Punjabi Rajma

Punjabi Rajma Recipe

Posted by Frombowltosoul

About

Tender red kidney beans, simmered in flavoursome onion tomato gravy, and loads of asian spices.A perfect, sumptous and a healthy meal .

Punjabi Rajma or red kidney bean curry is a quintessential bean curry dish, served with steamed rice , in North India, especially the region of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. This dish happens to be one of the top most curry dishes, loved by kids as well as grown ups.

Cooking Rajma / Red Kidney beans

To prepare Punjabi rajma curry ,soak the kidney beans (rajma beans) in enough water overnight . To cook, boil the soaked and rinsed beans in pressure cooker for about 20-25 minutes till the rajma beans are tender, and you can easily crush them using two fingers.

In the cooked beans, add a tsp of mustard oil, cover and let it simmer on slow till you get the tempering ready. Adding mustard oil is completely optional. I add it because it provides a slightly rustic , sharp taste and flavour to the beans when these are cooked. Most of the people do not add it. So you can skip this if you want to.

Tempering

For tempering I mostly use ghee, as using ghee makes it easier to digest whole beans and legumes, and of course using ghee enhances the taste of the curry, but if you want to add any other oil of your preference you can use that.

The ingredients required for tempering are crushed ginger garlic , onion and cumin seeds paste, fresh tomatoes pureed, green chillies and dry spices.

Crushed ginger garlic- use fresh or use store bought paste.

Onion and cumin paste-
In a grinder roughly grind onions and cumin seeds together.

Tomato puree- In a grinder , nicely grind tomatoes till they form puree.

Dry Spices needed are- asafoetida powder, salt, red chilli powder, degi mirchi powder or Kashmiri mirch powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder, dried crushed fenugreek leaves.

Heat oil/ ghee add asafoetida powder. Sauté for a minute and add crushed ginger garlic. Sauté this till the raw aroma goes away. Add onion and cumin seeds paste , and sauté till the paste is thoroughly cooked. It will start turning golden. Make sure not to burn it.

Last add the tomato puree. Sauté this till the tomatoes are nicely cooked, and the oil/ ghee starts leaving sides.The tempering should be properly cooked, and there should be no water.
Now add chopped, or sliced green chillies.
Add all dry spices - salt, red chilli powder, degi mirchi powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder.
Mix well. Add fenugreek leaves, and mix.

Once you tempering is ready, add it to the cooked rajma, and mix well. Pressure cook once again for one whistle, so that the tempering is incorporated , and the beans absorb the flavour . Turn the heat off.

Open the pressure cooker once the pressure has subsided, and serve rajma with a dollop of ghee / butter, fresh coriander, and a sprinkle of garam masala.

The best accompaniment for the rajma is steamed rice, or jeera rice, but they go well with paranthas, or tandoori roti as well. Serve it with sliced onions, and salad, raita and your healthy dream lunch is ready.

Share

You Will Need (21 things)

  • 1 cup Rajma / red Kidney Beans soaked overnight in 5-6 cups of water
  • 5 -6 Cup(s) water to boil rajma
  • 1 tsp Mustard Oil
  • 2 tbsp Ghee or any cooking oil
  • A dash of Asafoetida powder/ hing
  • 2 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste use fresh or store bought
  • 1 Medium Onions
  • 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
  • 3 -4 medium Tomatoes pureed
  • 3 -4 green Chillies - adjust qty as per the spice you want chopped/ or sliced
  • salt as per taste
  • ½ tsp Red Chilli Powder
  • 1 tsp Degi mirchi Powder
  • 1 tsp Haldi/ Turmeric Powder
  • 1 tsp Coriander Powder
  • ½ tsp Garam Masala powder
  • 1 tsp Hand crushed dried fenugreek leaves/ kasoori methi

  • To garnish

  • 1 tsp Ghee / butter to drizzle
  • Fresh Coriander chopped/ handpicked
  • Garam Masala powder

Steps (11 steps, 40 minutes)

  1. 1

    In a pressure cooker, boil water with a tsp of salt, and add soaked beans in it .Pressure cook on medium heat for 20-25 minutes, till the beans are tender and can be crushed easily with two fingers.

  2. 2

    Once the rajma/ beans is cooked, add a tea spoon of raw mustard oil. Cover and let it simmer on slow heat, till you prepare the tempering.Adding mustard oil is optional.

  3. 3

    For tempering
    If you are using fresh ginger garlic - crush 7-8 cloves garlic, and 1 inch ginger slice in mortar pestle/ or in a mixer grinder.

    To make Onion cumin paste- In a grinder roughly grind onions and cumin seeds together.

  4. 4

    To make tomato puree- In a grinder , nicely grind tomatoes till they form puree

  5. 5

    Heat oil/ ghee add asafoetida powder. Sauté for a minute.

  6. 6

    Add crushed ginger garlic. Sauté this till the raw aroma of ginger and garlic goes away.

  7. 7

    Add onion and cumin seeds paste , and sauté till the paste is cooked. It will start turning golden. Make sure not to burn it.

  8. 8

    To the above add the tomato puree. Sauté this till the tomatoes are nicely cooked, and the oil/ ghee starts leaving sides.The tempering should be nicely cooked, and there should be no water.

  9. 9

    Now add chopped, or sliced green chillies, and all dry spices - salt, red chilli powder, deggi mirchi powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder. Mix well. Add fenugreek leaves, and mix.

  10. 10

    Once you tempering is ready, add it to the cooked rajma in the cooker, and mix well.

    Pressure cook once again for one whistle, so that the tempering is incorporated , and the beans absorb the flavour . Turn the heat off.

  11. 11

    Open the pressure cooker once the pressure has subsided, and serve rajma with a dollop of ghee / butter, fresh coriander, and a sprinkle of garam masala.
    Serve these on top of steamed rice, or jeera rice, with a side of sliced onions, salad, raita and your healthy dream lunch is ready.