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Rajma recipe | Easy rajma masala recipe | Rajma curry recipe

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Rajma recipe – a delicious and easy rajma masala recipe good to serve with naan, roti, chapathi, plain rice or Jeera rice. Red kidney beans are known as Rajma in Indian language and are used to make North Indian rajma masala, a onion tomato based gravy that is either made to thick or thin consistency to suit ones taste or liking.
rajma recipe
Rajma are fat free and has many health benefits due to its high fiber content, 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 masala
It is also good for those with low levels of iron including kids and pregnant women. With so many health benefits, it is still not eaten much by the elderly folks as they are high in vata and tend to increase the muscular pains.

Using a good dose of garam masala, ginger and ample soaking balances the vata dosha that is induced by rajma. Soaking and cooking properly will enhance the bio availability of nutrients as well.

This rajma recipe calls for slow cooking on a medium to low flame to yield a good tasty and thick curry.

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Easy rajma recipe below

Rajma recipe | Easy rajma masala recipe | Rajma curry recipe

Rajma masala is a everyday Indian curry made with red kidney beans. It is served with mostly plain rice, jeera rice or roti.

Print
Course Side
Cuisine North Indian
Keyword easy rajma recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Soaking 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 40 minutes
Servings 3
Calories 135 kcal
Author Swasthi

Ingredients (240 ml cup used)

  • 2 tbsp ghee or oil
  • ½ tsp cumin or jeera
  • 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
  • 1 cup onions fine chopped (1 large or ¾ cup paste)
  • ¾ cup tomato fine chopped (2 medium or ½ to ¾ cup puree without seeds)
  • ½ cup Rajma or kidney beans (or soaked 1 cup plus 1/3 cup)
  • 1½ to 2 cup water
  • 1 tsp ginger julienned
  • 1 green chili slit
  • 2 tbsp coriander leaves
  • salt as needed (about ½ tsp or more)
  • 2 tbsp cream (optional, for restaurant style)

Spice powders for rajma recipe

  • ¼ tsp turmeric or haldi
  • ½ to ¾ tsp red chilli powder
  • ½ to ¾ tsp garam masala powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder (optional)
  • ¼ tsp cumin powder (optional)

How to make the recipe

Preparation for rajma recipe

  1. Wash and soak rajma for 8 to 10 hours in ample water. 

  2. Discard the water and rinse them well. Pour 2 cups fresh water.

  3. Cook them in a pot or pressure cook until soft but not mushy. For pressure cooking allow 3 to 4 whistles on a medium flame.

  4. If done properly, the rajma must be soft when you bite into it.  It should not be al dente or even slightly hard.

How to make rajma

  1. Heat a pan with oil and saute cumin until it sizzles.
  2. Saute ginger garlic paste until a nice aroma comes out.
  3. Add onions or paste and saute until it turns golden.
  4. Saute tomatoes or puree until the raw smell vanishes.
  5. Add all the spice powders and salt. Saute until oil begins to leave.

  6. Add cooked rajma or kidney beans and pour rajma cooked water.(stock)

  7. Add ginger juliennes and slit green chili.

  8. On a low flame simmer for 10 to 15 mins.

  9. Check if they are done completely. When you mash the rajma it must be soft.

  10. To get a restaurant style taste, pour 2 tbsp cream and turn off the stove.

  11. Sprinkle some coriander leaves. Serve rajma masala with rice, onion and lemon wedges.

Recipe 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.

If you prefer to use onion paste, then add them to hot water. Boil for 3 to 4 mins. Cool and make a paste.

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.

Nutrition Facts
Rajma recipe | Easy rajma masala recipe | Rajma curry recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 135 Calories from Fat 63
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g 11%
Saturated Fat 4g 20%
Cholesterol 19mg 6%
Sodium 114mg 5%
Potassium 303mg 9%
Total Carbohydrates 13g 4%
Dietary Fiber 3g 12%
Sugars 3g
Protein 3g 6%
Vitamin A 8.1%
Vitamin C 12.2%
Calcium 4%
Iron 11.3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

rajma recipe

Step by step – How to make rajma recipe

1. Wash and soak rajma in lot of water for at least 8 to 10 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 and set aside.

2. There are 2 methods of cooking rajma here. Choose which ever you are comfortable with.

First method: You can pressure cook them first with 2 cups of water for 3 to 4 whistles on a medium flame. Then add them to the gravy. While the beans pressure cook, on a different burner you can make the onion tomato gravy. It may save some time.

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.

3. 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. You can also add hing.
sauteing cumin
4. 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.
frying onion paste for rajma recipe
5. Saute until the paste or onions turn golden.
golden fried onions
6. Add tomato puree or chopped tomatoes.
tomato puree for rajma recipe
7. Cook until the raw smell of tomatoes is gone.
cooked tomatoes
8. Add red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala, turmeric, salt and cumin powder. Coriander powder and cumin are optional.
addition of spice powders
9. Saute and cook until the mixture begins to leave the sides or the raw smell of the onion and tomato is gone.
cooking spiced mix for rajma masala
10. Add rajma. I have added uncooked ones here.
addition of beans to pot
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.
or
If you have already pressure rajma, then just add the stock from the along with the cooked beans. If needed you can also add little more to make a thick or thin gravy.
addition of water
12. Add ginger slices and 1 slit green chili.
ginger chilli for rajma recipe
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.
or
If you have used pressure cooked rajma, then simmer for 10 to 15 mins. You don’t need to pressure cook any more.
making rajma recipe in pressure cooker
14. When the pressure goes off completely, open the lid. This is the consistency i get to see.
cooked kidney beans
15. Beans are completely soft cooked.

16. A thick restaurant style gravy is ready. You can garnish with coriander leaves.
garnish rajma masala with coriander
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.
punjabi rajma recipe
Serve with roti, plain rice, jeera rice, onion & lemon wedges .

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Comments

  1. Awesome idea of boiling onions …. Till now I was stir frying onions and tomatoes separately to achieve colour and taste. This way oil intake could be reduced…. though taste delicious …. Thanks Swasthi

    Reply

  7. Hello swasthi ,

    Great recipe collection , I have relied on your wonderful recipe to cook only during the weekend for my wife and son

    The way you explain and the level of details you offer really helps part time cooks like me

    I thought I must acknowledge the great effort of yours thank you and keep inspiring

    Cheers,
    Anantha

    Reply

  10. Hi…
    Simple recipe….
    I prepared today for akki roti.. It came about very well…
    I added mint leaves along with onions while grinding…
    D blend was extremely good…
    Thanks for the recipe..

    Reply

    • Welcome Preethi
      Happy to know it came out well. Akki roti with rajma.. sounds so good
      Thanks for the comment
      🙂

      Reply

  11. Hi Swati,

    I started making recipes from your site when I found myself living alone and needing to survive (haha). I tried a couple of recipes which turned out great, and then tried the rajma when I ran out of vegetables. OH. MY. GOD. This was spectacular!!!! I did make some variations and added Maggi’s Magic Masala (I love its saltiness), and it was hands down, the best rajma I’ve ever tried! The best part is, I made it! Thank you for helping us poor culinary-challenged souls with your amazing recipes. Much, much appreciated!!

    Regards,

    Reply

    • Welcome Seema
      Very happy reading your comment. Addition of maggi masala is something I never even thought of. Sounds really good!
      Thanks a lot for the comment.
      Happy weekend!

      Reply

  14. Hi Swathi, so delicious recipe..I tried it turned out well…I just love ur recipes,colourfull blog, the way of presentation. M keep on watching n trying different types of recipes…its turning out well n yummy…Thanks for the execution, which turning me to cook better day by day.

    Reply

    • Hi Shruthi
      You are welcome
      Very happy to know you are becoming a good cook.
      Thanks for trying and sharing how they turned out.
      🙂

      Reply

  15. This is so well explained recipe. All photographs are so good too, specially the one where you explained how to know if Rajma is well-cooked. 🙂

    Reply

  16. Thanks for this recipe, I made it last night and it turned out so well! I found it very easy to follow and will be looking at more of your recipes in the future!

    Reply

  17. Its nice recipe… I follow ur recipe… My family likes it… I served it with Roti N Lemon ..lemon that lower the strong flavor of onion paste….i skip that jeera n coriander powder..
    I like ur recipe n d way of u telling d methods also nice…

    Reply

  18. I love to learn the recipe which u say in simple way now I made too many dishes for my family from here thank u swati

    Reply

  21. Excellent Recipe. This is the second time i made it. Your recipe is fast, easy and simple. Not to mention the taste which is excellent.

    Reply

  23. I just moved and no longer have a pressure cooker. What can I do in the meantime if I want to make this recipe? Can it be done without a pressure cooker? If so, how? Thanks!

    Reply

    • Hi Glenda welcome
      You can just cook in a pot until soft. But make sure you soak them well for at least 8 hours to cook them fast. If you have a cast iron pot or dutch oven you can use them, they work well. But use only for cooking the rajma and not the tomato masala.

      Reply

  25. Hi Swasthi,
    Can I cook rajma separately in a cooker like your chenna masala recipe and then add to tomato onion mix? It will save a lot of time right.

    Reply

    • Hi Kushi,
      I have mentioned that method too in the step by step photo instructions. You can pressure cook rajma first. While they cook you can make the onion tomato base in a pan. When the pressure is down, add this to the cooker and cook further or add the cooked rajma to the gravy.

      Reply

  26. Turned out great. Very good recipe. Thanks a ton for this wonderful website and recipes. Really very easy easy and delicious

    Reply

  27. Thank you Swasthi, once again. Today I made this Rajma recipe for the fourth time and it turned out amazing. You are a genius:)
    Keep the new recipes coming!
    Cheers!

    Reply

    • Welcome Mohit Valecha
      Thanks a lot for trying and the feedback too. Happy to know it turns out good. Thanks again for encouraging.

      Reply

  35. Hi swasthi Garu hru ?
    I heard rajma is good for health but I don’t like it…
    U r recipe is soo good tomorrow I will try…

    Reply