Punjabi Rajma Masala Recipe (2024)

Ingredients

• 1 cup rajma or kidney beans (any variety)
• 2 medium tomatoes or tamatar
• 1 big onion or pyaaz
• 2 green chilies
• 8 cloves of garlic
• 1 inch ginger
• pinch of asafoetida (hing)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 star aniseed
• 2 cloves
• 2 small cardamoms
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• Few curry leaves
• 1/2 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp garam masala powder
• 1/4 tsp dry mango powder (amchur)
• 1 tbsp kasuri methi or dry fenugreek leaves, crushed
• 4 cups water for pressure cooking
• 1.5 to 2 cups of rajma stock (the water which is used to cook the rajma) or plain water for the gravy or curry
• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• Salt as required

Instructions

1. Rinse and soak the rajma or kidney beans in enough water overnight or for 8-9 hours, next day, discard the water and rinse the beans again in fresh water.
2. In a pressure cooker, take both the rajma and 4 cups water, pressure cook on a medium to high flame for 15-20 minutes.
3. Till the time rajma is cooking, slice one big onion and chop 2 medium tomatoes in chunks.
4. When the pressure settles down on its own, open the lid, check if the rajma is cooked or not by taking a bite or pressing a bean, if they are not cooked completely, then pressure cook again adding some water if required for some minutes.
5. Heat about 2 tbsp of oil and saute them till they caramelized or golden browned. Do not burn the onions as this will impart bitter tones in the curry, light browning the onions is also fine.
6. keep on stirring the onions while sauting them, for uniform cooking and also so that they don’t get burnt.
7. Cool down the fried onion completely and then put them in a grinding jar along with chopped tomatoes, 2 green chilies, 8 cloves of garlic and 1 inch ginger. Blend into a fine puree and keep aside.
8. Now heat the same oil in same pan, in which you fried the onion. Add cumin first and let them crackle & get browned. Then add 1 star aniseed, 2 cloves, 2 small cardamoms, 1 inch cinnamon stick and few curry leaves. Saute for few seconds and then add prepared puree.
9. Cook it on low flame for 3-4 minutes with continuous stirring. Puree will turn into a nice color and then add a pinch of asafoetida, 1/2 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder and 1/2 tsp turmeric powder.
10. Add take 1.5 to 2 cups from the stock and add into the puree. Also mix in about 1 tbsp of crushed kasuri methi.
11. Use a slotted spoon or a strainer and take out the boiled rajma and add them to the masala. You can also strain the rajma first and keep it aside.
12. Add 1/2 tsp coriander powder, 1/2 tsp garam masala powder, 1/4 tsp dry mango powder and salt to taste. Stir the whole curry mixture.
13. Simmer without a lid for 10-12 minutes or more till the curry thickens slightly, it should not be watery. Mash a few rajma beans with the spoon, it helps to thicken the curry.
14. When the rajma masala has thickened and comes to the right consistency which is neither too thick nor thin, then
15. stir & simmer rajma masala for 30 seconds to 1 minute. switch off the fire.
16. Serve rajma masala restaurant style with steamed basmati rice, jeera rice or naan.

Notes

To make this dish gluten free, omit the asafoetida in the recipe.If cooking rajma in a pot or pan, first soak the rajma as usual for 8-9 hours, drain them and rinse them with fresh water, then in a big 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.Canned kidney beans can also be used. in this case, just make the curry or sauce first and then add the rajma beans and water.