rajma recipe restaurant style with step by step photos – this is a lightly spiced, creamy and a delicious punjabi curry made with kidney beans. this is my mom’s way of making this famous punjabi rajma masala curry.
rajma masala is a weekly affair at home and a sunday lunch. this particular recipe of rajma in restaurant style goes very well with both rice as well as naan. and when you have rajma and rice, do you need anything else. in my home there are no side dishes made on the day when rajma is cooked. just the melt in the mouth rajma beans in a creamy curry along with rice and you have a comforting meal.
i make rajma recipe in 3 different ways
- easy one pot method of making rajma and my mil’s recipe. this is a very homely soupy rajma & comforting.
- sauting the onion-tomato masala and then simmering the cooked rajma – the most often used method of making rajma masala
- this restaurant style rajma masala version similar to the above one, but which includes butter and cream.
so depending on the mood or occasion i cook rajma in either of these three ways. according to me the best accompaniments to rajma is steamed basmati rice and the next comes some hot naan or phulka or plain paratha or pudina paratha or tandoori rotis or jeera rice. in punjabi homes, they often make rajma chawal or kadhi chawal on weekends.
why to soak rajma overnight?
- while making rajma recipe, the kidney beans have to be cooked very well. they should melt in your mouth when you bite into them offering no resistance. this is 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. so its important to soak the rajma or kidney beans overnight or for 8-9 hours and then cook them really well.
- also buy rajma beans which are new and not old. the older they are they take a lot of time to cook and we 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 6 months.
if you are looking for more punjabi recipes then do check:
rajma recipe
INGREDIENTS FOR rajma recipe
for pressure cooking rajma
- 1 cup rajma OR kidney beans (any variety)
- 3.5 to 4 cups water for pressure cooking
- enough water for soaking rajma
for rajma masala gravy
- 1 large onion OR 150 grams onions OR about ¾ to 1 cup finely chopped onions (pyaaz)
- 3 medium or 2 large tomatoes OR 250 grams tomatoes OR 1 cup finely chopped tomatoes (tamatar)
- 3 to 4 medium garlic + 1 inch ginger + 1 to 2 green chilies - crushed to a paste in a mortar-pestle OR about 1 tablespoon ginger + garlic + green chili paste.
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder (dhania powder)
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon red chili powder (lal mirch powder)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi powder)
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing) - optional
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- 1 teaspoon crushed kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
- 2 tablespoon butter + 1 tablespoon oil OR 3 tablespoon butter
- 2 to 3 tablespoon cream
- 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
- salt as required
HOW TO MAKE rajma recipe
soaking and pressure cooking rajma
- 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.
- in a pressure cooker, take both the rajma and 4 cups water.
- pressure cook on a medium to high flame for 15-20 minutes.
- when the rajma is cooking, you can chop the onions, tomatoes etc.
- 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 the rajma are not cooked completely, then pressure cook again adding some water if required for some minutes.
making rajma recipe
- heat oil + butter in another pot or pan. add cumin first and let them crackle & get browned.
- then add onions and saute them till they caramelized or golden browned.
- take care not to burn them as this will impart bitter tones in the curry.
- light browning the onions is also alright.
- keep on stirring the onions while sauting them, for uniform cooking and also so that they don't get burnt.
- add the ginger-garlic-chili paste. stir and saute for 5-10 seconds on a low flame.
- add the tomatoes. saute for 2-3 minutes till 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.
- stir and saute the whole masala mixture till the fat starts leaving the masala.
- use a slotted spoon or a strainer and remove the beans and add them to the masala.
- you can also strain the rajma first and keep it aside.
- keep the stock also aside. stir and saute for a minute.
cooking rajma curry
- take 1.5 to 2 cups from the stock and add to the rajma.
- add salt and stir the whole curry mixture.
- simmer without a lid for 10-12 minutes or more till the rajma curry thickens slightly. it should not be watery.
- mash a few rajma beans with the spoon. this helps to thicken the rajma masala curry.
- when the rajma masala has thickened and comes to the right consistency which is neither too thick nor thin, then add the kasuri methi and cream.
- stir & simmer rajma masala for 30 seconds to 1 minute. switch off the fire.
- serve rajma masala restaurant style with steamed basmati rice, jeera rice or naan.
RECIPE TIPS
few tips for making rajma recipe
- to make this rajma recipe gluten free, omit the asafoetida (hing) in the recipe.
- 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.
- its very important to soak the rajma beans overnight. always use fresh rajma as old rajma takes a long time to cook.
- rajma beans should be cooked very well and have the melt in the mouth texture.
- spices in the rajma masala gravy can be adjusted as per your taste.
- 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 rajma beans covered for about 45 minutes to 1 hour or more if required. it takes a long time to cook rajma without a pressure cooker.
preparation to make rajma recipe
1. rinse and soak 1 cup rajma or kidney beans in enough water overnight or for 8-9 hours.
2. next day discard the soaked water. drain and rinse the soaked beans for a few times in running water.
3. again drain and add the rinsed rajma in a pressure cooker.
4. add 3.5 to 4 cups water and stir. pressure cook the rajma for 18 to 20 whistles or for about 15 to 20 minutes.
5. when the rajma is cooking, you can chop 1 large onion (¾ to 1 cup finely chopped onion), 2 large tomatoes (1 cup finely chopped tomatoes) and make the crushed ginger+garlic+green chili paste. 1 inch ginger, 5 to 6 small garlic cloves or 3 to 4 medium garlic cloves & 1-2 green chilies, crushed to a paste or ground to a paste in a mortar-pestle or small grinder.
6. 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. the rajma beans should be completely cooked. if they are not cooked completely, then pressure cook again adding some water if required for some minutes.
making rajma recipe
7. heat 3 tbsp butter or 2 tbsp butter + 1 tbsp oil in another pot or pan or kadai.
8. add ½ tsp cumin first and let them crackle & get browned.
9. then add onions.
10. stir and saute them.
11. keep on stirring the onions while sauteing them, for uniform cooking and also so that they don’t get burnt. take care not to burn them as this will impart bitter tones in the curry.
12. light browning the onions is also alright.
13. saute the onions till they are caramelized or golden browned.
14. add the ginger-garlic-chili paste.
15. stir and saute for 5-10 seconds on a low flame or till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.
16. add the tomatoes.
17. stir well.
18. saute for 2-3 minutes till the tomatoes become soft.
19. add all the spice powders one by one – ¼ tsp turmeric powder, ½ tsp red chili powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, a pinch of asafoetida/hing and ½ tsp garam masala powder.
20. stir well.
21. saute the whole masala mixture till the fat starts leaving the masala.
22. use a slotted spoon or a strainer and remove the rajma beans and add them to the masala. you can also strain the rajma first and keep it aside. keep the stock also aside.
23. stir and saute for a minute.
making rajma curry
24. take 2 cups from the stock or a mixture of stock+water and add to the rajma.
25. add salt as required.
26. stir the whole curry mixture.
27. simmer without a lid for 10-12 minutes or more till the rajma masala curry thickens slightly. the gravy should not be watery.
28. mash a few rajma beans with the spoon. this helps to thicken the rajma curry.
29. continue to simmer till you get a medium gravy consistency.
30. do stir at intervals when the rajma masala is simmering.
31. the punjabi rajma masala has to thicken and the gravy has be of the right consistency, which is neither too thick nor thin.
32. then add the 1 tsp kasuri methi, crushed and 2 to 3 tbsp cream. stir very well & simmer rajma masala for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
33. switch off the fire.
34. serve rajma masala restaurant style with steamed basmati rice, jeera rice, rotis or jeera paratha or naan or saffron rice. the combo of rajma rice or rajma chawal is quite famous.
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.
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.