Rajma Masala

'Rajma chawal' – kidney beans with rice – is Sunday lunch in many North Indian homes. Using dried beans gives the best texture; canned beans work for a quick version.

Video and original recipe by Hebbar’s Kitchen. Our recipe below is our own home-style version, written in our own words – quantities and steps may differ from the original.

• Serves 4
• Prep 15 min
• Soak 480 min
• Cook 60 min
• Vegan · gluten-free
• Famous in Punjab

Ingredients

• 200 g dried red kidney beans (or 2 cans, drained)
• 3 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 3 tomatoes, puréed
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 2 tsp rajma masala or 1½ tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1½ tsp salt
• Fresh coriander

Method

1. Soak the beans overnight. Boil them in fresh water for 45 minutes (or 6 whistles in a pressure cooker) until completely soft. Keep the cooking water.
2. Heat oil, fry cumin and bay leaf, then onions until deep golden.
3. Add ginger-garlic paste, tomatoes and the ground spices and cook until oil separates.
4. Add beans with 400 ml of their water and salt. Simmer 15–20 minutes, mashing a few beans to thicken.
5. Add garam masala and coriander and serve with basmati rice.

Shop the ingredients

Everything you need for this recipe is in stock at Farmah’s – order online or pick it up at Annenstraße 41, Graz.