample water for 8 to 10 hours before cooking to ensure even softening.
- Press a cooked bean against the side of the pot with the back of a spoon; if it yields entirely with no remaining hard core, the legumes are finished.
- Sauté the minced onion until it turns fully golden brown to build a deep base flavor without adding costly commercial flavor enhancers.
- Simmer the finished dish for 10 to 15 minutes if combining pre-cooked beans with the masala base to let the starches thicken the liquid.
Pair this spiced curry with plain steamed rice or jeera rice to balance the robust heat of the chili and garam masala. Acidic accompaniments like lemon wedges cut through the richness of the legume gravy.
