Rajma
Local name : राजमा
Kidney beans simmered in a rich, silky sauce of tomato, onion and garam masala, the Sunday comfort dish of Punjab.
Photo : Sayanilive · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 60 min
- Total
- 75 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Method
- Drain the soaked beans and cook them in a large pan of water with the bay leaf for 45 to 60 minutes, until they crush easily. Keep the cooking water. With tinned beans, skip this step.
- Heat the oil in a casserole and sizzle the cumin seeds for 30 seconds.
- Add the onions and brown them over medium heat for 10 minutes, until golden brown.
- Stir in the garlic, ginger and green chilli for 1 minute, then the turmeric, coriander and chilli powder.
- Pour in the tomatoes and salt, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring, until the sauce thickens and the oil beads on the surface.
- Add the beans with 400 ml of their cooking water (or plain water). Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, crushing a few beans against the side to thicken the sauce.
- Finish with the garam masala, check the salt and serve over basmati rice with a little raw onion.
Rajma chawal, beans over rice, is the Sunday lunch of choice across North India. It tastes even better reheated the next day.
