Rajma (राजमा)

December 26, 2011

Rajma (राजमा)

Hello People ! Hope you all had a fantastic Christmas :-)) I too had a great one with gala celebrations and gifts from Secret Santa in my office ;-)

Today's recipe i.e. Rajma (Kidney Beans) is my all time favourite and is a part of my childhood memories. I would like to give the full credit of this recipe to Sarita Aunty who was our next door neighbour in Ratlam. My family and her's used to have so much fun together . Watching the finals of Cricket series , the saga of emotions on Doordarshan and not to forget the lunch time during the lazy afternoons during chilly winter was something which we enjoyed together. She was a hardcore Punjabi and the Rajma Chawal made by her was our all time favourite. I can never forget the smell of the recipe made by her. We left Ratlam many years back but the Rajma Chawal made by her are still a part of those fond & fragrant memories .

Ingredients:

Rajma (Red ones popularly known as the Kashmiri Rajma) -250 gms

2 medium Onions-(finely chopped)

2 Big Tomatoes -(cubed)

Ginger-Garlic paste-2 spoons

Curry leaves (कड़ी पत्ता ) paste - 1 spoon

Oil -2 tblspn

Turmeric Powder -1 teaspoon

Salt & Red Chilli Powder as per taste

Method:

Soak Rajma overnight. Remember to choose the Red Rajma which is popularly known as Kashmiri Rajma and is smaller in size. If you don't get this one. you can choose the light colored variety which is easily available in all grocery shops and malls.
Pressure cook the soaked Rajma for 20-30 minutes .Don't forget to add salt. Make sure that the kidney beans are soft and tender as the taste of the curry also depends on finely cooked beans.Also, do not drain the water from cooked Rajma as this water enhances the taste and gives a thick texture to the curry.
Keep the cooked Rajma aside.

Grind onions & tomatoes to a paste. If you like , you can also keep this paste bit coarse .
Heat oil in a pan. Add turmeric powder and the ginger garlic paste.Saute till brown.
Add curry leaf paste and the onion-tomato paste.
Add chilly powder immediately so that the curry gets a rich red color .

Saute till the mixture leaves the pan . You can easily feel the changed aroma once the mixture is cooked properly.
Add the cooked Rajma and mix well. Taste it a bit before adding salt as we have added salt while cooking the beans as well.
Add water depending on the kind of consistency you want.
Simmer for 15-20 minutes. The more you simmer, the more the spices get into the curry.