This Rajma recipe is a lightly spiced, creamy and delicious Punjabi style curry made with protein rich kidney beans, aromatics like onions, ginger, garlic, fragrant spices and tangy tomatoes. My Mom’s recipe for restaurant-style Punjabi Rajma Masala is a staple in our home, and after you try it I’ll bet it becomes one at yours, too. I also share a homestyle one pot Rajma Masala (which many of our readers had requested) that will remind you about the comforting and satisfying Rajma Curry (or Rajma Chawal) made in Punjabi homes.
Table of Contents
What is Rajma
Rajma is the Hindi word for kidney beans. However, this delicious vegetarian curry is so popular that the recipe has become synonymous with the bean. Both the beans themselves and this dish that features them are known as Rajma.
Another name for this yummy and satisfying dish is Rajma Masala, which translates to “red kidney beans in spiced gravy.” Whatever you call it, you’re sure to love these melt-in-your-mouth rajma beans and the creamy spiced gravy that accompanies them.
Rajma Varieties
Let me tell you that are many varieties of kidney beans available in the Indian market. From the deep dark maroon red rajma to the lovely to look at streaked colored bean, the small white colored kidney beans and the unique black rajma. The size of these beans also varies from small to medium to large.
I usually make rajma recipe with the Chitra Rajma variety as you will see in the step-by-step photo guide below. These are cream or light pink colored beans with speckles or streaks of maroon color drawn on them.
Photo of Chitra Rajma below.
In Hindi, the word ‘Chitra’ means a drawing or a picture and hence this name. These are also called Speckled Kidney Beans and have a nice soft melt-in-the-mouth texture once cooked.
To make these recipes you can choose any variety of rajma that is available to you. But make sure to cook them perfectly as the cooking time will vary with the variety and kind of bean you use. And also remember to presoak them before you begin cooking.
Red colored rajma also works well, but my experience with this variety of rajma is that these take a long time to cook and sometimes simply do not become perfectly tender and soft.
Photo of Red Rajma below.
Restaurant Style Rajma Recipe
This rajma recipe follows the traditional (and the most common method) of making rajma curry. So long as you follow the recipe, there’s no chance anything will go wrong with this simple and delectable dish.
In this easy rajma recipe, the kidney beans are cooked first and are later added to a sautéed base of spices, onions and tomatoes. I prefer working with dried rajma beans because they are both cheaper than canned and give me the opportunity to cook and season them to my liking.
Moreover I always prefer and recommend to use fresh ingredients for a healthy living. That said, you can also make this recipe using canned beans as a time saver!
The aromatic and flavorful masala base is cooked down to a beautiful gravy consistency by adding some water, and then is finished off with some cream. Adding cream makes for a truly restaurant-style rajma that is decadent enough for company.
Rajma masala is usually a weekend affair that is perfect for a Sunday lunch at home. When I make this filling recipe I stay true to the Punjabi style and don’t bother with any other side dishes.
When you have rajma (red beans) and rice, do you really need anything else? Aside from some naan to soak up all the extra gravy, nothing!
In fact, serving beans with rice creates a full protein, which can sometimes be difficult to achieve as a vegan. So not only is rajma served with rice, tasty and inexpensive, it is also quite healthy and wholesome! So now that you know about this traditional Punjabi dish of rajma recipe, let’s get to cooking it, shall we?
How to Make Rajma Masala
Recipe 1
My detailed step-by-step process will help you in making the best rajma recipe ever. While I have cooked the beans in a pressure cooker, they can also be easily cooked in a pan or an Instant pot. In the recipe card below, I have listed the steps of cooking the beans using all three methods.
Soak and Cook Beans
1. Sort dried beans and discard any misshapen or discolored beans. Rinse a couple of times, and then soak 1 cup rajma (kidney beans) in enough water to cover them.
Soaking should ideally last for 8 to 9 hours, so I usually soak them the night before I cook.
2. Once the beans are well soaked, discard the soaking water. Drain and rinse the soaked beans a few times to remove any leftover grit, if any.
3. Add the rinsed and drained kidney beans to a 3 litre pressure cooker.
4. Add 3.5 to 4 cups of water and stir. Pressure cook the rajma for 18 to 20 whistles (or for about 15 to 20 minutes).
The cook time of your beans will vary depending on their quality and age.
5. While the kidney beans are cooking, prep the following:
- chop 1 large onion (¾ to 1 cup finely chopped onion)
- 2 large tomatoes (1 cup finely chopped tomatoes)
- make the crushed ginger+garlic+green chili paste
For the paste, you need to crush or grind 1 inch ginger, 5 to 6 small garlic cloves (or 3 to 4 medium garlic cloves), and 1 to 2 green chilies to a paste in a mortar-pestle or a small grinder.
6. When the pressure settles down on its own in the cooker, open the lid. Check if the rajma is cooked or not by eating or pressing a bean with your fingers.
The cooked beans should not have a bite to them and softened. The rajma beans should be completely cooked.
If they are not cooked completely, then pressure cook again (adding some water if required) for a few more minutes.
Make Masala Base
7. Heat either 3 tablespoons of butter (or 2 tablespoons butter + 1 tablespoon oil), in another pot or pan or kadai. Keep the heat to low or medium-low.
8. Add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds first and let them crackle and get browned.
9. Then add the finely chopped onions.
10. Stir and begin to sauté them on medium-low to medium heat.
11. Keep on stirring the onions while sautéing them. This will ensure both uniform cooking and also that they don’t get burnt.
Take care not to burn the onions, as this will impart bitter tones to the rajma curry.
12. Light browning of the onions is also fine.
13. Sauté the onions till they are caramelized and golden brown.
14. Lower the heat and add the crushed ginger-garlic-chilli paste.
15. Stir and sauté for 5 to 10 seconds on a low heat or until the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.
16. Add the finely chopped tomatoes.
17. Mix very well.
18. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until the tomatoes become soft on a medium-low to medium heat.
19. Add all the spice powders one by one:
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder (or cayenne pepper or paprika)
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- a pinch of asafoetida (hing)
- ½ teaspoon garam masala powder.
Note: If you are gluten free, be sure to source certified gluten free asafoetida, as many commercial brands process the spice with wheat.
20. Mix again very well.
21. Continue to sauté the whole masala base until the fat starts leaving the sides of the masala on a medium-low heat. The onion tomato masala will thicken, become glossy and start clumping around itself.
22. Use a slotted spoon or a strainer, remove the rajma beans from their cooking liquid and add them to the masala.
23. Stir and sauté for a minute.
Make Rajma Masala
24. Add 2 cups of the fresh water to the pan. If you like then you can also add the cooked rajma stock instead of fresh water.
25. Add salt as required.
26. Stir the whole rajma curry mixture.
27. On a low to medium-low heat, simmer without a lid for 10 to 12 minutes or more until the curry thickens slightly. The rajma curry should not be watery.
28. Mash a few rajma beans with the back of your spoon. This helps to thicken the rajma gravy.
29. Continue to simmer until you get a medium consistency in the curry.
30. Continue stirring at intervals when the rajma masala is simmering.
31. The Punjabi rajma masala has to thicken and the curry has to be of the right consistency, which is neither too thick nor thin.
32. Once the consistency is right, add 1 teaspoon crushed kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves) and 2 to 3 tablespoons light cream.
If using heavy whipping cream, then just add 1 tablespoon of it. Mix very well and simmer for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Adding cream is optional and you can easily skip it. Addition of cream gives some richness to the gravy making it taste restaurant style and balances the tang from the tomatoes.
33. Turn off the heat.
34. Serve your completed rajma masala with steamed basmati rice, jeera rice, saffron rice, Roti, paratha or naan. The combination of rajma and rice or rajma chawal is quite famous in North India.
You can garnish with some coriander leaves for some fresh flavor and color when serving.
One Pot Rajma Recipe
This rajma recipe is one pot and made entirely in a stovetop pressure cooker. The recipe is easy to make if you have all the ingredients. Many of these ingredients are easily available in an Indian kitchen.
Rajma Chawal is one of the regulars at any Punjabi house. On weekends, rajma chawal or Dal Makhani or Chana Masala or Punjabi Kadhi Pakora is kind of must in any Punjabi home and in my home too.
In Punjabi homes, they often make rajma chawal, where the flavorful rajma curry is served with steamed rice. (The word chawal means “rice” in Hindi.)
I am sharing here both the methods of making the delicious kidney bean curry a.k.a rajma and chawal (steamed rice) with step by step photos.
This easy one pot rajma masala is my mother-in-law’s fabulous Punjabi recipe. It is her special recipe and it is special in one more sense.
That it is a really unique, simple and easy rajma recipe – no blending or grinding of any ingredients, no sautéing and no frying.
This is a one pot rajma gravy that you can make regularly at home. The rajma masala that you eat in Punjabi homes is not spicy, thick or creamy like the rajma masala served in restaurants.
This homestyle recipe is mildly spiced and not heavy as I do not add any cream. Overall a delicious easy kidney bean curry that goes well with steamed rice.
In most Punjabi homes the kidney beans are cooked till they become soft enough to melt in the mouth. Whereas in many of the restaurants I have eaten, the beans are just about cooked or al dente.
I recommend cooking the kidney beans fully so that they become soft and easy to digest. Remember, well-cooked kidney beans are easy to digest.
Another important point which I must mention about making rajma masala is to soak the beans overnight so that they take less time to cook in the pressure cooker.
Punjabi rajma is best served with steamed rice a.k.a chawal. In fact, the combination of rajma chawal is quite popular and liked by many people.
At home, we also enjoy rajma with chapati or naan or paratha. You can also serve rajma with bread or cumin rice.
This recipe serves four and you can easily halve or double the ingredients to scale the recipe.
How to make One Pot Rajma
Recipe 2
Ingredients
- 1 cup kidney beans) – about 200 grams rajma, soaked overnight in enough water
- 2.5 cups water for pressure cooking
- ½ to 1 teaspoon chopped green chillies or 1 green chili, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic or 7 to 8 medium-sized garlic
- 1 tablespoon chopped ginger or 2 inches chopped ginger
- 3 medium tomatoes, chopped – about 200 grams
- 1 large onion, chopped – about 100 grams
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper
- ¾ to 1 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
- 1 teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur powder)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 tablespoon butter or oil
- salt as required
Soak Kidney Beans and Prep
1. Soak 1 cup (200 grams) kidney beans in enough water overnight or for 8 to 9 hours.
2. The next day or after 8 to 9 hours, drain the soaked water.
3. Rinse the kidney beans again in fresh clean water.
4. Drain all the water and set the beans aside.
5. Finely chop the veggies – 1 large onion (100 gms), 3 medium tomatoes (200 gms), 1 inch ginger, 7 to 8 medium sized garlic and 1 green chilli. Keep aside.
Make One Pot Kidney Bean Curry
6. In a 3 litre stovetop pressure cooker add the kidney beans together with the chopped onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic and green chilies.
7. Now add the spices – 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, ½ teaspoon red chili powder, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and salt as per taste.
8. Pour 2.5 cups water.
9. Stir and mix very well.
10. Add 2 tablespoons butter or oil.
11. Stir again.
12. Cover pressure cooker tightly with its lid. Pressure cook for 18 to 20 whistles or about 20 to 22 minutes on medium-high to high heat.
13. Once the pressure settles down on its own, open the lid and check the beans. The kidney beans have to be soft and cooked completely.
Taste a few beans and they should be melt in the mouth without giving you any bite or resistance while eating.
If the beans are still not cooked completely, then add about ½ cup more of water and pressure cook again for 5 to 6 whistles or as needed.
14. Once the kidney beans have softened and are cooked well, then check the consistency of the gravy or curry.
You will see a thin water-like stock with the tomatoes and onions floating. So you have to continue to simmer till the gravy thickens a bit.
15. Keep the cooker on the stovetop without lid and on a medium-low to medium heat simmer the gravy.
16. When you keep the rajma gravy on the stovetop add 1 teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur).
17. Add about ¾ to 1 teaspoon of garam masala powder.
18. Mix well and simmer till the gravy consistency thickens. Mash a few kidney beans with the back of a spoon to thicken the consistency.
If while cooking the water reduces too much and the consistency becomes very thick, then add some hot water and stir to combine.
19. When the consistency of the gravy is no longer broth-like or water-like and thickened somewhat like the one shown in the photo below, then the rajma gravy is ready. If you want you can thicken the gravy more, if having with chapati or roti.
But if eating rajma masala with rice then there is no need to thicken the gravy. Lastly check the taste and add more of salt, garam masala, or dry mango powder if required. You can even garnish rajma curry with some coriander leaves.
Remember that the curry consistency is not watery but smooth. If you find that the water is too much after the beans are cooked. Then cook the gravy for some more time without any lid to evaporate the water.
Make Steamed Rice (Chawal)
You Will Need
- 1 cup basmati rice (heaped) or 200 grams basmati rice
- 2 cups water or about 500 ml water or add as required depending on the quality of rice
- ½ teaspoon oil (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon salt or add as per taste
Instructions
I am sharing the absorption method of cooking rice. You can take the amount of rice that you plan to serve. I have here taken 1 cup heaped basmati rice (200 grams).
You could easily double or triple the ingredients to make a larger serving of the rice to go suit your servings of rajma chawal.
Note that basmati rice triples in volume once cooked. So 1 cup raw basmati rice will yield approx. 3 to 3.5 cups of cooked rice.
1. Take the rice grains in a bowl and begin to rinse the rice grains in running water. Rinse the grains with a gentle swirling of your fingers in the bowl. Rinse the rice grains till the water looks clear of any starch.
2. Soak the rice grains in ¾ to 1 cup water for 20 to 30 minutes. After keeping the kidney beans to cook in the pressure cooker, you can begin with the rinsing and soaking of rice.
3. After 20 to 30 minutes, drain all the water from the rice and keep aside.
4. For 1 cup of rice, pour 2 cups water in a heavy thick deep bottomed pan. Use the proportion of 1:2 of rice and water depending on the quantity of rice you are using.
Also use a wide deep pan so that the water does spill out while cooking. The amount of water to be added depends on the quality and quantity of rice.
Some varieties of basmati rice gets cooked quickly in less water. In this case, you can add 1.75 cups of water for 1 cup of rice.
6. Add ¼ teaspoon salt or as per your taste. You can also add ½ teaspoon of oil or butter or ghee. Adding any fat like oil or butter is optional.
7. Let the water come to a boil on a medium to medium-high heat.
8. Add the rice.
9. Gently stir the rice grains with a fork. You can even gently shake the pan, so that the rice grains settle down in the pan.
10. Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid. Do check once or twice when the rice is cooking. In case the rice grains look undercooked and the water has dried up, then add 2 to 3 tablespoons hot water. Stir gently with a fork.
11. Then lower the heat and cook the rice till all the water has been absorbed and the rice grains have cooked well. Usually, rice takes about 7 to 8 minutes for the rice grains to be tender, soft and fluffy.
The cooking time will vary with the type or variety of rice grains, quality of the pan and the intensity of the flame.
12. After the rice is cooked give a resting time of 5 minutes before you open the lid. Then open the lid and gently fluff the rice with a fork.
Serve Rajma Chawal
13. To serve rajma chawal, first spoon hot steamed rice onto a serving plate. Make a neat bed of the rice. Pour the rajma gravy on top of the rice.
Enjoy rajma chawal and don’t forget to includes side of some thinly sliced onions, lemon wedges or spice up with a simple kachumber salad or a mango pickle.
Rajma curry can also be served with roti, paratha, naan or bread. But this combination of kidney beans curry with rajma or Rajma Chawal is very popular in Western and Northern India.
Though we prefer cooking white basmati rice for our rajma chawal dinners, but feel free to serve the curry with brown rice or red rice or hand-pounded rice. You can opt to use any other variety of white rice to make rajma chawal.
Expert Tips
- Be sure to soak your dried beans! It is important to soak the rajma (kidney beans) overnight or for 8 to 9 hours and then cook them really well. Dried beans when soaked become more easy to digest as soaking reduces the phytic acid in them. The phytates present in beans cause indigestion and flatulence. Soaking also helps the beans to cook faster.
- Cook your rajma well! While making recipe with kidney beans, they have to be cooked really well. They should melt in your mouth when you bite into them offering no resistance. This is a very crucial and the most overlooked aspect of cooking rajma. Even in restaurants, the beans have a bite in them and this not only ruins the texture in the dish but also affects your stomach.
- Opt for high quality rajma beans. Always buy rajma beans which are new and not old. Older beans take a lot of time to cook and you don’t get the perfect texture in the rajma. I always check the packaging date while buying them and I don’t buy rajma if they are older than 5 to 6 months.
- If you’re short on time, use canned beans! When using canned kidney beans, add them at the step where cooked beans are added. Add fresh water and continue to simmer for some minutes until the consistency thickens. You can use two 15 oz canned kidney beans.
- Gluten-free variation: To make this rajma recipe gluten-free, skip the asafoetida (hing) or use gluten free asafoetida.
- Vegan variation: Instead of butter, use oil and skip the cream completely. Alternately, you can opt to use a vegan butter and coconut cream if you prefer a richer curry. The flavors of coconut will be felt in vegan rajma recipe but it will taste good.
FAQs
Usually Punjabi rajma masala is made with the pinkish colored and striped kidney beans, but you can use the dark red kidney beans instead.
1 cup of dried kidney beans yields about 3 cups cooked beans. A 15 oz can makes for 1.5 to 1.75 cups of canned beans. You should therefore use two 15 oz canned kidney beans in the recipe.
Depending on the quality and freshness of the beans, it can take more or less time to cook. Always avoid aged beans as they do not soften and cook well.
You have two options. One is a method known as a “quick soak.” Pour boiling water over your kidney beans to cover them, cover the bowl and soak for 1 to 2 hours. They should now be ready to rinse, drain and cook.
Alternatively, feel free to opt for using canned beans instead. As the recipe is written, two 15 oz cans should do the trick.
Yes, you can use this method. Due to the acidity of the tomatoes, the rajma beans *may* not cook well (depending on their freshness). That said, I have tried this way of cooking many times and it works for me when using fresh kidney beans.
Yes. While I find that just 1 to 2 tablespoons offers a velvety consistency that makes this rajma taste like it is from a restaurant, you may omit it if you wish.
Yes, you can skip kasuri methi.
Of course! In Indian cuisine, we generally add asafoetida to lentil or bean dishes, as it can help in digestion. But in this rajma masala recipe, asafoetida is easily skippable.
Yes, you can use canned tomatoes. Use 1 cup of crushed tomatoes.
Instead of mashing the cooked beans, you can take about ¼ cup of the cooked beans and grind or blend them with some water to make a fine paste.
Add this paste to the curry base and simmer. The resulting rajma masala will have a thick consistency due to the added starch in the sauce.
First, soak the kidney beans as usual for 8 to 9 hours. Drain and rinse them with fresh water. Then in a large pot, take enough water, rajma and salt as required. Cover and cook for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the beans are softened.
Yes, you can skip butter. You can also substitute vegan butter if you prefer.
Sauté the spices, onions and tomatoes in the steel insert of the Instant Pot using the sauté button.
Add the soaked and drained kidney beans, water and deglaze. Press the pressure cooker button or the chili button and set the time to 30 minutes at high pressure. Wait for natural release.
After 17 to 20 minutes open the lid. Press cancel button and press the sauté button again. Simmer stirring often until the curry thickens. Mash some beans when simmering to thicken the gravy.
More Awesome Punjabi Recipes!
Paneer Recipes
Dal (Lentils) & Legumes
Chickpeas Recipes
Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter.
Rajma Recipe | Rajma Chawal (Punjabi Rajma Masala)
Ingredients
For pressure cooking
- 1 cup rajma – 200 grams (dried kidney beans), any variety
- 3.5 to 4 cups water for pressure cooking
- enough water for soaking rajma
For ginger-garlic-chilli paste
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves – medium-sized
- 1 inch ginger
- 1 to 2 green chillies or 1 to 2 Serrano peppers
Other ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Butter + 1 tablespoon oil or 3 tablespoons butter
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¾ to 1 cup finely chopped onions or 150 grams onions or 1 large onion
- 1 cup finely chopped tomatoes or 250 grams tomatoes or 3 medium or 2 large tomatoes
- 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
- 1.5 to 2 cups rajma stock (the water which was used to cook the beans) or fresh water
- salt as required
- 1 teaspoon crushed kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) – optional
- 2 to 3 tablespoons low fat cream or half and half or 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream – optional
- 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves – for garnish, optional
Instructions
Soaking
- Rinse and soak the rajma (kidney beans) in enough water overnight or for 8 to 9 hours.
- Next day, discard the water and rinse the beans again in fresh water for a couple of times.
- Drain all the water.
Pressure Cooking
- In a 3 litre pressure cooker, take both the soaked rajma and 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.
- Crush the ginger, garlic and green chillies in a mortar-pestle to a fine or semi-fine texture. Set aside
- When the pressure settles down on its own, open the lid.
- Check if the rajma beans are cooked or not by taking a bite or pressing a few beans.
- If the beans are cooked well set aside or drain the beans.
- If the rajma are not cooked completely, then pressure cook again adding some water if required for some minutes.
Making masala
- Heat oil + butter in another pot or pan on a low heat. Add cumin first and let them crackle & get browned.
- Then add onions and sauté them till they caramelized or golden browned on a medium-low to medium heat.
- Take care not to burn them as this will give 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.
- Lower the heat and add the crushed ginger-garlic-chili paste. Stir and sauté for 5 to 10 seconds on a low flame until the raw aroma of the ginger and garlic goes away.
- Add the tomatoes. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes on medium-low to medium heat until 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.
- On a medium-low heat or medium heat stirring often sauté the whole masala mixture until the fat starts leaving the sides of the masala base. This masala paste will become glossy, thicken and leave the sides of the pan.
- Using a slotted spoon or a strainer remove the beans and add them to the masala.
- Stir and sauté for a minute.
Making rajma masala
- Add 2 cups of water. If you prefer you can also add the cooked rajma stock instead of fresh water.
- Add salt as required and stir the whole curry mixture.
- On a low heat to medium-low heat simmer without a lid for 10 to 12 minutes or more time until 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 crushed dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) and cream. You can skip the cream if you prefer.
- Stir and simmer for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Switch off the heat.
- Serve rajma masala with steamed basmati rice, jeera rice or naan or roti or paratha. You can garnish with some coriander leaves when serving.
- The rajma chawal combo makes for a filling, heathy and a comforting meal.
Video
Notes
Helpful Tips
- Soaking kidney beans: Dried beans when soaked become more easy to digest as soaking reduces the phytic acid in them. The phytates present in beans cause indigestion and flatulence. Soaking also helps the beans to cook faster.
- Texture of cooked beans: The rajma beans should be cooked very well and have a melt in the mouth texture. They should not be al dente or just about cooked.
- Quality of kidney beans: Use fresh beans within their shelf-life as older beans take a long time to cook.
- Using canned kidney beans: When replacing with canned kidney beans, add them at the step in the recipe where cooked beans are added. Add fresh water and continue to simmer for some minutes until the consistency thickens. You can add two 15 oz canned kidney beans.
- Gluten-free variation: Omit asafoetida (hing) for a gluten-free recipe.
- Vegan variation: Instead of butter use oil and skip the cream completely.
- Spicing: Spices in the rajma curry can be adjusted as per your taste.
- Cooking beans in a pot or pan: Soak the beans as usual for 8 to 9 hours. Drain them and rinse them with fresh water. In a large pot, add enough water, soaked beans and salt. Cook covered for about 45 minutes to 1 hour or more if required until the beans are softened.
- Note that the approximate nutrition info is for 1 serving of rajma without rice or roti or naan.
Ingredient Notes
- Kidney beans: Dark red kidney beans can be used.
- Ingredients that can be skipped: Asafoetida, dried fenugreek leaves, butter and cream can be skipped completely.
- Canned tomatoes: You can add canned tomatoes instead of fresh. Add 1 cup of crushed tomatoes.
Making Rajma in Instant Pot
- Sauté the spices, onions and tomatoes in the steel insert of the Instant Pot using the sauté button.
- Add the soaked and drained kidney beans, water and deglaze.
- Press the pressure cooker button or the chili button and set the time to 30 minutes at high pressure.
- Wait for natural release. After 17 to 20 minutes open the lid.
- Press cancel button and press the sauté button again.
- Simmer for some minutes stirring often until the curry thickens. Mash some beans when simmering to thicken the gravy.
- Add the cream and dried fenugreek leaves. Mix and serve garnished with some coriander leaves.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Rajma recipe from the archives was first published in October 2013. It has been updated and republished on April 2023.
Super tasting rajma. I have made both the versions and can vouch for their awesome taste and flavor. Thank you madam for sharing both the rajma curries.
Thanks so much.
😋👍
Thanks for sharing the recipes with very easy instructions which can be easily understood by beginners like us.
I want to know the importance of size of pressure cooker? How it affects the cooking?
The size depends on the quantity and amount of food that you need to cook. For a bigger family, a larger sized cooker of 5 or 6 litres and above will be needed and vice versa.
In a smaller sized cooker say 2 litres, the pressure builds up fast on account of the small size. On the contrary in a larger cooker, it does take time for the pressure to build up. I hope this helps.
Can you make this recipe without a pressure cooker?
Yes, but it will take more time for the beans to cook. But can be cooked in a pot or pan.
Hi Dassana
Your Rajma recipe is realy amazing. I tried it. Its very delicious. Thanks for sharing
Thanks so much.
Amazing 🤩
I’ve cooked the one pot rajma recipe many times with raw kidney beans. Absolutely amazing.
To save on energy costs we now buy tins of kidney beans. So regarding the restaurant style recipe I was wondering if I could substitute fresh coconut milk for the light cream. What quantity would you suggest?
Thank you for the feedback on the one pot rajma recipe. For the coconut milk, you can definitely swap it with the cream. About 2 to 3 tablespoons of it should be fine in the recipe.
Super, simply loved it. Thanks.
Thanks and welcome.
People eat a lot of beans where I live, but this rajma is something very different, and once in a while I like to make it this way!
Hi Dassana!
Every time I come to your site and try a recipe I am so happy with the result!! Only change I made is instead of heavy cream I added coconut milk to make it vegan. (And no butter)
I made extra masala without adding the beans to use for other dishes. It’s delicious!!!!! Thank you 💚
Hi Manjari, nice to hear this. Yes the masala base is good and can be used for other recipes as well. Thanks for the rating too and most welcome.
Make sure you use the rajma water to cook this down, it gives such a deeper flavour. Perfect for a winter evening!
The soaked rajma water contains phytates, so it is better to discard it for better digestion and use fresh water for cooking.
Excellent recipe! Tastes like home. Served with chapathi & jeera rice((thanks for the tip on using javathri!!))…. I used store bought “MDH Rajma Masala” instead of the mentioned garam masala. Didn’t use butter, only regular vegetable oil for cooking. But pakka ghee on top while serving. Just heavenly. Thank you.
Thanks a lot for the lovely feedback. Butter can be easily skipped. The rajma masala must have added a good amount of flavor. Thanks for the rating too. Happy cooking.
Can i add ghee instead of butter?
Yes you can add ghee.
My first time trying this recipe and definitely not my last! Delicious meal. Thank you!
Welcome and great to know. Thanks for the review on the recipe.
Dear Dassana, this is going to be a long comment. I have always been reading up food recipes – but I would never click on veg recipes of India. It’s absolutely cool that you have that domain name, but for me it worked counter intuitive. I felt it must be a site which has collaborated recipes – as in where people contribute un- cookable recipes. Little did I know that the loss was only mine. And one day I did click and enter this world of deliciousness and now I visit your site almost everyday! Even for recipes I am good with, I just check in to your website to see how you’d do it. Your taste absolutely matches mine and I trust your word instinctively. Thank you for all the help! God bless!
Hi Sminu, the domain name does look somewhat like the websites you mention. I am glad that you did click and are enjoying the recipes. We had taken this domain name early in 2009. In fact that time such kind of collaborative recipe websites did not exist much and we thought that the domain name was unique during that time. Thanks for the trust. I truly appreciate it. Thanks for the kind wishes too. I wish you all the best.
Thanks for the reply!
A very tasty comforting meal! Thank you 🙏
If you are using tinned beans, how many tins should you use for this recipe?
1 cup of dried kidney beans will yield 3 cups cooked beans. So if you take a 15 oz can which makes for 1.5 to 1.75 cups of canned beans. So you can use two 15 oz tinned beans.
Thank you so much, Dassana. I used two 400g tins of kidney beans including the liquid and it was absolutely delicious! I love your recipes 🙂
Welcome Talya. Great and thanks for letting me know. Thanks for the rating and review on the recipe too. Happy Cooking.
Can I use dark red kidney beans ??will that taste nice?
You can use dark kidney beans. The taste will be good.
I tried your recipe today and this is my first time making rajma and it tastes amazing. Your whole way of describing the steps to make it, made it so much more easy for me. I’m looking forward to try more of your recipes.
Thank you for the positive feedback on the recipe. Glad to know. Do try the other recipes as well and I am sure you will like them.
Hi
Your recipes r too gud and it’s very easily made…thankyou maam
Welcome and thanks Sowmya.
Your recipes are easily made with homemade masalas and also delicious..so easily understand as step by step pictures.. I am always confused what to cook as a pure vegeterian.. This site always provide varieties..
thank you very much. glad to know that the website helps you in deciding to cook various vegetarian recipes.
Loved this recipe! I have made it many times and my husband who does not like rajma, likes your version! Lately we have had salmonella scare regarding onions. Can I make this without onion?
Thank you and nice to know. I have heard about this. Yes you can make rajma recipe without onions. Just add about 2 to 3 pinches of asafoetida while sautéing the tomatoes. You can also check this Madra recipe which is from the Himachali cuisine and made without onions and garlic – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/rajma-madra-recipe/
I really love your recipes, they are so simple and are written in a manner that is so easy to follow. Keep adding your recipes and we will keep trying. Thank you.
thank you margaret. i do feel simple and easy language makes it better to understand and follow. thus i write recipes in a simple language which readers can easily follow. welcome.
Hi, I tried this receipe n it turned out so well. We are big fan of rajma and usually order from outside but from today no more outside food. My husband is so amazed. Thank you so much again n again.
most welcome puja and thank you for this lovely feedback. happy cooking.
I tried various recipes and my maid tried her best too but my husband was never happy with the rajma we made. Today i tried this and my husband is super happy. He says this is neither too overpowering nor too bland. He told me to memorize this recipe and make this only each time
thanks ankita for sharing this super feedback on rajma recipe. so glad to know. thanks again and happy cooking.
It was just awesome…my family not tired of praising after having rajma..thank you so much
thank you vijeta. nice to know. welcome and happy cooking.
Really easy and delicious recipe
Delicious! Thank you for your creation and your work.
welcome and thank you.
Very elaborate description. One can never go wrong with this recipe. I prepared it for the first time and it was amazing!
Hi Dassana
Thank you for all the lovely recipes. I pretty much use your recipes as my go-to for everything and the food comes out quite well! So thank you again
The trouble is that I don’t like taking gadgets into the kitchen lest something happened to them and am unable to print these recipes which would be so much more convenient to take into the kitchen.
Do suggest what can be done. Looking forward to hearing from you
Regards
thank you sheetal. the print option is there on the recipe card. you will see a small print red icon. click on this icon and you can print the recipes.
Tastes too good!!
Yummy! Loved it. It’s all natural, no additive flavours, dunno how they’ve brought the restaurant style. I skipped the cream this time. Next time I’m sure it’ll be more yummy with the cream. Xoxo
Thanks mam. Mene apani life me almost jo bhi receipe sikhi h mainly apki website se hi sikhi hai.. bahut easy and pic wise hota h to bahut easy rajya hai.
dhanyawad kavita aapke is comment ke liye. pad ke achcha laga. happy cooking.
Hi Dassana, this is the first time I publish a comment here on your website. I’d first want to thank you for all the amazing and delicious recipe. I spent a whole year in Ahmedabad for a student exchange and your website helped me cook authentic indian cuisine at home in Québec, Canada. Some ingredients are hard to come by around here, but I managed to find some Nepali and Indian stores here and there.
This Rajma Masala was delicious. I didn’t knew the dish. I made some small changes, but it stayed pretty much the same. It was delicious and my roommates liked it too (though they are not into indian spices). I will make again for sure.
Welcome Maxence. Nice to know about you. Thanks for sharing your positive feedback on rajma recipe. Feel free to comment whenever you have a query.
Hi I need to prepare this recipe. But confused, in the ingredient jeera powder is mentioned and in the method jeera powder is not mentioned. So while preparing I should add jeera powder or not? Pls. Reply fast, I want to prepare.
jeera powder is not mentioned. i have mentioned jeera (cumin seeds). addition of cumin seeds is mentioned in recipe card as well as step by step pics.
Hey,dassana,i thank u for helping me cook with d help of ur amazingg recipes. 1. They r so wel described,in detail,perfectly.2. U mention d quanties of ingredients,steps of how to cook and most importantly d tips as to why to stir fr certain amount of time.. 3. Love the concept of description/ steps with the respective pictures. U made cooking so easy for me Dear. Kp inspiring us like this. Love u n ur recipes. God bless u.
thank you sheela for your feedback on the layout of the recipes. i am glad its helping you. hugs and stay blessed. happy cooking.
I tried it. Came out delicious. I ground coconut and added at the end.
It was so yummy thank you 🙂
thanks for the feedback safia.
Just brilliant.
thanks.
Just perfect. I made it for the first time and it turned out to be a thick creamy soft rajma that I wanted.
The only different thing i did was make a paste of the tomatoes first.
Thanks a lot!
Welcome Usama. Glad to know this. Thanks for sharing your positive review on rajma masala recipe.
Just made it, can’t stop eating!!
thanks aanchal ????
Absolutely Perfect !!!
Thanks John
I really love your recipes, tried several recipes and it was loved by my hubby . The way u explain recipes is really easy to follow , the best part is you provide nutritional information with every recipes hard work is always appreciable and last but not least your recipes explained with help of photos ! Thanks for guiding us ….
Welcome Dr. Reshu Kandhway. Thanks for your positive feedback and appreciation. We are slowly adding nutrition info to recipes. Nice to know that you like the recipes and their step by step presentation.
Awesome finger licking food…I tried 1 st time bcoz of ur guidance I made it perfect..not only mine side but my Jiju family also liked it ..thanks a lot for this ..if someone ask for any recipe I highly recommend this even I downloaded ur app also..keep it up for tasty recipe
Welcome Deepika. Glad to know this. Thanks for sharing positive feedback on rajma recipe.
Rajma looks so delicious. I want to try this for my kitty party. I just want to know how much rajma should I soak for 10 people.
Thanks Dipti. You can double the recipe.
The stock water from the pressure cooker should be discarded. As it chemicals inside it cannot be digested.
Raj, its not chemicals. We don’t discard. Its Up to you.
Wow very nice!!
Thanks Tammy
hello, I really love your recipes.. can I freeze this recipe for later as it’s a huge portion and I only cook for myself?
you can try freezing it.
3-4 medium garlic? as in whole garlic? or garlic cloves? I am confused.
Can we skip the cream?
Jenna, these are garlic cloves and not whole garlic. yes you can skip the cream.
very nice
Hi, the receipe is very nice.can i add tomatto paste instead of chopped tomattoes??
simal, yes. but add less amount as tomato paste is concentrated so add less.
As always, this recipe is a loved one too. Turned out just perfect.
You are a superstar!
Love,
Dipti
Thanks Dipti for your kind words and positive feedback on rajma recipe.
Hello Mam,
Could you please give tips on how you cut the onions and tomatoes to such small tiny pieces. I am never able to cut to that size.plssssss
rachna, use a good knife for cutting onions and tomatoes. you can also use a food chopper to chop veggies finely.
while cutting onions first you halve them. each half, then slice thinly. keep all the slices together. then give a cut from the center. then lastly chop finely. same way tomatoes can be chopped. i hope i am able to help you here.
Hi
I started cooking after my marriage and am a strict follower of ur recipes. Thank u so mch fr making cooking so easy and perfect?
welcome chandni. nice to know that blog helped you. happy cooking.
Hi Dassana,
I tried this recipe for dinner yesterday and it was awesome. The fragrance and taste was excellent. The only thing I may change when I cook this the next time would be adding onion paste instead of a finely chopped onion. Though finely chopped onion worked for me, I think adding its paste will give an extremely smooth texture to the gravy.
Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
thanks ritu. onion paste gives a different taste as well as the consistency is different. in fact i will be sharing jammu style rajma masala, where i grind everything including onions and the result is a smooth gravy like you mention. you can even mince or grate the onions and then add.
That’s great. Waiting for the recipe. 🙂
will add by tomorrow or day after tomorrow.
If you make paste of raw onions its taste and smell after cooking also persists better is u cut slice of onion put some oil cumin salt and turmeric just fry for 1 min put some water and pressure cook it than grid and make paste
Thanks for your prompt response Dassana. I only added one teaspoon of kasuri methi (didn’t double that one actually). But next time, I’ll try skipping that altogether.
okay. sure. happy cooking.
Hi Dassana,
I love your recipes and appreciate the details you provide to ensure we get the taste right. When I made Rajma with this recipe today, it tasted bitter. I’m not sure why. I doubled the quantities of Rajma and other ingredients from what you had but followed everything else pretty much as you described (used milk instead of cream in the end). I even added some jaggery but there still seems to a bitter under taste and that is disappointing. Any suggestions to solve this or prevent it in the future? Thanks.
hmmm. i assume the bitter taste is due to kasuri methi. looks like it became too much for the gravy. next time add less kasuri methi. depending on the quality, some varieties of kasuri methi can be more bitter.
Thanku dassana Amit ??
welcome harshya.
Hi I used ve some gravy with Rajma with nachos in cream center will this recipe help me to do so
yes of course. you can serve this recipe of rajma masala with nachos.
Thank you so much for such lovely recipes on the app.
This rajma recipe is a no fail recipe with the authentic Punjabi taste.
I really love the way you explain the method with every little detail. Even the most complex recipes become easy peasy.
very pleased to know this fatima 🙂 thanks for positive views and for your kind words.
This was a fantastic recipe. It immediately brought back happy memories of eating at my childhood friend’s house, who was Punjabi. Had this with homemade dahi. Dassana and Amit, you are turning me into a gourmet chef and my parents are quite proud 🙂
I always click the ads to try to support your amazing site. Thank you.
– Anjali
thank you anjali. glad to know and thanks also for sharing your experience. we all have special memories related to food 🙂
anjali, there is no need to click on the ads. whatever is due to us will come to us in its own way. your appreciation and support is what is required 🙂
I have tried your recipes and they always turn out awesome. I cant wait to try this rajma recipe, is it ok to add thick curd instead of cream?
you can add. i have made rajma masala a few times with curd and we liked the taste.
yummmmyyyy
thankyou tejashwini 🙂
Thnq so much i got so much appreciation it just made my day… loved the recipe
thankyou so much pooja 🙂
For the first time a Rajma dish came out well..thanks a ton
good one . thank u
Thank you for your recipies. Your super duper recipies always makes my day. It has also taught me some new ones which I have tried and served too and got some commendable response.
pleased to know this thankyou so much dotty 🙂
Thank uu for giving me such a delicious recipe …, even before when I making rajma it seems watery but now I can make a delicious rajma..
Thank u alot
pleased to know this thankyou so much shubham and you are welcome.
Hi i want to know how should i decide about the quantity of the ingredients if i want to increase the rajma quantity plzzzzz reply
geetika just double the ratio of all the ingredient’s from the recipe card. hope this help’s you.
Thank u mam…jise theek se maggie banana bhi nahi aata tha usne apki help se bahut saari dishes banana seekh liya.itne simply tareeke se aap batatai hain ki sab kuch bahut easy taareeke se ready ho jata hai..thank u mam and salute u mam….?
dhanyawaad anuraag. aap ka comment pad ke achcha laga 🙂
Turned out really yummy!! I’ve never been able to cook Indian food until now so thank you for the guidance. The step by step instructions with pictures really makes all the difference. ?
thankyou shruti 🙂 for your positive and kind words. glad you liked the recipe details also you are most welcome.
I loved your recipe and followed every step….. Thank you for the detailed information as I could prepare something delicious . My family simply loved the taste . Great recipe !!
john very pleased to know this 🙂 thankyou for your positive and kind words. glad you liked the detailed information and you are welcome.
Hi Dear,just wanted to know can i use tomato puree instead of chops tomato,or that will change taste? Tonight i will cook this for friends .I m in Us,just if u can reply before that 🙂
Babli
you can use tomato puree. not much difference in taste.
Hi…First thanks a lot for sharing all types of recipes… I always refer your site for cooking… Because I don’t know more about cooking various dishes… But seriously your recipes made me happy with serving my food to my family… Thanks a lot again
quite pleased to know this mitali 🙂 thankyou for your honest and positive words. god bless you and you are welcome.
I hv tried almost all ur recipes nd the results r mouth watering can u suggest ne oder option for cream in Tis recipe plan to make it tonight
you can use malai instead of cream. if adding malai, saute the malai after the tomatoes+spices are done with the sauteing. second option is to beat the chilled malai in a small blender jar and add towards the end in the recipe. same amount of malai can be used as mentioned in the recipe.
I’ve been following a lot of your recipes, although this is the first time I am actually commenting.
Like the pictorial representations and detailed preparation and execution methods you have on your blog. Keep posting.
thanks a lot amit.
Hi, I had a query regarding the soaking time . Would the soaking time reduce if i soaked the rajmas in hot water?. My mom used to try this method with chole whenever she ran out of soaking time . I wanted to ask if this could be done with the rajma ?
yes the soaking time will reduce for rajma also, if soaked in hot water.
hey ..amazing recipies as usual.. I dont have creme . Can i make it without that
yes you can skip the cream.
Hello! Made neer dosa for breakfast today, they were awesome. Yes, it does require some knack and my first few dosas didn’t came out well. But later they were all good! I also added some shredded coconut while grinding, as my aunt, who also belongs to the Bunt community, suggested me to do so. Thank you for a great recipe!
true nupur even some grated coconut gives a great taste and flavor to the neer dosas thankyou so much 🙂 and you are welcome.
Every recepie of yours is wonderful?tried rajma masala…delicious…thank you Dassanaji
thankyou simi we are pleased to know this 🙂 and you are welcome.
Made rajma masala just today, for lunch, it was very tasty. The way you explain is so easy. Your recipes are better than the other complicated methods found elsewhere on Google. Thank you!
Planning to make neer dosa for breakfast tomorrow. I’ve wanted to make neer dosa since forever, and since we are Kannadigas, dosa (except for neer dosa and appam) is a must on weekends. But my mother always told me that neer dosas are difficult to make, but after reading your recipe, I’ll surely try and let you know. Also I’ve tried many of your recipes already, the best was DIY paneer, the cubes were fresh and fluffy and lovely.
Thanks a lot! 🙂
thanks a lot nupur. making neer dosa requires some practice. once you get the knack then its very easy. i make them on weekends when i do not get enough time to make idli or dosa batter.
Oh my God, I cooked very first dish of life and that too Rajma, Despite of not having any experience in cooking I followed every step religiously. I counted the seconds as well as mentioned in the recipe and wonder happened as I got delicious Rajma up and ready. You are magical Dassana, the way you have explained the recipe and all the small small details with pictures are phenomenal. Your effort is really commendable.
After reading your recipes I think I will love cooking in coming days.
Kudos to your effort. Feeling thankful.
Regards,
Abhishek
we are very pleased to know this abhishek 🙂 and thankyou for your kind and honest words. god bless you and you are welcome.
I really love all the recipes that I have tried from ur blog….my kids also love to try new recipes from ur blog….thanks a lot
glad to know this shefali and you are welcome 🙂
Hi Dasanna..M Mamta..let Me tell u this..I’m newly Married n love cooking..but always get confused as wat to make.. since I started your recipes,my husband & my family members became fan of my food.. all thanks to U..I started growing to love u & ur recipes..U just beat All bif Chef’s… ur simple method is so great..u are a great Inspiration to all of us..Thank u so much 🙂
we are very pleased to know this mamta 🙂 glad you liked the recipes on our blog. thankyou for your kind and honest words you are always welcome.
Hi Dassana,
Thank you for the recipe. Your way of presenting and explaining each step with pictures is very good. I can understand and appreciate the effort that goes into each recipe of this blog.
I have tried a few of the recipes and they are awesome!! Thank you for making cooking much easier and enjoyable!!
The rajma masala turned out very tasty, despite not using cream. Could you please advise on how to cook the recipe with pureed onions and tomatoes?
Thank You.
thank you anju. when you add the chopped onions, that time add the pureed onions. saute them till the onion paste becomes light brown. then follow the steps in the recipe. when tomatoes are added, that time you add tomato puree and saute till you see oil releasing from the sides. then add the spice powders. use the same amount of onions and tomato as mentioned in the recipes
Thanks, I am a huge fan.
welcome and thankyou rajeev.
I use your Indian recipes all the time
They are grand
Thank you
thanks stewart.
Hi Dassana,
Thanks for your recipe. You have mentioned about cream. What kind of cream and where and in which section can I find them in America? Please let me know. Thanks.
hi nalini, you can use low fat dairy cream or whipping cream. you should be able to get cream in the butter and cheese section.
I like the recipe very much mam you are the best
thanks ekta
Add the list of ingredients at the start.
abu, done
Thnks dassana s I told u before I have tried your many recipes and always it’s good to learn more n serve for the loved once. V all love ur recipes. Thnks for sharing it.
welcome dhruti. thanks for sharing positive feedback.
Amazing recipe, i am glad that i tried it. i don’t use shop bought rajma masala(powder) any more which is too sour and has strong flavour of chat masala.love the way the recipes are presented. : )
thanks hema. nice to know this. even i never buy store bought rajma masala powder or chana masala powder.
Hi Dasanna, the curry is delicious and rich. I made it for dinner with palak paratha and it was awesome. Thank you for your wonderful recipes.
welcome dhanya. nice to know this.
Dear Dassana Amit,
Just two months of cooking from your recipes and I feel like an expert already! My family and friends love the food that I make, looking at your recipes. Thank you for putting this up in such a simple and easy manner.
thanks for this lovely feedback neha.
This recipe is AMAZING!! I made it last week with two cans of rajma and it disappeared in one meal! I didn’t have green chilies or kasuri methi and used sour cream since I didn’t have heavy cream, and it was still incredible! I’m making it today with 5 cans of rajma (so I can share with my American friends) and the missing ingredients and it already tastes better than before!
Thank you for this incredible tasting and easy recipe. I want to try your paneer butter masala next!
welcome swapna. glad to know this. thanks for sharing your positive review on rajma masala.
Nice dishes and easy to follow. Good work keep it up.
Thank you
welcome shobha. thanks for sharing your positive feedback.
Wow ..it turned out to be very yummy ..
Thnk u so much for sharing this recipe.
welcome monika
It’s easy and looks yummy!!
thanks atiya
I like ur rceipes so mach
thanks yogesh
Great wee recipe. Turned out perfectly.
thanks daniel
I love your recipes. I never used to enjoy cooking but the illustrative method used by you in this blog is so helpful and I am enjoying cooking now. I have tried various recipes from your blog. I would have never imagined myself cooking sweets but I tried that too. Now daily I open up your blog to check out what new can I try. Thanks Dassana Amit.
Later I read your profile which says you were a teacher that explains a lot about the manner of explaining the procedure of each item.
thanks a lot aesha for your positive and motivating feedback. you have a nice name 🙂
Dassana its very tasty thank u very much I tried this today l always try recipes from veg recipes of India and all of them r great..,. My husband is very happy wit this recipe thank u….
welcome sukanya. glad to know this.
I am gonna make rajma tonight for dinner thank for your recipe..
welcome priya
omg thank you so much…. Wanted to make rajma since a long time…. And thanks to you it turned out amazingly…. And my parents are finally pretty impressed by what I cooked.. Thanks a ton
welcome aamani. nice to know this. thanks for sharing positive feedback.
Thanks for the receipies… M newely married and ur receipies will help me a lot… 2day i came accross the website…. Will definetely try it… My Father in law bought Dalia since more than a month and i didnt knew how to cook… But now i can…Thanx again…
welcome hetal. good to know this. i hope website help you in cooking delicious food.
Hi Dassana, love to try out the wonderful homely recipes . Thanx to u veg cooking is slowly turning in to a passion . N must say if followed to the tee ur recipes are no fail :-)))
welcome rajitha. glad to know this. thanks for sharing positive feedback on recipes.
Hi Dassana,
Tried out ur recipe today. Twas truly delicious. Can’t thank u enuf. God bless u
welcome mam. thanks for sharing positive feedback and for your prayers.
Hi,
Thank you for sharing all the recepies. I am cooking for the first time as a hobby with the help of your recepies for last one week and everything turned out to be yummy. Till now i have made daal tadka, kadhi pakoda, rajma masala, aaloo matar. Thanks a lot. Keep up the good work 🙂
welcome sachin. glad to know this. thanks for sharing positive feedback on recipes.
super fan of your dishes will make this on my moms bday with naan thankyou for the lovely recipe..
welcome shreyas. thanks for your kind words.
Had some kidney beans I wasn’t sure I was gonna use so I made this recipe! I had to use canned tomatoes bc the tomatoes here are soooooo bad 🙁 still it was absolutely delicious! thank you!
welcome alex. nice to know this.
i just love this website and this rajma recipe is awesome.
thanks ruby
Hi
I always had that difficulty in getting my mom like taste in my rajma but thanks to you that today I too could make finger licking rajma
welcome rekha. glad to know this.
Tried this today. Another lip smacking recipe from your website. Thank you dassana for sharing this delicious recipe as well as the very helpful instructions.
welcome nageshwari. thanks for sharing positive feedback.
Wonderful recipe!!
However, I only have a makeshift kitchen, with an induction stove, a kadai, pan and saucepan with a rice cooker. Is it possible to thoroughly cook the rajma using only these?
Please help!
it will take a lot of time to cook rajma in a pan on an induction stove top. would suggest you to buy canned rajma beans if available where you live.
I made this last night and it came out delicious! Thank you for such a great website. I can now show people i can cook! Moreso, you make me think I can.
welcome bhavi. thanks for your sweet feedback. wishing you all the best in cooking.
Very nice receipe. Came out well for me. Had a wonderful dinner coz of you!!… Thank you vry much!
welcome akshaya. glad to know this.
This recipe was amazing. The step by step pictures really helped. It almost tastes like the rajma I used to eat when working in Bihar.
thanks anna. glad to know this.
hi dassana love with your site. i tried rajma so many times but it did not turn good. now i m going to try your recipe. could u tell me that should i use round tomatoes or long tomatoes which is also known as bombay tomato in my rajma. reply asap nd thanx a lot. you are just not a food blogger, you are friend, teacher, my sis nd also my inspiration.
and thanks for the sweet words.
you did not give answer of my query about tomatoes.
tripti, you had posted two comments and i had replied about tomatoes in the previous comment. you can use the long tomatoes known as bombay tomatoes. round tomatoes can be too tart or sour at times.
The restaurant style rajma masala was absolutely yummy! I used some garam masala which I had at home ( I guess the garam masala brand would make a difference too). Though I used the same ingredients in my earlier version, the procedure made the difference. My kids just loved it and took a second serving! My older kid says – “that was a great yummy dinner I had.”Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
thanks for sharing your positive review. yes the garam masala makes a lot of difference. homemade is the best. glad to read about your kid feedback.
Mouth watering
thanks ranjan
wow…. that was delicious.
Keep up the gud work!
please share non veg recipes also, like egg curry , chicken curry etc.
that will b of grt help 🙂
ravi, we only cook vegetarian food at home. all the recipes in the blog are tried, tested and perfected at home before publishing.
thanks ravi
Hi Dassana ! Today I made this rajma with your pressure cooker pulao! It was absolutely delicious! Thanks is not enough for what you are sharing. But we have to make do with thanks as I have no words to express!
thanks sathya for this touching and sweet feedback.
I just wished to thank you for posting such wonderful recipes on this blog. Being a student abroad I miss home food incredibly, being a vegetarian and following these ideals are pretty difficult overseas too. But your recipes make cooking so easy and delicious for someone who’s trying cooking for the first time by herself. The Rajma Masala turned out very tasty, I appreciate your putting in a sidenote for how to cook with canned Rajma too. I was hoping to add a suggestion where you could include how to cook without a pressure-cooker too in your recipes as well for those who can’t own pressure-cookers like students? Thank you again!
thanks janha. i know how it is when being overseas and you miss so much of your home cooked food. in the recipe notes, i have added on how to cook rajma in a pot or pan . this is not mentioned in all rajma and lentils recipes. but whenever i remember, i add a note. but lets see. i will try to add a post on how to cook beans and lentils in a pan. rajma takes a lot of time and so i always always cook them in a pressure cooker. but i can do such a post with the lentils.
I made chana dal..methi malai matar…
It was yummmmyyyyyyyy
thanks minal
Testy and yammy recipe
thanks jyoti
hey Dassana,
I tried ur dish today and it had come out very gud…..thank u sooo much 🙂
welcome vinithra
I’m going to try this today!
Crazy recipe. I am basically a 24 y/o guy who just passed out of college and moms the only one who guides me when it comes to Punjabi cooking. I have to stay alone without a family so trust me, its damn tough when it comes to cooking. I always like to cook stuff my way, not like going totally out of league but jus a lil experimentation. This is what i do with my rajma :p
Trust me, when it comes to cooking, taste buds are what drive u. So, I do it a lil different way. I like the UP style of cooking a lot where in we put the onions and all the solid garam masalas (saving a lil for tadka/frying) in the pressure cooker in the 1st step itself. Plus I hardly make use of garam masalas, want it to be very authentic. I add curd,milk,cream ; together half a cup to bring about a creamy taste after its been pressurized for 15-20 mins to add a creamy texture. I even like to add chopped green chillies too for the pressure cooking in the second stage when I add that cream milk and curd mixture. It does turn out to be epic. An authentic. Try it out, hopefully u guys will like it. 🙂
rishabh, thanks for sharing your version. there are many ways to cook rajma as each family has their own recipes. we found your method interesting. we will surely give a try to your method. if possible then share this method and ingredient quantity in more detail. do try out method also.. it is tried and tested and a good rajma masala recipe.
Hello 🙂
I am 19 and I love cooking. I have tried a lot of dishes from your blog. Thanks to you now my mom lets me cook when guests arrive. And my boyfriend loves what I cook 😀
Thank you 😀
welcome radhika. glad to know this. happy cooking.
Thanks for your recipes. I follow almost all your recipes..all turns out very well..I like your step by step instructions, pictorial presentations and very useful tips and alternatives.
welcome rajashree. thanks for sharing positive feedback on recipes.
Helllo dassana,
This receipe has come out too good.
I got to impress my hubby after a long time. The dish had come out bit watery……if I leave it cooking for some more time , the quantity of gravy reduces. This happens with many of my gravy’s. Pls advise.
And I must definetly say that your dal tadka was awesome….I just loved both cooking n eating it. Thank you
welcome brindha. this means you are adding little extra water in the gravies. when it happens then you have to simmer the gravy more so that the water reduces. for rajma or chana, you can mash a few of them so that the gravy thickens.
I tried this recipe, came out well….thanks….you have a good collection…new to your blog
welcome raashid. do try some more recipes.
Thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe. I made it today (for the first in my life) and it came out so well. I always refer your site when i wanted to cook and every time it’s a hit :-).
welcome fats. glad to know that the site is helping you in cooking.
Awesome and simply delicious….. I used find cooking a little difficult..but now I have started loving to cook…all I do is check ur receipes which are simply awesome and end result my husband and my little angel love it too…thanks to you
thanks mamtha. cooking is not difficult. it takes practice and is also an art. with more practice, you will master the art of cooking.
Helooo dasanna.. I must say u post wonderful lip smacking receipes in your blog.. Just love them.. I have been trying out a lot of them… N they taste extremely yummm!!
I am a non veggie.. N evrytime I plan on cooking something vegan I check up ur blog n wolaaa no words to say how tastey all d dishes turn out:)
Thanku..
welcome tash. thats great to know. keep visiting and trying more recipes.
Dear Dassana,
How do you manage to get such smooth gravies without pureeing onion and tomatoes. In many of your curries like punjabi chhole, kadhai paneer and the one above, you have finely chopped everything and used. However, i have to grind everything especially tomatoes else its peels ruin the experience of dish and the dish comes out a little watery than desired which makes my hubby crib no end 🙁 I have made the above three dishes using your recipes with pureed onion tomato. But I really want to know how can I get smooth gravies with finely chopped ingredients. Using my mixer evertime is simply not pleasing to me 🙁 🙁
first is the onions and both tomatoes have to chopped finely. secondly they have to sauteed on a low flame stirring often. for onions they have to sauteed till translucent or golden brown as per the recipe. for tomatoes, they have to be sauteed till they soften and when you see oil releasing from the sides. to avoid the peels, i can give you a tip. blanch the tomatoes. that is boil water. then add tomatoes and cook for a minute or two. let them be in water for 20 to 25 mins. then peel them. the peels come out easily after blanching. chop them finely. here you don’t need to make any paste.
I did not grow up with Indian food, but this dish is so comforting! It reminds me if the chili and frijoles de la olla I did eat growing up. Very delicious!!
thanks natalie
Another hit!!! Hey Dasanna, I also tried your Pav bhaji and Palak Pakora and it came out well. Somehow couldn´t find space to post it in those blogs…..thanks a lot!! Keep up the good work…
thanks dhanya 🙂
Easy to learn and made
Hi,
Good recipe… Told very nicely
I did it for my wife :)… She liked it
I did it without any cream (she doesn’t liketo put on), still it was delicious.
I used 100% butter instead of oil
Thanks! Cheers!
thanks heramb for your views and feedback on the recipe. butter also goes well instead of oil. but a bit of cream also tastes good 🙂
Hi,tried ur recipe today nd it was Very nice.my Husband liked It very much.added milk malai instead of Cream.instead Of mashing rajma I grounded in Mixie nd added in gravy to make it thick.went Well with rice.Keep going nd Gud luck!!!
thanks priya for sharing your positive feedback and variation.
Hi Dassana,
Just wanted to know can we puree the tomatoes instead of adding chopped ones..
Thanks
yes you can puree the tomatoes.
hi dassana my family members like very much thanks a looooooooot for easy recipe
welcome adithi.
Hai dassana i was not knowng to make rajma masala but yr recpie is so good that my family and frnds liked its very much realy is very delicious thank to u
welcome nisha. glad to know that you liked the rajma recipe.
Hey there a big shout out to u for doing this amazing job. I have tried sooo many recipes and they were all just awesome. I never knew cooking can b this fun n easy. Ur blog really really really helped me sort all my cooking problems. I visit ur blog atleast every other day. Thank u sooo much for making things soo easy.
Keep up the good work.
welcome muneera and big thanks for your positive feedback. glad to know that you like the blog so much. keep visiting.
Thank-you! Such a perfect recipe, it came out delicious! My husband was so happy! Can’ wait to try more dishes…
welcome genevieve. glad to know that you and your husband liked the rajma recipe.
Thank you so much for this great recipe! I have never been good at making rajma and was nervous to make it for important dinner guests who requested it. This dish was a hit, they loved it & even I think I can make rajma now.
welcome shani. good to know that now you can make and enjoy rajma at home.
Hi
Rajma was one thing which i love so much but it never turned out good. So my husband was never fond of it..It became a thing like once in 3-4 months. But when i found your recipe i tried it and it was so yummy that my husband said that its for first time he liked rajma and in last 15 days i cooked it 3 times and with same yummy taste…Thanx a lot….tried few other recipes from your website and everything turned out perfect….
Thanx a lot once again
welcome anu. big thanks for this positive feedback. good to know that you are liking the recipes… specially the rajma.
Thank you so much. i love cooking but mainly dals . have been stuck to few of my recipes for the past few years cause u can understand didn’t want to mess up my dinner while trying new stuff, but this is the first time i tried my hand on rajma and it’s perrrrfect..thanks once again.
welcome pratish.
Too gud recipe I loving it
your recipe is too good
i try this recipe at my home..and i had great pleasure …it’s such a nice experience to made it…lovely recipe ……
i think it is good for all persons who don’t know how to cook..all persons are easily make such a great tasty and delicious food by this recipies without any problems or without anybody’s help..
thanks himadri for this positive feedback. i am sure your comment will motivate more people to try the recipes. ]
We only have to saute the tomatoes.Would adding puree be a good option ?
yes you can add tomato puree.
Dear,
Have a query.How may whistles should we give to cook.Becoz I tried cooking Rajma before 3 yrs the beans were not that prepared even after 4-6 whistles please suggest the right boiling and soaking process.
jasmin, it depends on the quality of rajma. as the rajma gets old they take more time to cook. i personally check the packaging date while purchasing the rajma beans. if you soak the rajma overnight then they cook faster and i strongly suggest you to soak rajma for good taste as well as to cook them faster. on few rare occasions, the rajma has taken more than 11-12 whistles also to cook. so it depends upon the quality.
Dear All,
I had tried dum biryani receipe shared by her.Believe me guys it ws just toooo gud.
thanks jasmin
I made rajmah following your recipe, and it turned out great. My husband who is not a big fan of rajmah enjoyed it too. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe and for creating such a wonderful and helpful blog with great detailed recipes, and awesome photography.
Keep up the good work !!
welcome sav and big thanks for this positive feedback. keep visiting the blog.
Having a punjabi bf…your recipes come so handy when cooking meals for him… :p and he is amazed at how I end up cooking such authentic punjabi food 😉 thanks a ton
welcome sylvia. glad to know that blog is helping you in cooking punjabi food. punjabis love parathas (aloo, gobi, onion, mooli and paneer paratha), rajma, chole, dal makhani, bread pakoras, punjabi kadhi and lassi.
Thanks Dassana Jee the rajma was a great hit at my place… My husband loved It..
Thanks you for sharing ur recipes to us.. 🙂
welcome rose. glad to know that you liked the rajma masala.
Hi! thanks for the recipe. It tasted great and was even better the next day. Greetings from Pakistan =]
welcome aiman. greetings from india :-).
Hi. I have copied your recipe.Plan to make it soon.I hope i do justice to the pics you have here.
i am sure, you will make a very good rajma which everyone will like.
Hi Dassana, loved your Rajma masala recipe. It was simply grrrrrrt.
It was easy to cook and simply delicious and a real hit with my family. Thanks once again.
welcome serena
Hi Dassana,thank u very much for posting the recipes,I will try rajma using your recipe thank u very much
welcome sujata
Dear Dassana, firstly, I need to confess that I have just fallen for your site. I am not at all fond of these social websites but there is something very genuine and magnetic about your site which has kept me clinging to it for the past 1 hour. I love cooking and I was looking for some good authentic rajma recipe and came across your site. I felt very happy and peaceful reading your candid expressions on religion, caste etc. I am surely going to a regular visitor to your site. Wishing you All the very best in all your future projects. Happy cooking!
thanks deepa for these kind words. they are motivating and genuine. its nice to know and hear that the site is good, well designed and is helping the people in cooking. do visit again as you said and feel free to comment or to ask any query. happy cooking.
I really liked your recipe so I featured it on my blog.
thanks.
I made rajma n rice today as per your above recipe and its so tasty, I couldn’t stop eating
Hi Dassana, I am your secret follower and I love all your recipes. Today I thought its high time I should comment something on your blog. I think your blog is one of the best blogs in India. Just wanted to say thank you because I am getting to learn a lot from your recipes. 🙂
welcome shruti and thanks for this motivating feedback. feel free to share your feedback or ask queries about recipes. happy cooking
What if we don’t want to use onion n garlic in this rajma recipe.any substitute to enhance the taste
hi rashmi, generally asafoetida or hing is used as a substitute for onion and garlic. so in this recipe since we already adding asafoetida, i would suggest adding a total of 2 generous pinches of asafoetida. you can even go for about 1/4 tsp if you have the powdered form of asafoetida.
hi dassana, thanks for your recipes. For folks without a pressure cooker what should be the best way to cook rajma beans.
first soak the rajma as usual for 8-9 hours. drain them and rinse them with fresh water. then in a huge pot, boil enough water first. add the rajma and salt. cook covered for about 45 to 1 hour or more if required. it takes a long time to cook rajma without a pressure cooker.
YUM! I am so excited to try this recipe! I am always on the look out for traditional indian cuisine – i am so glad i found your blog!
welcome katia.
your all recipes are good. I tried 3-4 items. In Rajma masala, is butter necessary?. Can we use oil only. what is cream mentioned here. where from we get this or can we make it at home? can we use any other things instead of cream?
Are you published any recipe books of all these your recipes?
thanks. you can use oil or ghee instead of butter. the cream here is milk cream. if you live in india, then you can get amul cream in tetra packs for 200 ml and 400 ml. if you live abroad, you can easily get cream in any store. you can also use the malai which floats on top of milk. just beat the malai well before adding it. if you don’t get cream then sjust skip it. the recipe are not published in any book yet, but plan to do so.
Question on the Rajma recipe…it says to pressure cook for 15- 20 minutes. So, this with the whistle on correct? So, just want to make sure I am understanding this correctly…..it will be about 20 whistles or so …..correct?
yes, the cooking is with the whistle. it will be about 18-20 whistles.
This is my fav anytime….looks super tempting
Dear Dassana,
Thank you so much for your cooking website and Pinterest postings. I made this Rajma Masala last night and it was so delicious! My husband said, “please make this regularly!” I wanted to let you know that this also works with canned beans. I just cooked them at the end a little longer so that they would be as soft as you described, and in order to get the gravy consistency, I added water (instead of the bean cooking water) and used an immersion blender to blend up some of the beans. Thank you again for your website!
Valerie
welcome valerie. glad to know that you all liked the rajma masala. it is one of the most popular punjabi recipe.
Thanks Dassana for Rajma masala recipe. Me and my husband like this dish very much.
welcome may. glad to know that both of you liked rajma masala.
hi dassana i m in love with your website. i tried rajma for so many times but it was not good. now i m going to try your delisious recipe. but still i have aquestion about tomaoes. should i use round tomatoes in my rajma or long tomato whichis known as bomabay tomato. plz reply asap.
thanks tripti. use the long tomatoes known as bombay tomatoes. round tomatoes can be too tart or sour at times.
Never tried this version. looks exactly like restaurant’s rajma.
dussera wishes to you
Which Garam masala is best?
you mean which garam masala powder brand is best?