Rajma (Kidney Beans Curry)
If you’re like me and haven’t grown up with it, Rajma may seem boring, but I promise you kidney beans sing (and even dance!) when you put them in a curry. Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox. Plus, get recipes & tips every week! Similar cases of glory-stealing vegetarian dishes: Palak Paneer, Matar Paneer, Aloo Baingan. I first made Rajma years ago after seeing it on Instagram. (BeckyKeepsHouse is among those responsible for initiating this craving.) I remember sitting on a low kitchen stool, eating it as-is, no rice even, marveling at what a can of kidney beans could become. There’s something oddly satisfying about breaking those tender beans apart, how their soft flesh melds with the masala. I’ve been hooked ever since.
Rajma Ingredients
Dried Kidney Beans vs Canned
Type of Red Kidney Beans: I use dark red kidney beans, known as Rajma in Hindi or Lal Lobia in Urdu. I believe you could substitute with light red kidney beans and keep similar cooking times. Note: As I mentioned earlier, the recipe includes instructions for using both dried and canned. Pictures are using canned beans. Video shows how to make it with dried beans.
Notes on Other Rajma Ingredients
Onion & Tomato: We’re going for a smooth masala in which you can’t see chunks of onion or tomato. I use the pulse function of my food processor to finely chop the onion (but not too finely or it’ll release water and become harder to brown). Then I blend the tomatoes into a purée. Whole spices: Cumin seeds, a dried bay leaf, and a cinnamon stick are essentials. Black peppercorns and black cardamom are optional. Tomato paste: To enhance the tomatoey flavors, especially if your tomatoes aren’t as ripe/flavorful. Ground Spices: Like Chana Masala, Rajma can handle more spices than, say, dal recipes. Still, I’d describe this Rajma as gently spiced, in which ground spices like coriander powder or Kashmiri chili aren’t overpowering but allow the flavor of the beans to come through.
Finishing Ingredients
Heavy whipping cream: If you’ve used dried beans, the Rajma doesn’t demand the cream. But I tend to add it anyway. You want just enough so that it doesn’t mask the other flavors. Sub half and half or coconut milk to keep it dairy-free. Salted butter: Adds richness, more oomph. Omit for vegan. Dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi): For earthy flavor. Also used in Butter Chicken, Palak Paneer, and other traditional Punjabi dishes. Sliced red onion and lemon juice: To brighten up the curry and add texture.
How to Make Rajma
Full instructions in the recipe card. Here are some notes on the process:
Cook Dried Kidney Beans (or use Canned)
The recipe card details this process. For more comprehensive tips, here’s a post from The Kitchn about cooking beans on the stovetop.
Prepare Masala
Sauté the onions along with whole spices until the onions are golden. Don’t brown them too much because they’ll deepen even more in color once you add the garlic and ginger. Keep a small cup of water nearby so you can deglaze as needed for even browning. Add garlic and ginger and cook out the raw flavor.
On Deglazing: An experienced Pakistani cook once taught me that you must deglaze your masala three times for it to reach its potential in flavor and cohesiveness. Great times to deglaze are after the onions have browned (deglazing too early will make onions hard to brown), after you’ve added garlic/ginger, and of course, deglaze if anything sticks to the pan. If your pan is nonstick, you’ll naturally need to delgaze less than if your pan is stainless steel or cast iron. Deglazing is part of the art of bhunai, a South Asian cooking technique used to develop flavor and encourage oil separation.
Pour in the blended tomatoes and tomato paste and sauté for about 5 minutes, until the tomatoes reduce and you can see the oil lining the masala.
Add ground spices and salt and continue to cook. The oil will once again release from the onion-tomato mixture.
Add Kidney Beans
Add the cooked kidney beans and stir to coat in the masala. Using a wooden spoon, gently mash the kidney beans for better texture.
Note: If you cooked your dried beans from scratch as per the recipe, you don’t need to separate the beans from the cooking liquid. Just tip in the beans and cooking liquid and proceed.
Simmer Together
Pour in the measured water (or reserved cooking liquid) and simmer together with the beans. The mixture will have thickened up, but it should still be runny. Your pot and the heat of your stovetop will affect how much water you’re left with.
Add Finishing Ingredients
Continue to crush the kidney beans. Once you’re at your desired curry/gravy level, add the remaining ingredients.
Add the green chili peppers (adding them at this stage gives the Rajma aroma and mild heat). Stir in the heavy cream, butter, and fenugreek leaves. You can also save your butter and top your Rajma with it right before serving! Simmer again to meld the flavors. At this stage the oil will start to rise to the top and line the sides of the curry, which indicates that it’s done. Time to garnish and dig in!
What to serve with Rajma
Basmati rice is semi-mandatory here, to the point that people often refer to it as ‘Rajma Chawal’. But roti, paratha, naan, anything goes. Serving ideas:
sliced red onions lemon or lime yogurt or vegetable raita
Tried this recipe? If you have a minute, please consider leaving a comment telling me how it was! You can also take a quick picture and upload it directly into the comments. If you’re on Instagram, please tag me so I can see your creations. I truly love hearing from you. Thank you!
