By 
RAJME RECIPE
Restaurant style rajma masala recipe is a creamy, tangy and spiced curry made with dried kidney beans. This rajma masala is made in a base of onion-tomato masala along with other spices and herbs making it truly delicious. Canned kidney beans can also be used instead.
Ingredients
For Pressure Cooking Rajma
- 1 cup rajma (kidney beans) - any variety
- 3.5 to 4 cups water for pressure cooking
- enough water for soaking rajma
For Rajma Masala Curry
- 1 large onion or 150 grams onions or about ¾ to 1 cup finely chopped onions
- 3 medium or 2 large tomatoes or 250 grams tomatoes or 1 cup finely chopped tomatoes
- 3 to 4 medium garlic + 1 inch ginger + 1 to 2 green chilies - crushed to a paste in a mortar-pestle or about 1 tablespoon ginger + garlic + green chili paste.
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder (ground coriander)
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper or hot paprika
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing) - optional
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon crushed kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
- 2 tablespoon butter + 1 tablespoon oil or 3 tablespoon butter
- 2 to 3 tablespoon cream
- 1.5 to 2 cups of rajma stock (the water which is used to cook the rajma) or plain water for the curry
- salt as required
Instructions
Soaking And Pressure Cooking Rajma
- Rinse and soak the rajma or kidney beans in enough water overnight or for 8-9 hours.
- Next day, discard the water and rinse the beans again in fresh water.
- In a pressure cooker, take both the rajma and 4 cups water.
- Pressure cook on a medium to high flame for 15 to 20 minutes.
- When the rajma is cooking, you can chop the onions, tomatoes etc.
- When the pressure settles down on its own, open the lid,
- Check if the rajma is cooked or not by taking a bite or pressing a bean.
- If the rajma are not cooked completely, then pressure cook again adding some water if required for some minutes.
Making Rajma Recipe
- Heat oil + butter in another pot or pan. Add cumin first and let them crackle & get browned.
- Then add onions and saute them till they caramelized or golden browned.
- Take care not to burn them as this will impart bitter tones in the curry.
- Light browning the onions is also alright.
- Keep on stirring the onions while sauteing them, for uniform cooking and also so that they don't get burnt.
- Add the ginger-garlic-chili paste. Stir and saute for 5-10 seconds on a low flame.
- Add the tomatoes. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes till the tomatoes become soft.
- Add all the spice powders one by one - turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, asafoetida (hing) and garam masala powder.
- Stir and saute the whole masala mixture till the fat starts leaving the masala.
- Use a slotted spoon or a strainer and remove the beans and add them to the masala.
- You can also strain the rajma first and keep it aside.
- Keep the stock also aside. Stir and saute for a minute.
Cooking Rajma Curry
- Take 1.5 to 2 cups from the stock and add to the rajma.
- Add salt and stir the whole curry mixture.
- Simmer without a lid for 10-12 minutes or more till the curry thickens slightly. It should not be watery.
- Mash a few rajma beans with the spoon. This helps to thicken the curry.
- When the rajma masala has thickened and comes to the right consistency which is neither too thick nor thin, then add the kasuri methi and cream.
- Stir & simmer for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Switch off the fire.
- Serve rajma masala with steamed basmati rice, jeera rice or naan.
Notes
- To make this rajma recipe gluten free, omit the asafoetida (hing) in the recipe.
- Canned kidney beans can also be used. In this case, just make the curry or sauce first and then add the rajma beans and water.
- Its very important to soak the rajma beans overnight. Always use fresh rajma as old rajma takes a long time to cook.
- Rajma beans should be cooked very well and have the melt in the mouth texture.
- Spices in the rajma curry can be adjusted as per your taste.
- First soak the rajma as usual for 8 to 9 hours. Drain them and rinse them with fresh water.
- Then in a huge pot, boil enough water first. Add the rajma and salt.
- Cook rajma beans covered for about 45 minutes to 1 hour or more if required. It takes a long time to cook rajma without a pressure cooker.
