Rajma Recipe (Easy Rajma Masala)

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Published: Aug 4, 2022 · Modified: Aug 4, 2022 by Richa · This post may contain affiliate links.

This rajma recipe is a very easy way to make rajma masala or kidney beans curry. The gravy is thick and luscious, bursting with flavours with kidney beans that will melt in your mouth. Rajma Chawal is pure comfort food and this recipe will become a favourite!

Growing up rajma chawal (rajma masala with steamed rice) was made every week at home. And there’s something about piping hot rajma masala and steamed rice topped with ghee and served with lachha pyaaz (sliced onions) on the side that brings everyone together!

This is typical punjabi style rajma masala recipe made with a spicy onion tomato paste. You can also swap the entire onion tomato paste with my bhuna masala if you have some in your freezer because it cuts the cooking time considerably!

Ingredients for Rajma Masala

You’ll need a few basic ingredients for this rajma recipe. These should be easily available in your pantry. This may seem simple, but together these ingredients make a stellar gravy!

Spices: We’ll need some basic whole spices such as jeera (cumin), bayleaf (tejpatta), laung (cloves) and dalchini (cinnamon). The whole spices add flavour right in the beginning
Rajma (Kidney Beans): You can choose to use any variety of Rajma or kidney beans. I like to use red beans versus the striped or light brown ones because I prefer the flavour of those. In the picture here, you’ll notice that its mixed kidney beans which also taste fantastic if you can get hold of the blend. I like cooking kidney beans from scratch because that’s how we’ve always made them and it’s easier to control the seasoning and the cooking consistency. But you can easily swap this with canned beans. This recipe uses 1.5 cups cooked kidney beans which comes from .5 cup raw beans. To swap, use 1.5 cups canned beans.
Ginger Garlic Paste: Ginger and garlic ground together in equal quantities. You can use minced ginger or garlic or just smash them roughly with a mortar pestle. We are also using chopped ginger garlic at the end in the tempering for an extra boost of flavour.
Grated Onions because they caramelise beautifully without becoming too pasty and give volume to the gravy
Tomato Puree because I prefer the consistency of pureed tomatoes in this curry as opposed to chopped tomatoes.
Dry Ground Spices: We use a simple blend of coriander powder, turmeric, chilli powder, salt and garam masala
Kasuri Methi: You’ll see this ingredient in a lot of my Indian recipes and its definitely a must-have. I love that it adds a smoky, nicely rounded flavour at the end in the gravy. If you can’t source it, skip it but it’s highly recommended.
Coriander: Lots of it for freshness and vibrance right at the end!

How to cook Kidney Beans or Rajma

There are two different ways to cook Rajma or Kidney beans. But before you cook them, it’s important to soak them for 8-10 hours. Soaking helps tenderise the beans for cooking, and it also removes phytic acid which makes it easier to digest beans. I’ve explained all about this in my article about soaking beans. Discard the soaking liquid and use fresh water for cooking.

Pressure Cooker Method: The most common and the most efficient method is cooking rajma in the pressure cooker. If you are using a traditional pressure cooker, cook for 5-6 whistles on a low flame. This will take 30-40 minutes till the rajma becomes soft and tender and can be mashed easily between your fingers. In an Instant Pot, cook rajma for 35 minutes on manual pressure and then manual pressure release after 10 minutes of pressure releasing naturally.

Stovetop Method: Soaked beans can take up two hours to cook on the stovetop, which in my opinion is a waste of energy and time. If you do use this method, make sure you have enough water in the pot because Rajma soaks up a lot of water while cooking.

Rajma Masala is a really simple, one pot curry. And it’s even a great beginner friendly recipe if you are just starting to cook. No matter what you do, you can’t go wrong. And the rajma itself has so much flavour that even the most basic masalas can make it taste awesome!

Top tips to make awesome Rajma Recipe

Make sure you use new rajma or kidney beans. Beans older than 6-8 months can take longer to cook, although there is nothing wrong with them. So check your packaging date when buying
Soaking is an important step when making any beans. It makes beans easier to digest by removing phytic acid. I’ve detailed this in my article about soaking beans which also has a quick soaking method (beans soaked in 1 hour).
Cook the rajma till really tender. Rajma in any rajma curry or gravy should be so tender that it should melt in your mouth without any resistance. In this recipe, we cook the rajma first and then add it to the curry. You can also make the curry, add soaked rajma and pressure cook everything together. Both methods work really well!
Swap the onion tomato paste for ¾ cup Bhuna Masala if you have that ready!
This recipe is naturally gluten friendly and can be made vegan by swapping the ghee in tempering for oil

Rajma Masala has my heart! You don’t even need a second dish with this. Just serve it with rotis, steamed rice or jeera rice and lots of lacha pyaz and you’ve got yourself pure comfort food!

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