Rajma pulao recipe with step by step photos. This is a fragrant rice pulao or pilaf made with kidney beans, rice, aromatics, herbs and spices. It makes for a filling and heart lunch or dinner. Vegan and gluten-free recipe.
Rajma or kidney beans are a legume that is a good source of protein, fibre and vitamins-minerals. Apart from making the usual sunday Rajma Recipe on weekends, I also make this pulao or this easy Rajma Sundal.
If you like kidney beans, you will like this pulao too. The aroma that will waft in your kitchen when the pressure cooker releases the steam is something you won’t expect from a simple pulao recipe. Try this recipe and you will love it.
When making rajma pulao, make sure that the rajma is cooked well. Usually, rajma or chana are soaked overnight or for 8 to 9 hours so that they take less time to cook.
In the recipe post, I have cooked both kidney beans and rice in a stovetop pressure cooker, but you can also cook them in a pan on the stovetop. Details are given in the notes section of recipe card below. However it will more time to cook them in the pan on the stovetop.
If you have Instant pot then cook the kidney beans in them first adding water as needed and then adapt the recipe with the Instant pot functions.
This delicious rajma pulao goes best with raita. Though a shorba (onion tomato gravy) will also go very well with it. Some more gravies that you can pair can be Mirchi ka Salan or a Veg Kurma. I had made capsicum raita and it complemented the pulao very well.
How to make Rajma Pulao
Soak & Cook Kidney Beans
1. A night before or for 8 to 9 hours, rinse ½ cup rajma a couple of times in fresh water and then soak them in enough water in a bowl.
This recipe will get done quickly and prep time will be reduced if you use canned beans. However I always prefer to use dried beans when making kidney bean recipe. If using canned kidney beans then jump to step 6.
Ensure that you are using the fresh kidney beans and not the aged ones. The rajma should be in their shelf life. The aged rajma beans take a lot of time to cook.
2. The next day, discard the soaked water, then rinse the rajma beans again very well in running water. Drain the water again.
3. Add the rajma to a 2 litre stovetop pressure cooker along with 2 cups of water. You can also add ¼ teaspoon salt if you want.
4. Pressure cook rajma for 15 to 20 whistles or for 12 to 17 minutes. First, I cooked the beans for 15 whistles and found that they were still uncooked from the center. So I pressure cooked for 5 whistles more.
Rajma has to be cooked very well. There should be no rawness or bite in the rajma. Pressure cooking time will vary depending on the quality of the rajma. Fresh kidney beans cook faster than aged beans.
5. When the pressure settles down naturally in the cooker, then only remove the lid. Strain the rajma. Keep aside.
Soak Rice & More Prep
6. Before you keep the rajma for cooking, rinse 1 heaped cup of basmati rice very well in water till the water runs clear of starch. Then soak the rice in enough water for 20 to 30 minutes.
Instead of basmati rice, you can also use any non-sticky variety of long-grained rice or medium-grained rice. Sona masuri rice will also work.
7. After 20 to 30 minutes strain the rice of all the water and keep aside.
8. In a mortar-pestle take 1 inch ginger (roughly chopped), 6 to 7 garlic cloves (roughly chopped) and 1 or 2 green chilies, chopped.
9. Crush to a coarse paste. You can also use a small grinder to make this paste. Keep aside.
Sauté Spices & Onions
10. Just rinse the same stovetop pressure cooker in which the rajma beans were cooked, with water and then keep it again on the stovetop.
Add 3 tablespoons of oil. When the oil becomes hot, lower the heat and add these whole spices:
- 1 small to medium tej patta (Indian bay leaf)
- 3 cloves
- 2 to 3 green cardamoms
- 1 black cardamom
- 1 inch cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
11. Let the spices crackle on low heat.
12. Now add ⅓ cup thinly sliced onions.
13. On a low to medium heat, begin sauteing the onions stirring them often.
14. Sauté the onions till they start to become golden.
15. Now add the crushed ginger+garlic+green chilli paste along with ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves.
16. Stir and saute on low heat till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away. This takes a few seconds.
Make Rajma Pulao
17. Add the cooked rajma beans.
18. Next add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon red chili powder and ½ teaspoon coriander powder. Stir and mix well.
19. Add the soaked rice.
20. Season with salt as required.
21. Gently stir and mix the rice and salt with the rest of the ingredients.
22. Now add 2 cups of water. You can add 1.75 cups to 2 cups of water. Do add water depending on the quality of basmati rice. Stir and mix very well. Check the taste of the water and it should taste a bit salty.
23. Lastly add ½ teaspoon lemon juice and stir again.
24. Cover and pressure cook pulao on a medium to high heat for 2 to 3 whistles or 8 to 9 minutes. When the pressure comes down on its own, then only open the lid and gently fluff the pulao.
25. Serve rajma pulao hot or warm garnished with some chopped coriander leaves with your favorite raita or salad or mango pickle. I served it with capsicum raita.
Few more pulao varieties for you !
If you’ve tried this recipe, please rate it in the recipe card or leave a comment below – I’d love to hear your feedback. For more vegetarian inspiration, sign up for my email updates or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or X.
Rajma Pulao (Kidney Beans Pilaf)
Ingredients
for cooking rajma
- ½ cup rajma (kidney beans) or 90 to 100 grams rajma
- 2 cups water for pressure cooking
- ¼ teaspoon salt (optional)
whole spices
- 1 small to medium tej patta (indian bay leaf)
- 3 cloves
- 2 to 3 green cardamoms
- 1 black cardamom
- 1 inch cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds – shah jeera also can be added instead of cumin seeds
to be crushed to a paste
- 1 inch ginger or 8 grams ginger
- 6 to 7 garlic cloves or 7 to 8 grams garlic cloves
- 1 or 2 green chilies, chopped
other ingredients
- 3 tablespoon oil
- 1 medium onion – thinly sliced or ⅓ cup thinly sliced onions or 60 grams onion, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves (cilantro leaves)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
- ½ teaspoon Red Chili Powder
- ½ teaspoon Coriander Powder (ground coriander)
- 1 cup heaped basmati rice or 200 grams basmati rice, soaked in enough water for 30 minutes
- 1.75 to 2 cups water (do add water depending on the quality of basmati rice)
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- salt as required
- 1 to 2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves for garnish (cilantro leaves)
Instructions
Cooking rajma
- A night before or for 8 to 9 hours, rinse ½ cup rajma a couple of times and then soak in water.
- The next day, discard the soaked water. Then rinse the rajma beans again very well in running water. Drain the water again.
- Add the rinsed rajma to a 2 litre stovetop pressure cooker along with 2 cups of water. You can also add ¼ teaspoon salt if you want.
- Pressure cook for 15 to 20 whistles or for 12 to 17 minutes. First I cooked rajma beans for 15 whistles and found that the beans were still uncooked from the center. So I pressure cooked for 5 whistles more.
- Rajma has to be cooked very well. There should be no rawness or bite in the rajma. Pressure cooking time will vary depending on quality of rajma.
- When the pressure settles down on its own in the cooker, then only remove the lid. Strain the rajma. Keep aside.
Soaking rice
- Before you keep the rajma for cooking, rinse 1 heaped cup basmati rice very well in water till the water runs clear of starch.
- Then soak the rice in enough water for 20 to 30 minutes. After 20 to 30 minutes strain the rice of all the water and keep aside.
Preparing ginger+garlic+green chili paste
- In a mortar-pestle take roughly chopped ginger, roughly chopped garlic cloves and chopped green chilies.
- Crush to a coarse paste. You can also use a small grinder to make this paste. Keep aside.
- Thinly slice one medium onion. Also chop coriander leaves and keep aside.
Sautéing spices and onions
- Just rinse the same stovetop pressure cooker in which we cooked rajma beans, with water and then keep again on stove top. Add oil.
- When the oil becomes hot, lower the heat and add these whole spices – tej patta, cloves, green cardamoms, black cardamom, cinnamon and cumin seeds.
- Let the spices crackle.
- Now add thinly sliced onions. On a low to medium heat, begin sauteing the onions. Saute the onions stirring often till they start to become golden.
- Now add the crushed ginger+garlic+green chilli paste along with chopped coriander leaves.
- Stir and saute till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away. This takes a few seconds.
- Add the cooked rajma beans.
- Next add turmeric powder, red chili powder and coriander powder. Stir and mix well.
- Add the soaked rice. Season with salt as required.
- Gently stir and mix the rice and salt with the rest of the ingredients.
Making rajma pulao
- Now add 2 cups water. You can add 1.75 cups to 2 cups of water. Do add water depending on the quality of basmati rice.
- Lastly add lemon juice and stir again.
- Cover and pressure cook the pulao on a medium to high heat for 2 to 3 whistles or 8 to 9 minutes.
- When the pressure comes down on its own, then only open the lid and gently fluff the pulao.
- Garnish with some chopped coriander leaves and serve rajma pulao hot with your favorite raita or salad or pickle.
Notes
- The aged basmati rice will give the best texture and taste. However you can opt to make this recipe with any non-sticky variety of rice.
- Use fresh kidney beans as it is the star ingredient in this dish. The aged kidney beans take a lot of time to cook. So ensure that the kidney beans you are using are in their shelf period.
- Also soak the kidney beans for 8 to 9 hours so that they cook faster.
- This recipe can be scaled to make a big batch.
- If you want to make this rajma pulao in an Instant pot then first cook the rajma in the Instant pot adding water as needed. Then adapt the same recipe with the Instant pot functions.
Take a deep bottomed pan or pot. Add 2.5 to 3 cups of water along with the kidney beans. Cover the pan and on a medium to high flame cook the beans. If required add more hot water. For cooking pulao in a pot
Add 2 cups water. On a low to medium heat, cover and cook till rice is done.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
Rajma Pulao recipe from the blog archives was first published on May 2016.
Mam, all your recepies are just awesome and mouth watering.i always try to check your webpage before starting any spl recepies and all of them come out very well. Thank you soo much for this step by step procedure with picture, it really helps.
thanks a lot padma. glad to know that the recipes turn out good and that the step by step format is of help. welcome and happy cooking.
Your recipes are making me a very good cook.. superrrb dish! I just added tomatoes so as to make it little gravy
Thanks Kalyani. Glad to know this.
Very delicious and mouth watering dish. Loved it so much.
Thanks Hetal
This is quite nice, Dassana. I used about 1.5cups cooked canned rajma, which seems to be the equivalent of what you call for.
Have you ever made a no-onions/garlic version? What would you do?
thnaks A. i have not made a no onion no garlic version of this pulao, but i have made a no onion no garlic version of veg pulao. recipe remains the same, just skip garlic & onion. add a pinch of asafoetida, after the whole spices crackle. then add crushed ginger+green chili paste. saute and then add tomatoes. saute and then add mix veggies or cooked rajma. i would suggest you to use coconut milk in this recipe as it gives good taste. you can add 1 cup coconut milk + 1 cup water. some curry leaves also can go while adding the ginger+green chili paste.
Super awesome, your recipes are making me a very good cook.. Love being showered by compliments!
thanks sheetal for this encouraging feedback on recipes. glad to know this.
Your recipes are making me a very good cook !! Thank you
welcome and thanks sheetal.
ok mam…… Thanku…..
welcome suvidha
so for all pulao and Briyanis recipes ur using the same brand of rice?
suvidha, no. i also use organic 24 natural mantra rice and one locally available basmati rice from dehradon.
Btw it looks delicious. Can I add chopped tomatoes and mint?
riya, yes you can add them. chopped tomatoes should be sauteed well.
Hello mam,
which brand of basmati rice you are using?
suvidha, this is india gate classic brand.
only you could come up with this! I thought I would miss tomatoes..after all wat is rajma without tomatoes.. but when I made tis it was awesome! great variation for the usual Sunday lunch
thankyou raman.
Amazing Recipe , I did a slight variation, instead of using plain water for cooking rice ,i took the water used for boiling rajma..
thanks preeti.
I like it,,, thankz 🙂
welcome