This deeply flavorful kidney bean dish is a widely-loved Indian comfort food. Rajma masala is best served with rice, to the point where it is often referred to as rajma chawal, which translates to “rajma rice.” It’s hearty and perfect for any time of the year.
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Ahhh…rajma masala. It always takes me back to the after school playdates. We’d fuel up on rice and these warm fragrant kidney beans, possibly paired with some crunchy cucumbers and tomatoes. Then we’d head out to bust an international spy ring. Good times. I no longer play pretend after eating rajma masala, but I do always leave the table feeling fuzzy. It’s one of those meals that bring pure joy no matter what. And I’m shocked by the fairly low effort it takes to get something so tender and flavorful!
How to Make Rajma Masala
Prepare the kidney beans.
Soak the beans overnight to make the cooking time quicker! Once you’re done cooking the aromatics and spices, you can use a pressure cooker or Instant Pot to cook the beans. Timing for pressure cooker, Instant Pot, and a pot on the stove are on the recipe card below.
Prepare the aromatics and spices.
You can do this in your pressure cooker or Instant Pot, or in a separate pan. You’ll onion, ginger, and tomato puree. The ground spices in this recipe are coriander, cumin, garam masala, turmeric, and red chili powder. Finally, finish with kashmiri chili powder to intensify the color and kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves).
Serve!
I love eating rajma with rice, hence the name rajma chawal! Garnish with cilantro.
Rajma Chawal (Rajma Masala)
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry kidney beans soaked overnight
- 3 cups water
- 1 tbsp avocado oil or another neutral oil
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 1 inch ginger, grated
- 1 cup tomato puree (from about 2 fresh tomatoes)
- 1 tsp salt + more to taste
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp kashmiri chili power (optional for color)
- 1 tsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
- white basmati rice, cooked (for serving)
- cilantro (for serving)
Instructions
- In a medium pan over medium heat, heat the oil. You could also use the pressure cooker, an Instant Pot, or the pot that you will simmer the rajma in.
- Add cumin seeds; fry for 1 minute. Add onion and cook until translucent for about 5 minutes. Add ginger and continue stirring for a few minutes, until the raw ginger smell goes away.
- Add the tomato puree and a big pinch of salt. Cook until the tomato juices mostly evaporate and the tomato clumps together in the pan.
- Add all the spices and slightly lower the heat. Gently mix them into the aromatics.
- To your cooking vessel of choice, add the soaked kidney beans, the aromatics-spices base you just cooked, 3 cups of water, and more salt if needed.
- In a pressure cooker: Bring to simmer over medium-high heat. After two whistles, reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking for 15 minutes. Allow for natural pressure release.
- In an Instant Pot: Cook on high pressure for 40 minutes. Allow for natural pressure release.
- In a regular pot on the stove: Let the rajma simmer for 1-2 hours. Check every now and then until the beans are soft and tender. There should be almost no bite to them.
- Serve with white basmati rice and garnish with cilantro.
Notes
If you like this rajma masala, you might also enjoy:
This recipe for Rajma
Chawal is tasty and soothing, and it goes well with basmati rice! I appreciate you sharing.
Well written and easy to understand . Cooked as stated Razma was yummy .