Rajma recipe | How to make rajma

Rajma recipe – healthy, delicious & flavorful curry made with red kidney beans aka rajma. In Indian cuisine a lot of legumes are eaten regularly as they are the main source of protein & fiber. Lentils, chickpeas, peas, black eyed peas and red kidney beans are some of them used to make curries.

Rajma chawal is a favorite combo in many North Indian households where rajma masala is served with chawal (rice). Some onion & lemon wedges on the side is all you need to enjoy this delicious dish.

Rajma are fat free and has many health benefits since they are high in fiber, folate and magnesium. High fiber promotes digestive tract health, folate & magnesium makes them a heart healthy food.

It is a great food for those with diabetes, gestational diabetes or hypoglycemia since they stabilize the blood sugar levels by releasing the sugars slowly.

Rajma is also good for those with low levels of iron including kids and pregnant women.

This rajma recipe will give you a thick, delicious & flavorful dish that you can serve either with plain basmati rice, Jeera rice, roti or naan.

Tips to make the best rajma

1. Choosing Rajma: Always choose fresh stock of rajma as old stock beans don’t cook well. Check the packaged date. Some brands even label the harvest date.
2. Soaking: Soak rajma well in ample amount of water for at least 8 hours to avoid tummy problems.
3. Cooking: Always cook rajma until tender and soft. Al dente cooked beans do not taste good and are not good for tummy.
4. Soaking and cooking properly enhances the bio availability of nutrients.
5. Spices: Use a good dose of garam masala (spices) and ginger to cook the rajma as they not only flavor up the dish but also help in digestion.
6. Rajma masala powder : I prefer to use a regular Punjabi garam masala for this rajma recipe. However you can also use any readymade rajma masala powder.
7. Slow cooking is the key to a good delicious, thick & flavorful rajma. Once the rajma is added to the gravy, ensure they are cooked on a low flame for at least 10 to 15 mins. This simmering step brings out the flavor of rajma.
8. Ghee or oil – I always feel ghee gives the best taste. You can also use oil for cooking and just pour 1 tbsp ghee towards the end.

How to make rajma masala thick?

Slow cooking for long time to some extent makes the curry thick. I know a lot of people mash the rajma lightly once they are cooked in the masala. But I do not do it as my kids don’t like the mashed rajma.

Here are my tips which will help you to get a thick gravy

1. Blanch & puree the onions instead of grating or chopping.
2. Puree the tomatoes and use. Chopped or grated tomatoes often separate water in the gravy.
3. Blend 2 tbsp of soft cooked rajma with little water and add it to the simmering gravy. Or puree them along with tomatoes & use. This will triple the taste, flavor & texture of your rajma masala. You will be surprised at how good your rajma smells & tastes.
4. I haven’t used any cream like they do in the restaurants, however you can add a bit towards the end if you like.

How to make one pot Rajma?
Making one pot rajma is a bit tricky and sometimes may be a failure if the beans are an old stock as they don’t get cooked. So it is like experimenting.

In this post I have shared 2 methods of making rajma.

First one is to cook the rajma first and then separately make the gravy. Then add the precooked beans to the gravy.

Second method is to make the onion tomato masala and then add the uncooked rajma. Pressure cook everything together until rajma turns soft.

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Easy rajma recipe

Rajma recipe | How to make rajma

Rajma masala is a delicious curry made by simmering red kidney beans in onion tomato masala. Serve rajma with rice or roti.

Prep Time20 minutes

Cook Time40 minutes

Soaking8 hours

Total Time8 hours 40 minutes

Servings3

AuthorSwasthi

Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )

• 2 to 3 tbsp ghee or oil
• 1½ tsp ginger garlic paste
• 1¼ cup onions cubed (1 large)
• 1 cup tomatoes fine chopped (2 medium or ¾ cup puree)
• ¾ cup Rajma or kidney beans
• 2½ cup water (more if needed)
• 1 tsp ginger julienned
• 1 green chili slit
• salt as needed (about ½ tsp or more)
• 2 tbsp coriander leaves or cilantro fine chopped
• 2 tbsp cream (optional, for restaurant style)

Spice powders for rajma recipe

• ¼ tsp turmeric or haldi
• ½ to ¾ tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp garam masala powder or 1½ tsp rajma masala powder
• 1¼ tsp coriander powder (skip if using rajma masala)
• ¾ tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves, optional)

Whole spices (optional)

• ½ tsp cumin or Jeera
• 1 small bay leaf or tej patta

How to make the recipe

Preparation for rajma recipe

• Rinse and soak rajma for 8 hours in lot of water. 
• Discard the water and rinse them well. Pour 2 cups fresh water.
• Cook them in a pot or pressure cook until soft but not mushy.
• Regular pressure cooker – 3 to 4 whistles on a medium flame.
• Instant pot – pressure cook on high pressure for 18 mins. Wait for the pressure to release naturally. (refer notes)
• If done properly, the rajma must be soft when you bite into it.  It should not be al dente or even slightly hard. They must hold their shape & not become mushy.
• If it is hard or al dente, pressure cook for 2 more whistles.

Onion tomato puree

• Add cubed onions to 2 cups of hot water and boil for 2 to 3 mins until transparent.
• Drain the water. Cool them and make a fine paste. Set this aside.
• In the same blender jar puree tomatoes. I also blend 2 tbsps of cooked rajma with the tomatoes to get a thicker gravy.

How to make rajma

• Heat a pan with oil and saute cumin & bay leaf until they sizzle.
• Saute ginger garlic paste until a nice aroma comes out.
• Add onion paste and saute until it turns golden.
• Saute tomato puree until the raw smell vanishes.
• Add all the spice powders and salt. Saute until oil begins to separate.
• Add cooked rajma or kidney beans and pour rajma cooked water.(stock)
• Pour half cup water and stir. Add ginger juliennes and slit green chili.
• Cover & simmer on a low flame for 10 to 15 mins.
• Check if rajma are done completely. When you mash the rajma it must be soft.
• Sprinkle crushed kasuri methi & stir. Add coriander leaves.
• To get a restaurant style taste, pour 2 tbsp cream. Turn off the stove.
• Serve rajma with chawal (rice), onion and lemon wedges.

NUTRITION

Calories: 293kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 517mg | Potassium: 269mg | Fiber: 16g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 15.3% | Vitamin C: 28.6% | Calcium: 4.7% | Iron: 7%

Notes

To make one pot rajma masala, refer the step by step photo instructions after the recipe card.

For a restaurant style rajma, use onion paste, tomato puree and then 2 to 3 tbsp cream.

You can also skip pureeing the onions and tomatoes. Just grate them and use but the texture is different.

If beans are not soft cooked, you can add more water and cook for 2 more whistles. This may happen if you are using a very old stock of the beans or they are not soaked well.

Instant pot : I pour only ¾ cup water to cook my rajma. More water can make them mushy.

 

Rajma recipe originally published in Nov 2015, republished in June 2019.

Preparation

1. Wash and soak rajma in lot of water for at least 8 hours. Soaking helps to soft cook them well.

While you soak them , do not cover the pot completely. There must be a circulation of air to the soaked ingredients especially during hot summer days as it can make the beans sticky.

Wash them thoroughly before cooking.

2.If cooking directly in the pressure cooker, then pour 2 cups of water along with the rajma and pressure cook for 3 to 4 whistles on a medium flame.

This time I placed the rajma bowl inside the cooker and pressure cooked for 6 whistles. Rajma has to be soft cooked yet hold their shape.

Check if rajma is cooked by pressing it with your thumb and fore finger. It should get mashed easily. You can also bite and check it should not be al dente.

If they are al dente then cook them again for 2 more whistles.

3.While the beans pressure cook, prepare the onions and tomatoes. To make the onion paste, add onions to 2 cups of boiling water. Boil them for 2 to 3 mins. Drain them, cool and make a fine paste. Set this aside to a bowl.

4. In the same jar, I pureed tomatoes along with 2 tbsps of soft cooked rajma. The puree has to be smooth.

How to make rajma

5.Heat ghee or oil in a pan. Add bay leaf and cumin (both are optional). When the cumin sizzles, add ginger garlic and saute until a nice aroma comes out.

6. Add the onion paste.

7.Saute until it turns golden.

8.Add the tomato puree.

9. Add all the spice powders and salt.

10.Saute the masala until it leaves the sides of the pan.

11. Then add the soft cooked rajma along with the stock (rajma cooked water).

12. I added more water. Totally I used 2.75 cups water for the entire recipe.

13.Mix well and add 1 tsp ginger julinnes & green chilli (both are optional). Cover the pan. Simmer on a low flame for 10 to 15 mins.

14. After 15 to 16 mins, this will be the consistency of rajma masala. They must be tender and soft otherwise pour more water and cook for a little longer.

Sprinkle kasuri methi if using and mix well. Sprinkle coriander leaves.

You can also stir in 2 tbsps cream. I did not use cream.

Serve rajma hot with chawal, onion and lemon wedges.

Pressure cooker recipe

Second method This method does not need to pressure cook the beans first. Just make the gravy and then add the uncooked rajma. Pressure cook as mentioned below.

To follow this method, Measure the soaked rajma in cups. We will have to add an equal amount of water to soft cook them in the gravy.

1. Heat ghee or oil in a pot, saute cumin until they begin to splutter. Add ginger garlic or ginger paste and saute until the raw smell goes off.

2. Add chopped onions or onion paste. If you like a smooth gravy, then use onion paste. You can also make a paste of onion and tomatoes together, but i prefer separately as this tastes better.

3. Saute until the paste or onions turn golden.

4. Add tomato puree or chopped tomatoes.

5. Cook until the raw smell of tomatoes is gone.

6. Add red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala, turmeric & salt.

9. Saute and cook until the mixture begins to leave the sides or the raw smell of the onion and tomato is gone.

10. Add rajma. I have added uncooked ones here.

11. Add same amount of water equal to the soaked rajma. For half cup rajma, you will get about 1 and 1/3 cup after soaking them for 8 hours. So i added the same amount of water to get the right consistency. You can also add little more water, if you like a thinner gravy.

12. Add ginger slices and 1 slit green chili.

13. Cover and pressure cook on a medium flame for 1 whistle. Lower the flame and cook for 2 more whistles. It took around 25 mins for me to get the last 2 whistles. However the timing may vary depending on the size or the base of your cooker.

14. When the pressure goes off completely, open the lid. This is the consistency i get to see.

15. Beans are completely soft cooked. Rajma must be completely soft cooked.

16. A thick restaurant style gravy is ready. You can garnish with coriander leaves.

Ways to fix uncooked kidney beans.

This method has always yielded me soft cooked beans, but beans that is of a very old stock doesn’t get cooked faster, in that case you can pressure cook first for 2 to 3 whistles and add to the gravy.

or after the last step check if they are under cooked, then add more water and continue to pressure cook for another 2 whistles on a medium flame.
Serve with roti, plain rice, jeera rice, onion & lemon wedges .