Rajma Curry | Rajma Masala | Kidney Beans Curry

 

Rajma Recipe - Kidney Beans Curry

This Rajma recipe is a lightly spiced, creamy and a delicious curry made with kidney beans, onions, tomatoes and spices. Rajma Masala or Kidney Beans Curry is one of the most common and popular curries made in North India.

Rajma is the Hindi word for kidney beans. In fact both the beans as well as this curried dish is called as Rajma. Another name for this dish is Rajma Masala – where Rajma refers to the beans and Masala means a spiced gravy.

Now when you go to market, you will see variety of kidney beans. There are lighter ones and also dark kidney beans. There are also varieties which are smaller in size. The smaller kidney beans are usually used in Kashmiri Rajma, which is a different recipe and uses different spices but you can use in this recipe too. You can use either one of the light or dark color large kidney beans to make rajma. I prefer the darker ones.

How to make Rajma Curry or Rajma Masala Recipe

My detailed step-by-step process will help you in making the best rajma recipe ever. These can be easily cooked in a pan or an Instant pot. In the recipe card below, I have listed the steps of cooking the beans in a pan and Instant pot.

Ingredients: 

• Rajma or Kidney Beans – 250 gm
• Bay Leaf – 2
• Cumin Seeds – ½ tsp
• Dried Red Chilli - 2
• Onion - 2 medium
• Ginger  – ½ inch
• Garlic - 5 to 6 cloves
• Tomato Paste– 1 big
• Cumin Powder – 1 tsp
• Coriander Powder – 1 tsp
• Turmeric Powder – ½ tsp
• Red Chilli Powder – 1 tsp
• Chopped Coriander Leaves - 2 tsp
• Oil – 3 tbsp
• Sugar – To taste
• Salt – To taste

Method

1. Rinse for a couple of times and then soak rajma (kidney beans) in enough water overnight or for 8 to 9 hours.

2. Next day discard the soaked water. Drain and rinse the soaked beans for a few times in running water.

3. Put the rinsed kidney beans in a pressure cooker along with water.

4. Add 1 teaspoon slat.

5.  Pressure cook the rajma for 8 to 10 whistles or for about 15 to 20 minutes. Time of cooking will vary depending on the quality and age of rajma.

6. When the pressure settles down, open the lid. Check if the rajma is cooked or not by pressing a bean with your fingers. The cooked beans should not have a bite to them. 

The rajma beans should be completely cooked. If they are not cooked completely, then pressure cook again adding some water if required for some minutes.

7. For separate the rajma beans and the stock (the water in which the kidney beans were cooked) use a slotted spoon or a strainer and remove the rajma beans. You can also strain the rajma first and set it aside. Set the stock also aside.

8. Heat 3 tablespoons mustard oil or butter or 2 tablespoons butter + 1 tablespoon refine oil in a pan or kadai. Keep the heat to low or medium-low.

Add 2 bay leaf, 2 dried red chilli, ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and let them crackle & get browned.

9. Add onion, ginger and garlic paste (grind 2 medium onion, ½ inch ginger, 5 to 6 garlic cloves together and make fine paste). Stir and begin to saute them on medium-low to medium heat. Saute the onion paste till they are caramelized or golden browned and the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.

10. Add the tomato pure or paste (grind 1 large tomato and make smooth paste). Mix very well and saute for 2 to 3 minutes until the tomato become soft. 

 

11. Add all the spice powders one by one – 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp red chilli powder, ½ tsp turmeric powder and salt as per taste.

12. Mix again very well. Continue to saute the whole masala base until the oil starts leaving the sides of masala on a medium-low heat. Add little water to the masala that they don’t get burnt.

13. Add the boiled rajma to the masala. Stir and saute for couple of  minutes.

13. Stir and saute for couple of  minutes.

14. Put the stock in the kadai and also add water as required.

15. Add water as required.

16. Add sugar to taste and check the salt, if required then add now.

17. On a low to medium-low heat, simmer with a lid for 10 to 12 minutes or more until the rajma masala thickens slightly. The rajma curry should not be watery. Do stir at intervals when the rajma masala is simmering.

18. The rajma curry has to thicken and the curry has to be of the right consistency, which is neither too thick nor thin. Mash a few rajma beans with the spoon. This helps to thicken the rajma curry.

19. Then add freshly chopped coriander leaves. Mix very well & simmer for 30 seconds to 1 minute. If using heavy whipping cream, then just add 1 tablespoon of it.

20. Switch off the heat.

21. Serve rajma curry or rajma masala with steamed basmati rice, jeera rice, roti, paratha, naan or saffron rice. The combination of rajma rice or rajma chawal is quite famous in North India.

You can garnish with some coriander leaves when serving.

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