Homemade Punjabi Rajma This is a straightforward recipe for homemade Punjabi rajma from my mother-in-law. Even though it doesn’t have any fancy ingredients or extras, it makes the most reassuring bowl of rajma. After the kidney beans are cooked under pressure, an onion-tomato masala is added, and the beans are cooked again until the masala and rajma are well combined.
As the saying goes, a good punjabi rajma should be “rassa hua,” which means that the spices, masala, and rajma should be mixed so well that they melt in your mouth. This recipe produces exactly that kind of rajma. It’s like a bowl of hugs!
In the last ten or so years, Rajma has become something I adore. Growing up, I didn’t find it to be my favorite thing, but now I find it so comforting. We frequently enjoy my go-to Rajma Masala recipe with a bowl of rice on the weekends. However, there is one additional version that I wanted to share with you all because it is even more cozy.
This is my mother-in-law’s recipe, which she prepares very differently from mine. Isn’t that what cooking is all about? We can all use the same spices and other items. However, the way the ingredients were added and cooked can make a huge difference in how the final product tastes. She taught me this simple, homestyle Punjabi recipe, which makes the most reassuring bowl of rajma you will ever eat.
In this recipe, the kidney beans are so soft that they melt in your mouth. For this homestyle Punjabi rajma, she separates the masala and adds it to the pressure-cooked rajma before pressure-cooking it again.
Ingredients: This Punjabi rajma recipe can be made with common pantry items.
Beans for the kidneys that are dry: In Hindi, we simply call them “rajma.” It’s funny that the bean is named after the dish “rajma” because it is so popular. In this recipe, I used dark kidney beans, but you can use light kidney beans as well.
Tomatoes and onions: Like many other Indian dishes, onions and tomatoes are used to make the curry’s base.
Spices: Garam masala, coriander, and other common Indian spices are used in this homestyle rajma. This recipe also contains a small amount of fennel powder.
Instructions by Step 1: Rinse and soak 300 grams of rajma (kidney beans) overnight in 4 to 5 cups water. The beans would be significantly larger in size in the morning. Rinse the beans after removing all of the rajma’s soaking water.
2-Now, add the rajma that has been rinsed and drained to a pressure cooker. Add half a teaspoon of salt and three and a half cups of clean water.
3- Give the pressure cooker a stir, then close it. At first, cook on high; once one to two whistles are heard, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 30 minutes.
4- Prepare the masala while the rajma is cooking. Add 1 and a half tablespoons of oil to a pan and heat it up on medium heat. Any oil can be used, but I’ve used avocado oil here. 200 grams of finely grate large onion are added to the pan. Alternatively, you can use a food processor to very finely chop or puree the onions.
5-Cook the onions for seven to eight minutes, or until they have a light golden brown color, no raw smell, and all of the moisture has evaporated from them. While the onions are being cooked, keep stirring frequently.
6-Add the ginger-garlic paste after that, and cook for one to two minutes.
7: Stir in 2 medium-sized (215 grams) tomatoes that have been pureed. Stir frequently while cooking the tomatoes for 5 to 6 minutes until they are cooked.
8: After that, add the spices:
1 and a half teaspoons of coriander powder, 1 and a half teaspoons of cumin powder, 1/4 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder (or regular chili powder for heat), 1/4 teaspoon fennel powder, less than 1/4 teaspoon turmeric, and 1/4 teaspoon salt The masala is complete now.
10-After that, remove the masala from the pan and place it in a bowl.
11: After the 30 minutes have passed, let the pressure release naturally from the pressure cooker. This takes place concurrently with the preparation of the masala. When the masala is finished, the rajma has also been pressure-cooked, and the pressure cooker is ready to be opened.
The kidney beans should be soft when you open the pressure cooker.
12- At this point, add the cooked masala to the pressure cooker.
13: Stir until the masala and rajma are thoroughly combined. At this point, add half to one cup more water and stir.
14: Use the lid to seal the pressure cooker. Now, pressurize once more, this time for exactly 10 minutes over medium heat. During this second pressure cooking period, you should maintain a medium heat at all times. It is acceptable if you do not receive the whistle, but it is acceptable if you do, so don’t worry about that.
15: After ten minutes, turn off the heat and allow the pressure to naturally fall out. Open the cooker once the pressure has gone down and turn the heat back on to low-medium. Rajma should be allowed to simmer for 15 minutes over medium heat. Add 1/4 teaspoon garam masala in the last five minutes.
16: Taste and adjust salt as necessary; I added an additional 1/4 teaspoon here. As the rajma simmers, you can also add more water to make it thinner and change the consistency as necessary. Keep in mind that this rajma makes quite thick rajma. As it cools, it will also continue to thicken.
Can this be prepared in an instant pot?
Although I grew up eating the best rajma in Delhi, this may just be me, but in my humble opinion, rajma never reaches that melt-in-your-mouth consistency in the Instant Pot. However, you can make this in the Instant Pot if you don’t mind the super-soft rajma consistency.
Cook in bean/chili mode under pressure for 30 to 35 minutes, then release the pressure naturally. Cook under high pressure for 5 minutes the second time. For the final step, let it simmer on sauté for 10 to 15 minutes.
Tips and hints According to my mother-in-law, she sometimes cooks the pureed onion ahead of time until all of the water evaporates and it turns a light golden brown, then she freezes it. On the day that the rajma is actually made, this saves her time.
They taste even better the next day, as is frequently the case with dishes like chole and rajma. Therefore, for lunch, the leftovers are even better!
This Punjabi rajma recipe doesn’t have much heat, but you can spice it up by adding a finely chopped green chili to the onion. Along with the spices, you can also add some hot red chili powder.
This rajma has a thicker consistency; you can thin it out by adding more water. As it cools, the rajma thickens more.
This vegan, homestyle Punjabi Rajma is made with simple pantry items, and it’s the most comforting bowl of rajma you’ll ever eat!
1 1/2 cups dry kidney beans (rajma) 300 grams 4-5 cups water divided as needed 1 1/2 teaspoon salt divided 1 1/2 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste 2 medium tomatoes 215 grams 1 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder 1/4 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder or use regular chili powder to make it spicy 1/8-1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder 1/4 teaspoon garam masala Rinse and soak the kidney beans (rajma) overnight in 4 to 5 cups of water. Divide the salt into 2 tablespoons and Rinse the beans and drain the rajma’s soaking water in the morning.
In a pressure cooker, add the beans that have been rinsed and drained. Add half a teaspoon of salt and three and a half cups of clean water. Close the lid and cook under high pressure for one to two whistles. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 30 minutes after it has sounded between one and two whistles.
While the kidney beans are cooking, work on the masala. Add 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of oil to a medium-sized pan. After that, add onions that have been finely grate or pureed.
Cook the onions for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until they have a light golden brown color and no raw smell. Then, cook for one to two minutes after adding the ginger-garlic paste.
Cook the pureed tomatoes for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until they are soft and cooked. The coriander, cumin, Kashmiri red chili, fennel, turmeric, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt should then be added. Cook the spices for one to two minutes with a stir. You can now remove the masala and place it in a bowl.
Let the pressure release naturally from the pressure cooker after the 30 minutes are up. This takes place concurrently with the preparation of the masala. When the masala is finished, the rajma has also been pressure-cooked, and the pressure cooker is ready to be opened.
The kidney beans should be soft when you open the pressure cooker.
The prepared masala should now be added to the pressure cooker. At this point, add half to one cup more water and stir. Close the lid, and cook the food under pressure once more over medium heat for a total of ten minutes. Don’t put the cooker on high heat at this point because you don’t really want a whistle.
Turn off the heat after ten minutes and allow the pressure to naturally drop. Open the cooker once the pressure has gone down and turn the heat back on to low-medium. Rajma should be allowed to simmer for 15 minutes over medium heat. Garam masala should be added in the last five minutes.
Taste the salt and adjust it as necessary; I added an additional 1/4 teaspoon here. As the rajma simmers, you can also add more water to make it thinner and change the consistency as necessary. Keep in mind that this rajma makes quite thick rajma. As it cools, it will also continue to thicken.
The rajma is done after 15 minutes of simmering. Serve with rice and hot!
Add green chilies or hot red chili powder to the recipe to make it spicier.
Rajma can be made thinner by adding more water, but you shouldn’t make it too thin. This recipe makes rajma with a thick consistency.
Calories: Carbohydrates: 305 kcal 48 g of protein: 17g
Fat: 6 grams of fat: 1 gram of monounsaturated fat: 2 grams of monounsaturated fat: 3 g of trans fat: 0.2 g of sodium: 1000 mg of potassium: 11.6 g of fiber: 12g of sugar: 4 g of vitamin A: Vitamin C, 555 IU: 14 mg of calcium 82 mg of iron 5mg
