Rajma Recipe | Rajma Masala (Restaurant Style)

Step by StepJump to Recipe

This Rajma recipe is a lightly spiced, creamy and delicious Punjabi style curry made with protein rich kidney beans, aromatics like onions, ginger, garlic, fragrant spices and tangy tomatoes. My Mom’s recipe for restaurant-style Rajma Masala is a staple in our home, and after you try it I’ll bet it becomes one at yours, too. I have also shared a homestyle one pot Punjabi Rajma Chawal that will remind you about the comforting and satisfying Rajma made in Punjabi homes.

overhead shot of rajma recipe in a blue rimmed white bowl on a jute cloth with a brass spoon and bowl with onion rounds and lemon wedges

What is Rajma

Rajma is the Hindi word for Kidney Beans. However, this delicious vegetarian curry is so popular that the recipe has become synonymous with the bean. Both the beans themselves and this dish that features them are known as Rajma.

Another name for this yummy and satisfying dish is Rajma Masala, which translates to “red kidney beans in spiced gravy.”

Whatever you call it, you’re sure to love these melt-in-your-mouth rajma beans and the creamy spiced curry that accompanies them.

Rajma Varieties

Let me tell you that are many varieties of kidney beans available in the Indian market. From the deep dark maroon red rajma to the lovely to look at streaked colored bean, the small white colored kidney beans and the unique black rajma. The size of these beans also varies from small to medium to large.

I usually make rajma recipe with the Chitra Rajma variety as you will see in the step-by-step photo guide below. These are cream or light pink colored beans with speckles or streaks of maroon color drawn on them.

Photo of Chitra Rajma below.

closeup photo of pink colored rajma or chitra rajma

In Hindi, the word ‘Chitra’ means a drawing or a picture and hence this name. These are also called Speckled Kidney Beans and have a nice soft melt-in-the-mouth texture once cooked.

To make these recipes you can choose any variety of rajma that is available to you. But make sure to cook them perfectly as the cooking time will vary with the variety and kind of bean you use. And also remember to presoak them before you begin cooking.

Red colored rajma also works well, but my experience with this variety of rajma is that these take a long time to cook and sometimes simply do not become perfectly tender and soft.

Photo of Red Rajma below.

closeup photo of red rajma.

Why You Will Love This Rajma Recipe

This rajma recipe follows the traditional (and the most common method) of making the kidney bean curry. So long as you follow the recipe, there’s no chance anything will go wrong with this simple and delectable dish.

In this easy rajma recipe, the kidney beans are pressure cooked first and are later added to a sautéed base of spices, onions and tomatoes. The result is a tangy, flavorful and spiced curry with the melt in the mouth beans.

I prefer working with dried kidney beans because they are both cheaper than canned and give me the opportunity to cook and season them to my liking.

Moreover I always prefer and recommend to use fresh ingredients for a healthy living. That said, you can also make this recipe using canned beans as a time saver!

The aromatic and flavorful masala base is cooked down to a beautiful curry consistency by adding some water, and then is finished off with some cream.

Adding cream makes for a truly restaurant-style rajma masala that is decadent enough and pairs greatly with some Naan or Roti.

Rajma is usually a weekend affair that is perfect for a Sunday lunch at home. When I make this filling recipe I stay true to the Punjabi style and don’t bother with any other side dishes.

When you have rajma (red beans) and rice, do you really need anything else? Aside from some naan to soak up all the extra gravy, nothing!

In fact, serving beans with rice creates a full protein, which can sometimes be difficult to achieve as a vegetarian or vegan.

So not only is rajma served with rice, tasty and inexpensive, it is also quite healthy and wholesome! So now that you know about this traditional Punjabi dish of rajma recipe, let’s get to cooking it, shall we?

Step-by-Step Guide

How to Make Rajma Masala

My detailed step-by-step process will help you in making the best rajma recipe ever.

While I have cooked the beans in a pressure cooker, they can also be easily cooked in a pan or an Instant pot. In the recipe card below, I have listed the steps of cooking the beans using all three methods.

Soak Beans

1. Sort dried beans and discard any misshapen or discolored beans. Rinse a couple of times, and then soak 1 cup rajma (kidney beans) in enough water to cover them.

Soaking should ideally last for 8 to 9 hours, so I usually soak them the night before I cook.

soaking rajma (kidney beans) in water

2. Once the beans are well soaked, discard the soaking water. Drain and rinse the soaked beans a few times to remove any leftover grit, if any.

rinsing the soaked rajma with fresh water

Cook Beans

3. Add the rinsed and drained kidney beans to a 3 litre stovetop pressure cooker.

If you do not have a stovetop pressure cooker, cook the beans in a pot or pan or the Instant Pot. Add water as needed while cooking. (Details mentioned below in the recipe card).

When Using Canned Kidney Beans

To make things easier, opt for canned kidney beans. When using canned beans, drain the liquids, rinse the beans a few times in water using a strainer.

Drain the water and add the canned beans to the prepared curry base and simmer for a few minutes until the beans are warmed or heated through.

rajma beans added in a 3 litre pressure cooker

4. Add 3.5 to 4 cups of water and stir. Pressure cook the rajma for 18 to 20 whistles (or for about 15 to 20 minutes).

The cook time of your beans will vary depending on their quality and age.

water being added to rajma in a pressure cooker

5. While the kidney beans are cooking, prep the following:

  • chop 1 large onion (¾ to 1 cup finely chopped onion)
  • 2 large tomatoes (1 cup finely chopped tomatoes)
  • make the crushed ginger+garlic+green chili paste

For the paste, you need to crush or grind 1 inch ginger, 5 to 6 small garlic cloves (or 3 to 4 medium garlic cloves), and 1 to 2 green chilies to a paste in a mortar-pestle or a small grinder.

finally chopped tomatoes, onion and crushed ginger-garlic-green chillies kept aside for the rajma recipe

6. When the pressure settles down on its own and naturally drops in the cooker, then only open the lid.

Check if the rajma is cooked or not by eating or pressing a few beans with your fingers. The cooked beans should not have a bite to them and must be softened.

The rajma beans should be completely cooked and have a melt in the mouth texture. They should not be al dente or having a slight bite to them.

If they are not cooked completely, then pressure cook again (adding some water if needed) for a few more minutes.

cooked rajma beans

Make Masala Base

7. Heat either 3 tablespoons of butter (or 2 tablespoons butter + 1 tablespoon oil), in another pot or pan or kadai. Keep the heat to low or medium-low.

melting butter in a frying pan

8. Add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds first and let them crackle and get browned.

added cumin seeds in the frying pan

9. Then add the finely chopped onions.

added finely chopped onions in the pan

10. Stir and begin to sauté them on medium-low to medium heat.

sautéing the onions

11. Keep on stirring the onions while sautéing them. This will ensure both uniform cooking and also that they don’t get burnt.

Take care not to burn the onions, as this will impart bitter tones to the rajma curry.

onion being stirred and sautéed with a black spoon

12. Light browning of the onions is also fine.

onions have become light golden

13. Sauté the onions till they are caramelized and golden brown.

onions are getting caramelized

14. Lower the heat and add the crushed ginger-garlic-chilli paste.

crushed ginger-garlic-chilli paste added to caramelized onions

15. Stir and sauté for 5 to 10 seconds on a low heat or until the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.

ginger-garlic-chilli paste being sautéed

16. Add the finely chopped tomatoes.

 finely chopped tomatoes added

17. Mix very well.

tomatoes have been mixed

18. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until the tomatoes become soft on a medium-low to medium heat.

tomatoes have softened

19. Add all the spice powders one by one:

  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • ½ teaspoon red chilli powder (or cayenne pepper or paprika)
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • a pinch of asafoetida (hing)
  • ½ teaspoon garam masala powder.

Note: If you are gluten free, be sure to source certified gluten free asafoetida, as many commercial brands process the spice with wheat.

spiced powders added to tomato onion masala

20. Mix again very well.

spice powders being mixed with a black spoon

21. Continue to sauté the whole masala base until the fat starts leaving the sides of the masala on a medium-low heat.

The onion tomato masala will thicken, become glossy and start clumping around itself.

some fat leaving the sides of the sautéed onion-tomato masala base

Make Rajma Masala

22. Use a slotted spoon or a strainer, remove the rajma beans from their cooking liquid and add them to the masala.

cooked rajma added to masala base

23. Stir and sauté for a minute.

rajma mixed well with the masala base

24. Add 2 cups of the fresh water to the pan. If you like then you can also add the cooked rajma stock instead of fresh water.

stock and water added to bean and curry mixture

25. Add salt as required.

salt being added

26. Stir the entire rajma curry mixture.

rajma curry after mixing and stirring

27. On a low to medium-low heat, simmer without a lid for 10 to 12 minutes or more until the curry thickens slightly. The rajma curry should not be watery.

simmering rajma masala gravy

28. Mash a few rajma beans with the back of your spoon. This helps to thicken the consistency.

mashing some kidney beans with a spoon in the frying pan itself

29. Continue to simmer until you get a medium consistency in the curry.

simmering rajma curry to thicken it with the smashed beans

30. Continue stirring at intervals when the rajma masala is simmering.

stirring rajma masala with a black spoon

31. The Punjabi rajma masala has to thicken and the curry has to be of the right consistency, which is neither too thick nor thin.

spoon showing the consistency of the rajma masala

32. Once the consistency is right, add 1 teaspoon crushed kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves) and 2 to 3 tablespoons light cream.

If using heavy whipping cream, then just add 1 tablespoon of it. Mix very well and simmer for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Adding cream is optional and you can easily skip it. Addition of cream gives some richness to the curry making it taste restaurant style and balances the tang from the tomatoes.

cream and kasuri methi added to the rajma masala

33. Turn off the heat.

cream and kasuri methi mixed and rajma recipe is ready to be served

Serving & Storage Suggestions

34. Serve your completed rajma masala with steamed basmati rice, jeera rice, saffron rice, Roti, paratha or naan. The combination of rajma and rice is quite famous in North India.

You can garnish with some coriander leaves for some fresh flavor and color when serving. You could even add some ginger julienne as a garnish.

It is best to consume the kidney bean curry the day it is prepared. But if you have any leftovers, then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a day.

The curry consistency will thicken after cooling, so add a bit of water while warming or heating it up to loosen the consistency.

rajma masala in a blue rimmed white bowl on a jute cloth with a brass spoon and bowl with onion rounds and lemon wedges

Expert Tips

  • Be sure to soak your dried beans! It is important to soak the rajma (kidney beans) overnight or for 8 to 9 hours and then cook them really well. Dried beans when soaked become more easy to digest as soaking reduces the phytic acid in them. The phytates present in beans cause indigestion and flatulence. Soaking also helps the beans to cook faster.
  • Cook your rajma well! While making recipe with kidney beans, they have to be cooked really well. They should melt in your mouth when you bite into them offering no resistance. This is a very crucial and the most overlooked aspect of cooking rajma. Even in restaurants, the beans have a bite in them and this not only ruins the texture in the dish but also affects your stomach.
  • Opt for high quality rajma beans. Always buy rajma beans which are new and not old. Older beans take a lot of time to cook and you don’t get the perfect texture in the rajma. I always check the packaging date while buying them and I don’t buy rajma if they are older than 5 to 6 months.
  • If you’re short on time, use canned beans! When using canned kidney beans, add them at the step where cooked beans are added. Add fresh water and continue to simmer for some minutes until the consistency thickens. You can use two 15 oz canned kidney beans.
  • Gluten-free variation: To make this rajma recipe gluten-free, skip the asafoetida (hing) or use gluten free asafoetida.
  • Vegan variation: Instead of butter, use oil and skip the cream completely. Alternately, you can opt to use a vegan butter and coconut cream if you prefer a richer curry. The flavors of coconut will be felt in vegan rajma recipe but it will taste good.

Your Questions Answered

I forgot to soak the kidney beans – now what I should do?

You have two options. One is a method known as a “quick soak.” Pour boiling water over your kidney beans to cover them, cover the bowl and soak for 1 to 2 hours. They should now be ready to rinse, drain and cook.

Alternatively, feel free to opt for using canned beans instead. As the recipe is written, two 15 oz cans should do the trick.

Can I sauté the onions, tomatoes and then pressure cook the rajma?

Yes, you can use this method. Due to the acidity of the tomatoes, the rajma beans *may* not cook well (depending on their freshness). That said, I have tried this way of cooking many times and it works for me when using fresh kidney beans. 

How to make a very thick gravy for the rajma masala?

Instead of mashing the cooked beans, you can take about ¼ cup of the cooked beans and grind or blend them with some water to make a fine paste.

Add this paste to the curry base and simmer. The resulting rajma masala will have a thick consistency due to the added starch in the sauce.

How to make rajma masala in the Instant Pot?

Sauté the spices, onions and tomatoes in the steel insert of the Instant Pot using the sauté button.

Add the soaked and drained kidney beans, water and deglaze. Press the pressure cooker button or the chili button and set the time to 30 minutes at high pressure. Wait for natural release.

After 17 to 20 minutes open the lid. Press cancel button and press the sauté button again. Simmer stirring often until the curry thickens. Mash some beans when simmering to thicken the gravy. 

How to cook kidney beans in a pot or pan?

First, soak the kidney beans overnight or for 8 to 9 hours. Drain and rinse them with fresh water.

Then in a large pot, take enough water, the soaked kidney beans and salt as required. Cover and cook on medium to medium-high for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the beans are softened.

Keep in mind that the time the beans will take to cook perfectly will depend upon their freshness, age and quality.

FAQs

1. Can I use dark kidney beans?

Usually Punjabi rajma masala is made with the pinkish colored and striped kidney beans, but you can use the dark red kidney beans instead.

2. How do I use canned kidney beans and how much?

1 cup of dried kidney beans yields about 3 cups cooked beans. A 15 oz can makes for 1.5 to 1.75 cups of canned beans. You should therefore use two 15 oz canned kidney beans in the recipe.

3. Why my rajma beans are not getting cooked well or taking a long time to cook?

Depending on the quality and freshness of the beans, it can take more or less time to cook. Always avoid aged beans as they do not soften and cook well.

6. Can I skip cream?

Yes. While I find that just 1 to 2 tablespoons offers a velvety consistency that makes this rajma taste like it is from a restaurant, you may omit it if you wish.

7. Can I skip kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) in the rajma recipe?

Yes, you can skip kasuri methi.

8. Can I skip asafoetida?

Of course! In Indian cuisine, we generally add asafoetida to lentil or bean dishes, as it can help in digestion. But in this rajma masala recipe, asafoetida is easily skippable.

9. Can I use canned tomatoes to make rajma recipe?

Yes, you can use canned tomatoes. Use 1 cup of crushed tomatoes.

12. Can I skip butter in this rajma recipe

Yes, you can skip butter. You can also substitute vegan butter if you prefer.

More Awesome Punjabi Recipes!

Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter.

overhead shot of rajma recipe in a blue rimmed white bowl on a jute cloth with a brass spoon and bowl with onion rounds and lemon wedges

Rajma Recipe | Rajma Masala (Restaurant Style)

This Rajma recipe is a creamy, tangy and spiced curry made with dried kidney beans. This restaurant style Rajma Masala is made in a base of sautéed onions, tomatoes, spices and cream making it truly delicious. Best served with steamed hot rice, naan or soft roti or flaky paratha.
4.91 from 201 votes
Prep Time 9 hours
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 9 hours 45 minutes
Cuisine North Indian, Punjabi
Course Main Course
Diet Vegetarian
Difficulty Level Moderate
Servings 5
Units

Ingredients

For pressure cooking

  • 1 cup rajma – 200 grams (dried kidney beans), any variety
  • 3.5 to 4 cups water – for pressure cooking
  • enough water – for soaking rajma

For ginger-garlic-chilli paste

  • 3 to 4 garlic cloves – medium-sized
  • 1 inch ginger
  • 1 to 2 green chillies or 1 to 2 Serrano peppers

Other ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons Butter + 1 tablespoon oil or 3 tablespoons butter
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • ¾ to 1 cup onions – finely chopped, 150 grams or 1 large onion
  • 1 cup tomatoes – finely chopped, 250 grams or 3 medium or 2 large tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder (ground coriander)
  • ¼ to ½ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper or hot paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
  • 1 pinch asafoetida (hing) – optional
  • ¼ to ½ teaspoon Garam Masala
  • 1.5 to 2 cups water
  • salt as required
  • 1 teaspoon kasuri methi – crushed, (dried fenugreek leaves) – optional
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons low fat cream or half and half or 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream – optional
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves – for garnish, optional

Instructions
 

Soaking

  • Rinse and soak the rajma (kidney beans) in enough water overnight or for 8 to 9 hours.
  • Next day, discard the water and rinse the beans again in fresh water for a couple of times.
  • Drain all the water.

Pressure Cooking

  • In a 3 litre stovetop pressure cooker, take both the soaked rajma and water.
  • Pressure cook on a medium to high flame for 15 to 20 minutes.
  • When the rajma is cooking, you can chop the onions, tomatoes etc.
  • Crush the ginger, garlic and green chillies in a mortar-pestle to a fine or semi-fine texture. Set aside
  • When the pressure drops naturally in the cooker, then only open the lid.
  • Check if the rajma beans are cooked or not by taking a bite or pressing a few beans. They should be melt in the mouth and must be completely cooked and tender.
    The beans should not have an al dente texture or a slight bite to them.
  • If the beans are cooked well; set aside or drain the beans.
  • If the rajma are not cooked well enough, then pressure cook again adding some water if needed for some more minutes.

Making masala

  • Heat oil + butter in another pot or pan on a low heat. Add cumin first and let them crackle & get browned.
  • Then add onions and sauté them till they caramelized or golden browned on a medium-low to medium heat.
  • Take care not to burn them as this will give bitter tones in the curry.
  • Light browning the onions is also alright.
  • Keep on stirring the onions while sauteing them, for uniform cooking and also so that they don't get burnt.
  • Lower the heat and add the crushed ginger-garlic-chili paste. Stir and sauté for 5 to 10 seconds on a low heat until the raw aroma of the ginger and garlic dissipates.
  • Add the finely chopped tomatoes. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes on medium-low to medium heat until the tomatoes become soft.
  • Add all the spice powders one by one – turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, asafoetida (hing) and garam masala powder.
  • On a medium-low heat or medium heat stirring often sauté the whole masala mixture until the fat starts leaving the sides of the masala base.
    This masala paste will become glossy, thicken and leave the sides of the pan.
  • Using a slotted spoon or a strainer remove the beans and add them to the masala.
  • Stir and sauté for a minute.

Making rajma masala

  • Add 2 cups of water. If you prefer you can also add the cooked rajma stock instead of fresh water.
  • Add salt as required and stir the whole curry mixture.
  • On a low heat to medium-low heat simmer without a lid for 10 to 12 minutes or more time until the curry thickens slightly. It should not be watery.
  • Mash a few rajma beans with the spoon. This helps to thicken the curry.
  • When the rajma masala has thickened and comes to the right consistency which is neither too thick nor thin, then add the crushed dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) and cream.
    You can skip the cream if you prefer.
  • Stir and simmer for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Turn off the heat.
  • Serve rajma masala with steamed basmati rice, jeera rice or naan or roti or paratha. You can garnish with some coriander leaves when serving.
  • Rajma paired with either flatbreads or steamed rice makes for a filling, healthy and a comforting meal.

Video

Notes

Helpful Tips
  • Soaking kidney beans: Dried beans when soaked become more easy to digest as soaking reduces the phytic acid in them. The phytates present in beans cause indigestion and flatulence. Soaking also helps the beans to cook faster. 
  • Texture of cooked beans: The rajma beans should be cooked very well and have a melt in the mouth texture. They should not be al dente or just about cooked. 
  • Quality of kidney beans: Use fresh beans within their shelf-life as older beans take a long time to cook.
  • Using canned kidney beans: When replacing with canned kidney beans, add them at the step in the recipe where cooked beans are added. Add fresh water and continue to simmer for some minutes until the consistency thickens. You can add two 15 oz canned kidney beans.
  • Gluten-free variation: Omit asafoetida (hing) for a gluten-free recipe. 
  • Vegan variation: Instead of butter use oil and skip the cream completely.
  • Spicing: Spices in the rajma curry can be adjusted as per your taste.
  • Note that the approximate nutrition info is for 1 serving of rajma without rice or roti or naan. 
Ingredient Notes
  • Kidney beans: Dark red kidney beans can be used.
  • Ingredients that can be skipped: Asafoetida, dried fenugreek leaves, butter and cream can be skipped completely.
  • Canned tomatoes: You can add canned tomatoes instead of fresh. Add 1 cup of crushed tomatoes.
Making Rajma in Instant Pot
  1. Sauté the spices, onions and tomatoes in the steel insert of the Instant Pot using the sauté button.
  2. Add the soaked and drained kidney beans, water and deglaze. 
  3. Press the pressure cooker button or the chili button and set the time to 30 minutes at high pressure.
  4. Wait for natural release. After 17 to 20 minutes open the lid.
  5. Press cancel button and press the sauté button again.
  6. Simmer for some minutes stirring often until the curry thickens. Mash some beans when simmering to thicken the gravy. 
  7. Add the cream and dried fenugreek leaves. Mix and serve garnished with some coriander leaves. 
Cooking beans in a pot or pan
Soak the beans as usual for 8 to 9 hours. Drain them and rinse them with fresh water.
In a large pot, add enough water, soaked beans and salt. Cook covered for about 45 minutes to 1 hour or more if required until the beans are softened and tender.

Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)

Nutrition Facts
Rajma Recipe | Rajma Masala (Restaurant Style)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 210 Calories from Fat 63
% Daily Value*
Fat 7g11%
Saturated Fat 4g25%
Cholesterol 20mg7%
Sodium 298mg13%
Potassium 707mg20%
Carbohydrates 28g9%
Fiber 7g29%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 9g18%
Vitamin A 873IU17%
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 1mg67%
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 1mg59%
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 1mg5%
Vitamin B6 1mg50%
Vitamin C 13mg16%
Vitamin D 1µg7%
Vitamin E 1mg7%
Vitamin K 9µg9%
Calcium 54mg5%
Vitamin B9 (Folate) 160µg40%
Iron 3mg17%
Magnesium 63mg16%
Phosphorus 177mg18%
Zinc 1mg7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This Rajma recipe from the archives was first published on October 2013. It has been updated and republished on May 2024.

Share This Recipe:

WhatsAppPinShares15k

Meet Dassana

Welcome to Dassana's Veg Recipes. I share vegetarian recipes from India & around the World. Having been cooking for decades and with a professional background in cooking & baking, I help you to make your cooking journey easier with my tried and tested recipes showcased with step by step photos & plenty of tips & suggestions.

Get My Secrets to Great Indian Food
Sign up for my FREE Beginners Guide to Delicious Indian Cooking

More Vegetarian Recipes You'll Love

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. We moderate comments and it takes 24 to 48 hours for the comments to appear. We thank you for your understanding and patience. If you have made the recipe, then you can also give a star rating.

Your Recipe Rating




349 Comments

  1. Hello Mam,
    Could you please give tips on how you cut the onions and tomatoes to such small tiny pieces. I am never able to cut to that size.plssssss

    1. rachna, use a good knife for cutting onions and tomatoes. you can also use a food chopper to chop veggies finely.

      while cutting onions first you halve them. each half, then slice thinly. keep all the slices together. then give a cut from the center. then lastly chop finely. same way tomatoes can be chopped. i hope i am able to help you here.

  2. Hi
    I started cooking after my marriage and am a strict follower of ur recipes. Thank u so mch fr making cooking so easy and perfect?

  3. Hi Dassana,

    I tried this recipe for dinner yesterday and it was awesome. The fragrance and taste was excellent. The only thing I may change when I cook this the next time would be adding onion paste instead of a finely chopped onion. Though finely chopped onion worked for me, I think adding its paste will give an extremely smooth texture to the gravy.

    Thank you for the wonderful recipe.4 stars

    1. thanks ritu. onion paste gives a different taste as well as the consistency is different. in fact i will be sharing jammu style rajma masala, where i grind everything including onions and the result is a smooth gravy like you mention. you can even mince or grate the onions and then add.

    2. If you make paste of raw onions its taste and smell after cooking also persists better is u cut slice of onion put some oil cumin salt and turmeric just fry for 1 min put some water and pressure cook it than grid and make paste

  4. Thanks for your prompt response Dassana. I only added one teaspoon of kasuri methi (didn’t double that one actually). But next time, I’ll try skipping that altogether.

  5. Hi Dassana,

    I love your recipes and appreciate the details you provide to ensure we get the taste right. When I made Rajma with this recipe today, it tasted bitter. I’m not sure why. I doubled the quantities of Rajma and other ingredients from what you had but followed everything else pretty much as you described (used milk instead of cream in the end). I even added some jaggery but there still seems to a bitter under taste and that is disappointing. Any suggestions to solve this or prevent it in the future? Thanks.

    1. hmmm. i assume the bitter taste is due to kasuri methi. looks like it became too much for the gravy. next time add less kasuri methi. depending on the quality, some varieties of kasuri methi can be more bitter.

  6. Hi I used ve some gravy with Rajma with nachos in cream center will this recipe help me to do so

  7. Thank you so much for such lovely recipes on the app.
    This rajma recipe is a no fail recipe with the authentic Punjabi taste.
    I really love the way you explain the method with every little detail. Even the most complex recipes become easy peasy.

  8. This was a fantastic recipe. It immediately brought back happy memories of eating at my childhood friend’s house, who was Punjabi. Had this with homemade dahi. Dassana and Amit, you are turning me into a gourmet chef and my parents are quite proud 🙂

    I always click the ads to try to support your amazing site. Thank you.

    – Anjali

    1. thank you anjali. glad to know and thanks also for sharing your experience. we all have special memories related to food 🙂
      anjali, there is no need to click on the ads. whatever is due to us will come to us in its own way. your appreciation and support is what is required 🙂

  9. I have tried your recipes and they always turn out awesome. I cant wait to try this rajma recipe, is it ok to add thick curd instead of cream?

  10. Thank you for your recipies. Your super duper recipies always makes my day. It has also taught me some new ones which I have tried and served too and got some commendable response.5 stars