Maa Rajma ki dal recipe-A sumptuous creamy mix of whole black urad lentils (mah ki dal) and kidney beans (Rajma) with a mix of rustic Indian flavours.
Maa Rajma ki dal
Maa rajma ki dal or rajma wali daal ( it can be Dahl/ dal/ daal/Mah ki daal ) as we call it in Punjab, is a mix of whole black urad lentils and red kidney beans.
It is a quite similar to the famous ,rich “Dal Makhni”, as in, it has the same ingredients and similar way of cooking it , but just that it is lighter compared to ‘dal makhni’ .
Difference between Punjabi Maa rajma dal and Dal makhni
Dal Makhni if cooked in its authentic style is loaded with tomatoes, butter, cream and ghee- that ultimately makes the daal earn its name and its taste, as “Makhni” or “Buttery” However this Maa ki dal with rajma is lighter .
This recipe uses a good amount of pure ghee but lesser than the makhni version, it uses little cream(Indian malai) and no butter. This authentic punjabi maa rajma ki dal recipe doesn’t have tomatoes as well.
This daal though is lighter in comparison to the Makhni daal, but in itself is quite rich and creamy, owing its creaminess to the use of maa ki dal (Whole urad daal). Maa ki dal is also one of the really healthy varieties of lentils, and has a number of health benefits, apart from being the storehouse of energy.
Ingredients required to cook Maa rajma dal
All whole pulses , including this maa ki dal, are a little heavy to digest , hence addition of a good amount of ghee, garlic, hing (asafoetida) along with fenugreek seeds and other Indian whole spices (details are mentioned in the recipe below) ensure that this is easily digestible and also add a beautiful aroma and taste to this lovely dish.
Whole spices like cloves (Laung) ,black cardamom (Badi elaichi) ,cinnamon stick add a ton of beautiful flavour to this rajma dal.
Along with these you would need fresh salt, red chilli powder, fresh ginger and garlic (or ginger garlic paste) , green chillies, kasoori methi and some mustard oil .
For the tempering you would need ghee, Onions, Jeera (cumin seeds), malai (clotted cream), salt and red chilli powder.
These are the basic ingredients required to make the authentic punjabi style maa rajma ki dal.
Adding malai (clotted cream ) to the tadka is optional. You can omit adding it.
Cooking Maa rajma dal perfectly
There are a number of ways to cook this dal, and a number of ways to temper it using different spices.Most of the versions use tomato , but this recipe is without the use of tomatoes, and believe me having had this since childhood , I never felt that this recipe called for tomatoes.
No particular reason for not adding tomatoes, it tastes as amazing with the tomatoes as well.Those who love tomatoes can surely add it at the time of tempering. But the recipe that I’m sharing today , is my mothers recipe, and is exactly the way she cooks it, and exactly the way I love it.
Traditionally this Maa rajma ki dal is one of the recipes that would be slow cooked over a clay oven for about and 10-12 hours or over night. But thanks to the modern gadgets, namely pressure cooker or slow cooker / instapot this recipe can be cooked in 2-3 hours,leaving aside the time you need to soak the lentils (overnight).
It takes so much time because to taste good and be easily digestible , whole lentils like maa ki dal and Red Kidney beans (Rajma ) need to be cooked properly till they get a mushy consistency. You need to make sure these are all nice , creamy and mushy (something like in the below pictures) ,before you get on with tempering .
This is a time consuming recipe, but worth it all, in the end when the deliciousness and creaminess, enhanced by the flavours of the daal ,spices and ghee, just melts into your mouth !
Storing and Using Maa rajma dal later
Another thing that I love about this daal is that no matter this daal takes a lot of time to cook, this is one of the daals that you can cook in excess and then store in the refrigerator.
You can store it in the fridge for 2-3 days.After two days when you are again yearning for this creamy rich daal, just take out from the fridge, heat it thoroughly, add a little hot water if it is too thick . Make another tempering of ghee ( yes the more you add, the more it adds to the taste ),Jeera (caraway seeds), degi mirch powder and finely chopped onions and another meal is ready.
This dal also freezes really well. You can thaw it outside or in the fridge the day you want to eat. To eat just heat it thoroughly , add some water to get the right consistency, and add another fresh tempering.
Believe me when I say, the second time it tastes more more delicious than the first time…yes it does!
Any leftover maa rajma ki daal can also be used to make amazing crispy daal paranthas for the breakfast or lunch or dinner.
Serving Suggestions
You can pair this Rajma wali dal with hot tandoori roti, naan, parathas, pooris ,tawa roti, or even rice.
Adding a drizzle of fresh ghee on hot dal while serving makes it more delicious. My dad does it with most of the daals and vegetables, and yes….It just tastes delicious! You don’t have to do it with everything,but do try it on this, and lemme know how you like it.
Adding a sprinkle of grated paneer is another way to garnish this. It adds so much vibrance to this dal. Whatever you top it with, sprinkle a lil garam masala , fresh coriander. Have a side of pickled onions , vegetable raita, ready to be served with this punjabi dal.
My favourite accompaniment with maa rajma ki dal is this delicious Instant green chillies and garlic chutney or mango chutney.
Here is the quick recipe of the delicious homemade punjabi style Maa Rajma Dal for you lovely people.
Recipe card
Maa Rajma Daal recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole black urad daal/ whole black daal/ maan ki daal
- 2 tbsp red kidney beans/ rajma
- 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds whole
- 6-7 cups water
- 1 tsp mustard oil
- a pinch hing (asafoetida) powder/ crushed
- salt as per taste
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 3-4 Green chillies chopped
- 2-3 pcs cloves
- 1 pod black cardamom whole
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 inch slice of ginger chopped/ crushed/ grated
- 5-6 cloves garlic chopped/ crushed/grated
- 1 tsp kasoori methi (dried and crushed fenugreek leaves)
- 5-6 tbsp Pure ghee
- 1 medium Onion chopped
- 1 tsp caraway seeds(jeera)
- 1 tbsp Fresh Malai (creme) Use clotted cream / fresh whipping cream if malai is not available
- 1 tbsp grated paneer This is for garnishing and completely optional.
- few sprigs fresh coriander leaves Chopped. For garnishing
- 1 tsp Degi Mirchi powder
Instructions
Soak whole urad daal (lentils) and rajma (kidney beans ) in water overnight.
- Before cooking, wash the mix thoroughly with water.
- In a pressure cooker, add the soaked Lentils and beans mix, 6-7 cups water (for 1 cup lentils and 2 tbsp beans), and 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds.Cook for 5-6 whistles.
- open the lid, once the pressure is all out. Then add mustard oil ,whole spices (cloves/ black cardamom/cinnamon stick), add salt, red chilli powder, hing (asafoetida),chopped green chillies, ginger and garlic.
- Close the cooker lid and on a medium heat, let it cook for 20 minutes.
- After 20 min, turn off the heat, and once the pressure is out, open the cooker lid. Add crushed kasoori methi (dried and crushed fenugreek leaves), mix well and cook daal on slow heat, for another 15-20 min, till it dissolves , and looks a little mushy.
For the first tempering
- Heat 4 tbsp of ghee.
- Add caraway seeds (jeera), let them splutter.
- Add chopped onions and let them get a little crispy and light brown.
- Add Malai. Almost all Indian homes have malai (fresh cream) readily available , but here in UK I do not have malai at home. I use the clotted cream instead and it works well in this recipe.You can also add the whipping cream if nothing else is available. Do not cook the tempering much after adding malai.
- Add this tadka (tempering) to the hot daal, and mix well.
For the second tempering. You can add this while serving the daal.
- Heat the leftover ghee.
- Once the ghee is hot enough, turn off the heat and add deli mirch powder.
- Immediately add it over the cooked daal.
- Now garnish the daal with grated paneer . This really looks good and blend well with the taste of man rajma daal( This is completely optional).Add fresh coriander and serve this with paranthas / roti/ naan or rice.
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More dal recipes- Kaali daal, Urad Chana dal, punjabi rajma recipe
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I have tried your daal recipe and it taste really awesome….
Thanks Somali. Now you have the recipe, you can try it anytime again:)