Rajma Curry
Dive into the heartwarming flavors of Rajma Curry, a vibrant vegetarian delight featuring hearty red kidney beans simmered to perfection! With a fragrant blend of spices like cumin and garam masala, this dish is not only incredibly simple to whip up but also guaranteed to satisfy your cravings. Serve it over fluffy rice for a comforting meal that will have everyone asking for seconds!
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
4
people
Level
beginner
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(5)
- 1 tsp coriander powder (5 ml)
- 1 tbls garlic paste or 4-6 garlic cloves mincedoptional4-6 minced garlic cloves
- 1/2 tbls ginger paste
- 1 medium onion
- 2-3 tomatoes
🥛Dairy & Eggs(2)
- Garish: pinch of garam masala and knob of butteroptional
- 2-3 tbls yogurt
🧂Spices & Seasonings(6)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper (2.5 ml)
- ½ tsp cumin powder (2.5 ml)
- 1 tsp cumin seeds (5 ml)
- ½ tsp garam masala (2.5 ml)
- Salt to taste
- ¼ turmeric powder
📦Other(2)
- 1 tsp chilli powder (5 ml)
- 1 1/2 tin red kidney bean or about 400g drained (14.1 oz)
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Finely chop an onion and fry some cumin seeds until fragrant.
- 2
Add the chopped onions and cook until golden.
- 3
Chop the tomatoes and add them to the pan.
- 4
Once the onions are golden, add the garlic and ginger, and fry for a bit.
- 5
Turn the heat to low and add the spices.
- 6
Add a splash of water, then add the tomatoes and a bit more water.
- 7
Cover to make the tomatoes mushy and break down into a sauce.
- 8
Add the red kidney beans and mix everything in.
- 9
Add yogurt and mix again, then add about half a cup of water.
- 10
Let it cook on medium heat, adding salt to taste, and cover for about 5 minutes.
- 11
Mash or grind about 20% of the kidney beans to thicken the sauce.
- 12
Add black pepper and garam masala on top, along with a tablespoon of butter.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Soak dried rajma (kidney beans) for a full 8-12 hours in cold water before cooking, as this rehydrates the starch granules and reduces cooking time by nearly 40% while preventing the tough, unevenly-cooked centers common with quick-soaked beans.timing8-12 hours
- ✓Bloom cumin seeds in oil heated to 325-350°F until they sizzle and darken slightly for about 15-20 seconds, since this temperature range extracts fat-soluble aromatic compounds like cuminaldehyde without scorching them into bitterness.technique325-350°F, 15-20 seconds
- ✓Cook the onions low and slow for a full 12-15 minutes until deeply golden-brown, not just translucent, because Maillard browning at this stage builds the sweet, nutty base flavor that curries rely on since there's no long roasting step later.timing12-15 minutes
- ✓Add the ginger-garlic paste only after the onions are golden and fry it for just 60-90 seconds on medium heat, as prolonged high-heat cooking past this point burns the sulfur compounds in garlic and turns them acrid.timing60-90 seconds
- ✓Lower the heat before adding ground spices like turmeric, coriander, and garam masala, and add a tablespoon of water simultaneously to create a slurry, since dry spices scorch within seconds above 300°F and the water buffers the pan temperature while helping bloom fat-soluble flavor compounds.techniquebelow 300°F
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
4
people
Level
beginner
Share this recipe
Rajma Curry
Dive into the heartwarming flavors of Rajma Curry, a vibrant vegetarian delight featuring hearty red kidney beans simmered to perfection! With a fragrant blend of spices like cumin and garam masala, this dish is not only incredibly simple to whip up but also guaranteed to satisfy your cravings. Serve it over fluffy rice for a comforting meal that will have everyone asking for seconds!
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(5)
- 1 tsp coriander powder (5 ml)
- 1 tbls garlic paste or 4-6 garlic cloves mincedoptional4-6 minced garlic cloves
- 1/2 tbls ginger paste
- 1 medium onion
- 2-3 tomatoes
🥛Dairy & Eggs(2)
- Garish: pinch of garam masala and knob of butteroptional
- 2-3 tbls yogurt
🧂Spices & Seasonings(6)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper (2.5 ml)
- ½ tsp cumin powder (2.5 ml)
- 1 tsp cumin seeds (5 ml)
- ½ tsp garam masala (2.5 ml)
- Salt to taste
- ¼ turmeric powder
📦Other(2)
- 1 tsp chilli powder (5 ml)
- 1 1/2 tin red kidney bean or about 400g drained (14.1 oz)
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Finely chop an onion and fry some cumin seeds until fragrant.
- 2
Add the chopped onions and cook until golden.
- 3
Chop the tomatoes and add them to the pan.
- 4
Once the onions are golden, add the garlic and ginger, and fry for a bit.
- 5
Turn the heat to low and add the spices.
- 6
Add a splash of water, then add the tomatoes and a bit more water.
- 7
Cover to make the tomatoes mushy and break down into a sauce.
- 8
Add the red kidney beans and mix everything in.
- 9
Add yogurt and mix again, then add about half a cup of water.
- 10
Let it cook on medium heat, adding salt to taste, and cover for about 5 minutes.
- 11
Mash or grind about 20% of the kidney beans to thicken the sauce.
- 12
Add black pepper and garam masala on top, along with a tablespoon of butter.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Soak dried rajma (kidney beans) for a full 8-12 hours in cold water before cooking, as this rehydrates the starch granules and reduces cooking time by nearly 40% while preventing the tough, unevenly-cooked centers common with quick-soaked beans.timing8-12 hours
- ✓Bloom cumin seeds in oil heated to 325-350°F until they sizzle and darken slightly for about 15-20 seconds, since this temperature range extracts fat-soluble aromatic compounds like cuminaldehyde without scorching them into bitterness.technique325-350°F, 15-20 seconds
- ✓Cook the onions low and slow for a full 12-15 minutes until deeply golden-brown, not just translucent, because Maillard browning at this stage builds the sweet, nutty base flavor that curries rely on since there's no long roasting step later.timing12-15 minutes
- ✓Add the ginger-garlic paste only after the onions are golden and fry it for just 60-90 seconds on medium heat, as prolonged high-heat cooking past this point burns the sulfur compounds in garlic and turns them acrid.timing60-90 seconds
- ✓Lower the heat before adding ground spices like turmeric, coriander, and garam masala, and add a tablespoon of water simultaneously to create a slurry, since dry spices scorch within seconds above 300°F and the water buffers the pan temperature while helping bloom fat-soluble flavor compounds.techniquebelow 300°F