Punjabi rajma masala recipe
Learn how to make Punjabi dhaba style rajma masala (red kidney beans gravy curry) at home.
Equipment
- Pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 1 cup Rajma or kidney beans
- 3 Tomatoes blended or finely chopped
- 2 Onions medium sized and finely chopped
- 4 tbsp Oil
- 2 tbsp Ginger garlic paste
- 1 tbsp Coriander powder
- 1 tsp Red chilli powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 ½ tsp Garam masala
- 1 tbsp Cream
- 1 tbsp Dry fenugreek or kasoori methi
Instructions
- Soak the Rajma overnight. The beans swell massively. So make sure you add plenty of water for soaking. Discard the water in which you soaked the kidney beans and rinse with running water twice.
- Take a pressure cooker and add 4 cups of water and pressure cook till soft. Cook them till 5 – 6 whistles or till the rajma become tender and mushy. If still not cooked, add some more water and pressure cook for some more time. Some add salt to the kidney beans while cooking. But adding salt to the rajma slowers the process of cooking and extra time is needed. If you are ready to give it that extra time go ahead and add salt. The rajma should be tender and mushy. Do not discard the stock as we will be using it to substitute with water.
- Take oil in a thick bottomed pan. Heat it and add finely chopped onions. Cook till the onions turn golden brown.
- Add ginger garlic paste and sauté well. Also add coriander powder, cumin powder and red chilli powder and mix well.
- Add the blended tomatoes and cook on a medium flame with the lid tightly closed. The oil from the gravy will ooze out.
- Now add the rajma along with the stock. Add salt and cook for almost 10 mins so that the rajma absorbs the gravy and its contents.
- Add garam masala and simmer on low flame.
- Crush the kasoori methi and add it to the curry.
- Finish it off by adding cream and turn off the flame.
Notes
* Kidney beans contain a toxin called phytohaemagglutinin which is destroyed only by soaking and cooking. So make sure you cook kidney beans well before using them in the recipe. Nothing to panic about if your kidney beans are well cooked before consumption.
** You can even use the sprouted rajma for your recipe. Sprouting will reduce the toxicity of certain beans. Always cook the sprouted beans before you use it in the rajma recipe. It is advised not to eat raw rajma sprouts.
*** The tomatoes can be chopped to fine pieces and cooked if it’s not possible to blend.
**** If you are on a diet, then you can skip adding cream and, believe me, still the dish tastes great.
***** All the beans and legumes are associated with bloating and indigestion. This can be minimized by ensuring that they are properly cooked.