Delicious Rajma Recipes

Easy & Delicious Rajma Recipes Everyone Will Love

One of the Indian food items that steal the show every single time is rajma. Rajma chawal is one of the most popular combinations eaten and enjoyed across the world. That's because rajma, as a dish, can be made in several different ways and can be relished with many other combinations than just rice. Here are some easy rajma recipes for you to try.
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When we think of rajma (kidney beans), as a dish, you might be able to imagine it made in a thick gravy with an addition of various Indian spices. Rajma is popularly eaten with steamed rice, parathas, or rotis. But that's not it. There are so many variations of rajma that you can try in the comfort of your home. India is a highly cultural country, which means, one food item can be made in many different ways. And similarly, there is a range of rajma recipes that you can experiment with. So we thought of giving out a list of some easy rajma recipes for you to try and relish!

3 Rajma Recipes You Must Try:

1. Rajma Curry Recipe:

Rajma curry or rajma masala is one of the easiest comfort food to make on days you want to be easy on yourself.

Ingredients:

For the curry: 3/4 cup rajma, 3 pureed tomatoes, 2 grated onions, 2 cloves, 2 cardamom pods, 1 bay leaf, 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste, 2 tablespoons oil, 3 cups water, 1 teaspoon each chilli and coriander powder, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 1/2 teaspoon salt

For tempering: 1 tablespoon of ghee and julienned ginger, 1 teaspoon each of cumin, chopped garlic, Kasuri methi, and garam masala, and 2 tablespoons freshly chopped coriander.

Method:

Step 1: The rajma needs to be soaked overnight before pressure cooking them with fresh water and salt the next morning for 4-6 whistles or until they're soft.

Step 2: In a pan, heat some oil, & add cumin, cardamom, bay leaf & cloves to it.

Step 3: Add grated onions and ginger-garlic paste to the oil once the cumin seeds start to splutter. Cook the mixture till the onion turns golden brown before adding tomato puree to the pan.

Step 4: Add turmeric, coriander powder, chilli powder, and salt, and saute the mixture on high flame for 1 minute. Reduce the flame & cover the pan with a lid to let the mixture cook till the oil starts to separate.

Step 5: Once the oil is separated, add one cup water to the pan & cooked rajma, mix well & let it simmer till the gravy starts to thicken.

Step 6: For the tempering, heat some ghee, and add cumin, ginger, and garlic. Saute for a few seconds, then add Kasuri methi and garam masala. Turn off the flame & pour the tempering over the cooked rajma curry. Garnish the dish with freshly chopped coriander & serve hot with steamed or jeera rice.
Rajma Curry Recipe

2. Punjabi Rajma Recipe:

Almost everyone has tried making their own version of Punjabi rajma. If you haven't yet, here's a Punjabi rajma recipe that you will love.

Ingredients:

2 cups red kidney beans, 1 bay leaf, 1 cinnamon stick, salt according to taste, 2 onions blend into a paste, 1 cup tomato puree, 4 tablespoons oil, 2 green chillies, 1-inch ginger, 4 garlic cloves, 2 dried red chillies, 3 cloves, 4 peppercorns, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 1 black cardamom, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, chilli powder, cumin powder, and garam masala, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder, 2 tablespoons Kasuri methi, 1 tablespoon freshly chopped coriander leaves, water as required.

Method:

Step 1: Pressure cook the rajma with some salt, bay leaf, and cinnamon stick for 5 whistles on high flame after soaking them in water for 6-8 hours.

Step 2: Drain the water once the rajma is cooked and set it aside.

Step 3: In a frying pan, heat 3 tablespoons of oil/ghee on medium flame and add the dried red chillies, peppercorn, cumin seeds, and black cardamom. Saute for a minute.

Step 4: Add the onion paste to it and saute until light brown.

Step 5: Make a paste made out of ginger-garlic and green chillies and add it to the sauteed onion paste.

Step 6: Add all the spices and salt and mix well.

Step 7: Add tomato puree and mix well till the oil starts to set aside.

Step 8: Add boiled rajma to the onion-tomato mixture and mix well.

Step 9: Add some water to the rajma, add garam masala, Kasuri methi and let it cook for 4-5 minutes.

Step 10: Garnish the Punjabi rajma with fresh coriander and let it cool for 5 more minutes.

Step 11: Mash the beans slightly using a spatula, turn off the heat and let the gravy thicken.

Step 12: Serve Punjabi rajma masala hot with lachha pyaaz, some raw mango pickle, and jeera rice or chapati.

Punjabi Rajma Recipe

3. Kashmiri Rajma Recipe:

If you love kidney beans, you will definitely love this Kashmiri Rajma Recipe.

Ingredients:

1 cup rajma (Large kidney beans), 1 cup tomato puree, 1 chopped onion,4-5 tablespoons of plain whisked curd, oil as required, 1 bay leaf, a pinch of asafoetida,1 teaspoon each cumin seeds and ginger powder (dry), 2-inch grated ginger & ground to paste, 1 tablespoon Kashmiri red chilli powder, 1/2 tablespoon coriander powder, 1/2 teaspoon garam masala, 1 slit green chilli, salt according to taste and freshly cut coriander for garnishing.

Method:

Step 1: Soak rajma overnight, drain the water & pressure cook them with fresh water, salt, and one bay leaf for 1 whistle and then on low flame for 15 minutes.

Step 2: Remove the water from the rajma and reserve it for the gravy.

Step 3: Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds and asafoetida to it.

Step 4: Once the cumin seeds splutter, add chopped onion & saute till they turn light brown.

Step 5: Add ginger paste & ginger powder (dry) once the sauteed onion softens and saute for a few seconds.

Step 6: Add tomato puree & cook for 6-8 minutes.

Step 7: Add whisked plain curd & keep stirring the mixture continuously for a couple of minutes.

Step 8: Add Kashmiri chilli powder, garam masala slit green chilli, coriander powder, and salt as required.

Step 9: Now add boiled rajma to this mixture and mash it coarsely.

Step 10: Add the boiled rajma water and let it cook for 15 minutes on low flame.

Step 11: Once the rajma is done, garnish it with fresh coriander leaves and serve it hot with lachha paratha or tawa paratha.

Kashmiri Rajma Recipe

If you wish to cook any of these rajma recipes in a healthier choice of oil, we recommend you try the Saffola Aura Refined Olive Oil. It's premium edible olive oil that is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids and natural antioxidants. This oil works wonders in your cooked dishes as it helps fight free radicals in your body.

Nutritional Value of Rajma:

After reading all the delicious rajma masala recipes, here is the breakdown of rajma nutritional value per 100g (1).

Calories - 127

Protein - 8.7g

Carbohydrates - 22.8g

Fiber - 6.4g

Omega - 30.17g

Fat - 0.5g

Sugar - 0.3g

Conclusion:

Kidney beans are highly nutritional and have a lot of health benefits. They make for an excellent source of protein while also being rich in minerals, vitamins, fibers, and antioxidants (2). They can help in weight loss, improve blood sugar levels and also promote colon health (3). That's the reason why health experts recommend including rajma in your diet if you wish to alter your overall health. So make sure you try any of the above-mentioned rajma recipes to feed your soul and have a happy tummy!

FAQs:

  • Is rajma difficult to digest?

kidney beans are packed with dietary fiber and are also rich in protein. Hence it makes them hard to digest. The time taken to digest rajma is definitely more than other food items that have smaller amounts of protein and fiber.

  • Does rajma create gas?

Rajma contains raffinose, which is a type of carbohydrate that isn't digested by your body too well. The bacteria present in your large intestine break down the carbohydrate which results in bloating and gas.

  • Which rajma is better: red or brown?

Red rajma has a low glycemic index which makes them a healthier version for people, especially diabetics. Red rajma is also quite high in fiber and is packed with iron as compared to brown rajma.

  • Can diabetics eat rajma?

Red rajma is safe for diabetics as they are moderately high in protein and extremely high in fiber. They contain 30-40% of carbs that are slow digesting, which also means they have the lowest glycemic index in comparison to other foods.

  • How to boil rajma perfectly?

To boil rajma well, you need to pressure cook them with salt, fresh water, bay leaf, cinnamon sticks, and black cardamom for 3-4 whistles on high flame. They turn out really well provided you've given them 6-8 hours to soak in water before boiling them.

  • Is rajma good for weight loss?

Yes, rajma is great for weight loss as it is packed with dietary fiber which keeps you satiated for a longer duration of time.