Just imagine opening the lid of a pressure cooker, and you get aromatic rajma, and your mood completely changes from gloomy to excited, nostalgic, and hungry, all at the same time. Here’s a Punjabi recipe that you can easily recreate to get the authentic taste of rajma masala with the perfect balance of spicy, tangy, and a subtle hint of coriander.
In Punjab, and in most North Indian homes, rajma is much more than food. It is a comfort food that feels like home. Don’t you remember the good old days when your mother used to cook spicy rajma masala, paired with freshly whipped up rice, and of course, served with a dollop of ghee?
Just the thought of a plate of rajma chawal, probably with a bowl of boondi raita, is enough to reminisce about your mother’s kitchen and good old childhood days. While rajma masala is easily available on online delivery platforms or North Indian restaurant chains, there’s no recipe that can beat the one a Punjabi mom follows.
Passed through generations, the humble dish was more frequently made to serve guests, relatives, or on a lazy Sunday. But the good news is that no matter which corner of the world you’re in, you can bring back that warm feeling with this easy-to-follow recipe. All you need to do is get good-quality kidney beans and remember to soak them overnight. In just th
Read MoreStart by rinsing the rajma thoroughly and soaking them in 3 cups of water overnight.
Drain the soaked rajma the next day and add them to a pressure cooker with 4 cups of water, salt, bay leaf, and cinnamon. Pressure cook the contents for about 30-40 minutes or till the kidney beans are soft.
In the meantime, heat some oil to prepare the masala. Add cumin seeds and finely chopped onion, and sauté till they are golden brown. Mix in grated ginger, crushed garlic, and lengthwise slit green chilli. Cook for a minute or two till fragrant.
Add the tomato puree to the mixture and cook on a medium flame until the oil separates from the masala. Simmer a little longer for a richer flavour.
Mix in the spices like turmeric powder, red chilli powder, and coriander powder. Stir and cook for a minute or two.
Once aromatic, add the boiled rajma with its cooking water to the masala. Mix everything and let the rajma simmer on low heat for half an hour. Remember to stir occasionally to avoid the masala sticking to the bottom of the utensil.
When the gravy of the rajma is thicker, you can add garam masala, amchur powder, and salt.
Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve with jeera rice paired with a bowl of raita and a side of sliced onions.
#1 Don’t skip the soaking. Rajma needs a minimum of eight hours of soaking time for even cooking. You can soak in warm water to hasten the process, but preferably, soak overnight.
#2 Give rajma time to slow cook or pressure cook instead of quick cooking methods like instant pots, etc. This way, the rajma will absorb more flavour, giving you the authentic taste, just like how Punjabi moms make it.
#3 Don’t rush the masala preparation process. Add the boiled kidney beans only after the oil starts to separate from the tomato and onion-based masala.
#4 One of the most important steps is simmering. Remember to simmer the rajma after adding the tomatoes for at least half an hour. The longer the rajma cooks, the creamier and richer it gets.
#5 If you’re not a vegan, prefer using ghee instead of oil for a homestyle, comforting taste of a classic serving of rajma masala.
#6 To make rajma tangier, you can use more tomatoes and a generous amount of amchur powder.
Rajma not getting softer even after cooking for a couple of hours is a common issue. Most often, the case is that the kidney beans weren’t soaked for a long time. To make the best batch of rajma masala, use the best-quality beans and soak them for at least eight hours.
Most Punjabi households use ‘Chitra’ or ‘Jammu’ varieties. While the classic variety used in most restaurants and dhabas is Chitra, the Jammu variety has dark red and smaller beans, known for its soft and creamy texture.
In such cases, you can soak the kidney beans in boiling water for a couple of hours. Or, you can also pressure cook the rajma for a longer time till they are soft.
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