Rajma Masala | Punjabi Rajma Masala | Rajma Chawal | Rajma Rice is a lovely spiced ,rich and creamy curry made with kidney beans. Prepared with a delicious onion and tomato gravy base, seasoned with some beautiful and aromatic spices to make it just irresistible. Relished best with rice tempered with cumin seeds and caramelized onions. Can be served with roti, naan, prantha, plain rice, pilaf and masala rice(which is my favorite).
A complete serving although should accompany a nice creamy boondi or vegetable raita and salad along with masala poppadoms.This is the way we Punjabi’s serve Rajma Chawal / Rajma Masala in our households.Also few times, to make the flavor reach the epitome and drown through our eyes we even club it with fresh green chilies.Our tears flowing from the eyes tell our story of how we love eating our Rajma Rice all spiced up and chili. But of-course ,you adjust the spice meter according to your eating preference.
As a kid whenever anyone asked about my favorite dish or something i like to have just anytime,was invariably-Rajma Chawal. And it was the same for most of my family members and friends. Rajma Chawal is the most cooked and celebrated dish for us north Indians.Its a daily routine and a party food too.If its a wedding ,party,or any formal occasions where there the cuisine is Indian, you’ll find Rajma Chawal on the menu for sure.Other few are Dal Makhani and Pindi Chana.( click the link for recipe).
There are various types of Rajma available in the market. Amongst the most popular are chitra and Kashmiri. Chitra Rajma- are pale red beans with red spots and the Kashmiri rajma are the deep red beans. They differ a bit in taste and texture and also in terms of thickness of gravy. Kashmiri rajma are firm and do not go very soft and chitra rajma are cooked quickly and get very soft and have a thicker gravy once cooked.Its personal choice which one you want to use.I somehow prefer to mix the two while cooking .The ration is 3:1, 3 parts Kashmiri and 1 part chitra. But the this recipe prepares one variety with gravy.You may or may not mix.The preparation will not differ.
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- 1 cup Rajma red kidney beans
- 2 1/2 cup water to soak and boil
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- 1 black cardamom while boiling
- 1/2 tsp haldi/turmeric powder
- 4 Tomatoes pureed
- 1/4 cup tomato puree ready made
- 1 onion ground or finely chopped
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- 1 tsp garlic paste
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/4 tsp ginger powder
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder
- 1/2 tsp dry mango powder / amchoor powder
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 2 tbsp Desi Ghee/ Clarified Butter or mustard oil
- 1/4 cup cilantro / green coriander to garnish
- 1/2 tsp kasoori methi /Fenugreek leaves optional
- Soak the rajma/ kidney beans inn water for about 4-5 hours or over night.
- Add turmeric powder, black cardamom and salt and pressure cook till 3-4 whistles or till done.If you are cooking in covered pan then you may need to add more water and cook till the kidney beans are done.
- Tempering: Heat oil in a pan and add finely chopped onion. Cook till light brown in colour. Then add 2-3 tbsp water. This will soften the onions.
- Now, add all the spices and cook on low flame till oil separates.
- Add the pureed tomatoes and tomato puree and stir well.
- Cook covered till oil separates.
- Add the tempering to the boiled rajma/ kidney beans and simmer for a few minutes till the tempering blends in the gravy.
- Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.
I’ve never had Rajma rice before, but this Masala sounds DELISH! My husband would love it. Saving to hopefully make next week!
I’ve never had this dish before but I’m loving all the flavors and I want to make it asap! It looks so vibrant and delicious and absolutely perfect!
great Elaine. Glad you liked.
Looks amazing! Could it be served with poori? And pairing it with masala rice sounds so good! And for me the spicier the better!
Thanks Carissa.
This is comfort food! Rajma with steamed rice is perfect combo.Loved the recipe and clicks too.
Thanks prasanna.
What an awesome recipe! Pinned it to try, well, I’ll show my husband who loves cooking Indian food, and ask him to make it for us one night next week. We have a tin of red kidney beans and all the spices we need… Yum!
thanks Nicoletta
This looks so comforting and would be perfect when the cooler weather moves in. We keep most of these ingredients handy, so it would be really easy to make.
We love trying new Indian recipes at home! There aren’t many good Indian restaurants around us so we have to experiment lol. Can’t wait to try this masala!
I’ve never heard of this dish, but I love all things curry! What a beautiful, bold color on this rajma masala. I think I can find all the ingredients for this between my local grocery and Indian market…I’m going to give this a try!
This looks really good. I have to drive for over an hour for good Indian food. I am totally saving the drive time and trying this the next time a craving hits!
Thanks sara. Glad you like it.
This is going to be the perfect way to switch up dinner this week. Some of my favorite spices here!
I just love your recipes! They are always so authentic and so delish!! I love making a true authentic Indian recipe!! These ingredients look amazing!! I can’t wait to give this one a try!
Thanks Amanda. Am so glad you like it. Do share once you try. Would love to hear from you.
Nothing can be comforting and delicious like this rajma masala. Rajma chawal is bliss! I can eat up the whole bowl of rice with this yummy rajma masala