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Punjabi Rajma recipe or Tender red kidney beans,simmered in flavoursome onion tomato gravy, and loads of asian spices. The only combination i approve of is with rice. Rajma chawal ,a perfect, sumptuous and a healthy meal .

Punjabi Rajma chawal

Punjabi Rajma or red kidney bean curry is a quintessential red bean curry dish served with steamed rice(Rajma chawal) , in the North India, especially the region of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.

This dish happens to be one of the top most curry dishes, loved by kids as well as grown ups. It is popularly known as rajma chawal, as it is always served with Steamed or jeera rice.

Though not necessarily, it is still a personal choice and some people like having Punjabi rajma with Roti or paratha , but nothing can beat this simple and authentic combination of rajma chawal.

Types of rajma

In India there are different varieties or types of rajma beans depending on the area / state of cultivation.

The kidney beans i generally use to cook Punjabi rajma recipe are dark red in colour and known as the chilli bean or red beans. These visually resemble the shape of a kidney.

The reason in use them mostly is because these are more easily available in UK.

You can also use the Pink rajma or Chitra rajma that is considered more superior and is associated with Kashmiri cuisine in India. It is also commonly known as pahadi rajma or Jammu rajma as my family says it.

As per my mum, Jammu rajma is the best type of rajma to cook a perfect meal of rajma chawal.

Benefits of adding Rajma (kidney beans) to your diet

Kidney beans like other beans are a very good source of cholesterol-lowering fibre .

In addition to lowering cholesterol, kidney beans high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising too rapidly after a meal, making these beans an especially good choice for individuals with diabetes, insulin resistance or hypoglycaemia.

When combined with whole grains such as rice, these provide virtually fat-free high quality protein.

Punjabi Rajma recipe — Punjabi Rajma Curry

Pressure cooking Rajma / Red Kidney beans

To prepare Punjabi rajma curry ,soak the kidney beans (rajma beans) in enough water overnight . To cook, boil the soaked and rinsed beans in pressure cooker for about 20-25 minutes till the rajma beans are tender, and you can easily crush them using two fingers.

Add tempering of onion , ginger, garlic, tomatoes paste and lots of Indian curry spices. Soaking these overnight is really important, as that reduces the cooking time, and makes the beans easy to digest.

In the cooked beans,add a tsp of mustard oil, cover and let it simmer on slow till you get the tempering ready. Adding mustard oil is completely optional. I add it because it provides a slightly rustic , sharp taste and flavour to the beans when these are cooked.

Most of the people do not add it. So you can skip this if you want to.

Preparing Rajma Tadka (Tempering for Punjabi rajma recipe)

For rajma tadka recipe or tempering I mostly use ghee, as using ghee makes it easier to digest whole beans and legumes.

Also using ghee enhances the taste of the curry, but if you want to add any other oil of your preference you can use that.

The ingredients required for rajma tadka are crushed ginger garlic , onion and cumin seeds paste, fresh tomatoes pureed, green chillies and dry spices.

Crushed ginger garlic- use fresh or use store bought paste.

Onion cumin paste-In a grinder roughly grind onions and cumin seeds together.

Tomato puree– In a grinder , nicely grind tomatoes till they form puree.

Dry Spices needed are- asafoetida powder, salt, red chilli powder, degi mirchi powder or Kashmiri mirch powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder, dried crushed fenugreek leaves.

Tomatoes, onions, chilli, ginger, garlic for rajma tadka recipe — Punjabi Rajma Curry

Heat oil/ ghee add asafoetida powder.

Sauté for a minute and add crushed ginger garlic. Sauté this till the raw aroma goes away.

Add onion and cumin seeds paste , and sauté till the paste is thoroughly cooked. It will start turning golden. Make sure it does not stick and burn. So keep stirring it.

Once the onions are done, add the tomato puree.

Sauté this till the tomatoes are nicely cooked, and the oil/ ghee starts leaving sides.

The tempering should be properly cooked, and there should be no water.

Now add chopped, or sliced green chillies.

Add all dry spices – salt, red chilli powder, degi mirchi powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder. Mix well.

Add fenugreek leaves, and combine well.

Cooking Punjabi rajma

Once the Rajma tadka / tempering is ready, add it to the cooked rajma, and mix well.

Pressure cook once again for one whistle, so that the rajma tadka and all the masalas are combined really well and the rajma beans absorb the flavour .

Turn the heat off.

Open the pressure has subsided open the pressure cooker. Check for the seasonings.

Serve rajma with a dollop of ghee / butter, fresh coriander, and a sprinkle of garam masala.

Serving Rajma chawal

The best accompaniment for the rajma is steamed rice, or jeera rice. The very reason Rajma curry is synonymous with Rajma chawal. You will hardly ever hear people say they are craving rajma or they cooked rajma for lunch. It’s always rajma chawal that they crave and the palette loves this combination.

However rajma just go as well with paranthas, or tandoori roti .

Serve it with sliced onions, and salad, raita and your healthy dream lunch is ready.

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More recipes on the blog-

Rajma /Red kidney beans curry

anubhav mahajan

Tender red kidney beans, simmered in flavoursome onion tomato gravy, and loads of asian spices.A perfect, sumptous and a healthy meal .

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 40

Total Time 10 40

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian, north indian, punjabi

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

1 cup Rajma / red kidney beans soaked overnight in 5-6 cups of water
5-6 cups water to boil rajma
1 tsp mustard oil
2 tbsp ghee
a dash of asafoetida powder/ hing
2 tsp crushed ginger and garlic or use paste instead
1 medium onions
1 tsp cumin seeds
3-4 medium tomatoes pureed
3-4 green chillies- adjust qty as per the spice you want chopped/ or sliced
salt as per taste
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp deggi mirchi powder
1 tsp haldi/ turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp hand crushed dried fenugreek leaves/ kasoori methi

to garnish

1 tsp ghee/ butter to drizzle
fresh coriander chopped/ handpicked
1/2 tsp garam masala

Instructions

In a pressure cooker, boil water with a tsp of salt, and add soaked beans in it .Pressure cook on medium heat for 20-25 minutes, till the beans are tender and can be crushed easily with two fingers.
Once the rajma is cooked, add a tea spoon of raw mustard oil. Cover and let it simmer on slow heat, till you prepare the tempering.

For tempering

If you are using fresh ginger garlic – crush 7-8 cloves garlic, and 1 inch ginger slice in mortar pestle/ or in a mixer grinder.
To make Onion cumin paste- In a grinder roughly grind onions and cumin seeds together.
To make tomato puree- In a grinder , nicely grind tomatoes till they form puree.
Heat oil/ ghee add asafoetida powder. Sauté for a minute.
Add crushed ginger garlic. Sauté this till the raw aroma of ginger and garlic goes away.
Add onion and cumin seeds paste , and sauté till the paste is cooked. It will start turning golden. Make sure not to burn it.
To the above add the tomato puree. Sauté this till the tomatoes are nicely cooked, and the oil/ ghee starts leaving sides.The tempering should be nicely cooked, and there should be no water.
Now add chopped, or sliced green chillies, and all dry spices – salt, red chilli powder, deggi mirchi powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder. Mix well. Add fenugreek leaves, and mix.
Once you tempering is ready, add it to the cooked rajma in the cooker, and mix well.
Pressure cook once again for one whistle, so that the tempering is incorporated , and the beans absorb the flavour . Turn the heat off.
Open the pressure cooker once the pressure has subsided, and serve rajma with a dollop of ghee / butter, fresh coriander, and a sprinkle of garam masala.
Serve these on top of steamed rice, or jeera rice, with a side of sliced onions, salad, raita and your healthy dream lunch is ready.

Notes

Adding mustard oil is completely optional. I add it because it provides a slightly rustic , sharp taste and flavour to the beans when these are cooked. Most of the people do not add it. So you can skip this if you want to.

Keyword kidney beans, rajma, chilli beans, beans, legumes