Rajma Recipe | Rajma Masala (Restaurant Style)

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

4.91 from 201 votes

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.

Prep Time9

Cook Time45

Total Time9 45

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: North Indian, Punjabi

Diet: Vegetarian

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Servings:

Calories: 210kcal

Author: Dassana Amit

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

US Customary - Metric

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

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 for some minutes stirring often until the curry thickens. Mash some beans when simmering to thicken the gravy.
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