Punjabi Style Rajma
Master how to make rajma at home and bring the authentic taste of North India to your kitchen. This Punjabi style rajma recipe creates a hearty, nutritious, and full-of-flavor dish that pairs great with basmati rice for the classic rajma chawal experience that has been comfort food for generations.
Servings: 4
Calories: 241kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup rajma or red kidney beans dried beans
- 1 inch piece of ginger peeled
- 3-4 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 small red onion peeled and cubed
- 2 big tomatoes on the vine or other juicy tomatoes, roughly chopped
- ½ serrano pepper optional
- 2 tablespoon oil or use ghee
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- Salt to taste
- 5-6 sprigs cilantro leaves stripped and chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Plan ahead: Soak the red kidney beans in enough water for 6-8 hours or overnight.
- Drain the water in which the beans were soaked and give them a quick rinse. Set a pressure cooker on high heat and add the soaked rajma, 4-5 cups of water, and salt. Close and lock the lid of the pressure cooker and wait for it to whistle (or come to full pressure). This will take 10-12 minutes depending on the size of your pressure cooker. Once the cooker "whistles", lower the heat to low and set a timer of 30 minutes.
- In a blender jar, add peeled ginger, garlic cloves, green chili (if using), onion (cut into big chunks), and tomatoes (cut into big chunks). Blend until everything is crushed and smooth.
- When 15 minutes remain on your rajma cooking time (in the pressure cooker), heat oil (or ghee) in a large non stick or heavy bottomed pan over medium high heat. Add cumin seeds and let them crackle. Now, add the blended paste along with turmeric and coriander powders. Give everything a mix. Note: This masala will splutter a lot, so I recommend using a wooden spatula with a long handle and being very careful.
- With the heat on medium-high cook/bhoono (read all about the technique of bhoono in this recipe of coriander chicken) the masala until all the moisture evaporates and tiny droplets of oil start to appear at the edges. This will take between 10-15 minutes. Keep stirring in between. This is your masala.
- By now your rajma should be cooked. Wait for the pressure of the cooker to release naturally and open the lid. The red kidney beans should be easily mashed when pressed.
- Add the prepared masala (step 6) to the cooked rajma. Turn the heat on to medium high, bring to a boil, and lower the heat. Check and adjust the salt if needed.
- Let the rajma masala simmer for 5-10 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally. Add garam masala and chopped cilantro and adjust consistency according to preference.
- Serve hot with basmati rice for classic punjabi style rajma chawal. Pickled red onions are highly recommended as a side!
Notes
My post included step by step pictures and important tips, variations substitutions etc. to help you make the best Punjabi style Rajma.
- Buying red kidney beans - try to buy your dried beans from stores that keep their stockpiles fresh. Old beans are hard to cook with and do not have the same texture and taste as fresher dried beans.
- Soaking beans and lentils - help with reducing the cooking time and also with making them more easily digestible. Soaking also helps with a more uniform and creamy texture as compared to canned beans.
- Cooking time - this recipe gives times for cooking 1 cup dried red kidney beans in a 3-litre volume pressure cooker. The time to develop and release pressure will depend on the size of the pressure cooker as well as the quantity of the beans cooked.
- Bhoono Masala - Bhoonoing or cooking the masala of the aromatics and spices to a point where all the moisture has evaporated and the fat separates (tiny droplets of oil along the edges of the masala) is the key to developing flavors. Please do not rush this step and follow the pictures given in step by step procedure.
- The masala will eventually leave the side of the pan and come together. If the masala begins to stick to the bottom of your pan, add few drops of water to release those flavorful bits of masala stuck to the bottom of the pan. The color of the masala would deepen as you bhoono.
- Canned Beans - to save time, you can use canned beans. Skip the pressure cooking part and add the rinsed and drained canned beans to the cooked masala along with water and salt.
- Ginger Garlic Paste - use 2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste instead of fresh ginger and garlic and add it to the pan along with the blended onion tomato paste.
- Green Chili - I have used serrano pepper in this recipe, but it's optional. You can use jalapenos or Thai chili peppers, depending on the desired heat level in this recipe.
- Make in Instant pot - I use a pressure cooker in this recipe. But you can skip soaking and increase pressure cooking time to 45-50 minutes for a quicker Instant Pot version. Or cook the soaked beans with same pressure cooking times as given in the recipe card below.
- Tomato Puree - you can use good quality, store bought pureed tomatoes instead of fresh tomatoes in this recipe. Just add the puree to the saute pan after you add the blended paste of onion, ginger and garlic.
- Forgot to soak? - add boiling hot water to dried beans and let them soak in a warm place for just 30 minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 241kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Sodium: 10mg | Potassium: 727mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 206IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 4mg
