This Homemade Punjabi Rajma Masala has an irresistible melt in the mouth texture. Rajma curry is made from red kidney beans, onion, garlic, tomato and aromatic spices. Often served with rice, lovingly known known as rajma chawal, this is a comforting and authentic dish.
- What is Rajma and Punjabi Rajma Masala?
- Cooking the red kidney beans
- Rajma Recipe Ingredients
- Homemade Rajma Masala Powder
- Serving Suggestions
- FAQs
- Other Red Kidney Bean Recipes
Typical Punjabi dishes like Chana Masala , Dal Makhani , Saag Paneer, Dal Fry and Aloo Gobi are much loved and enjoyed in our family. Rajma Masala is one of them.
What is Rajma and Punjabi Rajma Masala?
Basically, kidney beans or red kidney beans are known as “rajma” in Punjab and are an integral part of North Indian cuisine.
The English name for “rajma” is red kidney beans.
These beans are commonly used in making vegetarian curries, chilli con carne, burgers, taco and paratha filling, soups and salads.
Rajma Masala is a homely spicy yet creamy red kidney beans curry which is a popular dish from Northern state Punjab of India. However, you can find this dish across the Indian subcontinent all with slightly different flavours.
This vegan curry made of with boiled red kidney beans, cooked in a spicy onion-tomato gravy, which is prepared with Indian spices and masala.
It is also known as Rajma masala and is comfort food at its finest.
Cooking the red kidney beans
Soak the raw beans in plenty of water overnight. Hot or cold water is fine.
The next day, you need to cook the soaked rajma. Most households will use a pressure cooker.
To pressure cook, you can use a stovetop pressure cooker or Instant Pot.
For Instant Pot Rajma, cook the soaked kidney beans on high pressure for 15 minutes. Allow for natural pressure release.
In a stovetop pressure cooker, cook for 7-8 whistles.
You can also use canned kidney beans but I find that they are not as tender as home cooked. You may have to increase the cooking time of the recipe.
Rajma Recipe Ingredients
Red Kidney Beans are easily available everywhere.
In Indian shops, there are two varieties available, Regular RED KIDNEY BEANS and KASHMIRI RED BEANS (kashmiri rajma). For this recipe get regular ones – red rajma.
Whole Spices – Cloves, Cinnamon, Bay leaves, Green Cardamom and Black Cardamom (optional)
Onion (red or brown), garlic, ginger, green chilli and tomato (fresh, tinned or puree, if using puree water it down if it’s concentrated). I prefer to puree all the ingredients in a food processor to make a thick, silky sauce. Finely chopping leads to a more watery gravy.
Spice powders – Turmeric powder, Red Chilli Powder, Ground cumin powder and coriander powder and Rajma Masala (optional or use normal garam masala powder)
Kasoori Methi (dried fenugreek leaves, kasuri methi) – this ingredient is what gives food restaurant style or take away flavours. Although optional, I highly recommend using it. It is available in any south Indian grocery stores and major supermarkets in the UK.
Optional – rajma masala powder
Garnish – freshly chopped coriander leaves
Homemade Rajma Masala Powder
This powder is optional in making Rajma masala, but it totally enhances the flavour! It is easily available in any Indian grocery shops, but homemade is much fresher and budget friendly.
You will need various whole spices and some powdered spices:
- Whole coriander seeds (Dhana)
- Cumin seeds (Jeera)
- Dry Mango Powder (Amchur)
- Nutmeg (Jaiphal)
- Red Chillies ( Sukhi lal Mirch)
- Bay Leaf (Tej Patta)
- Carom Seeds (Ajwain)
- Black Cardamoms (Badi Elaichi)
- Cloves (Laving)
- Mace (Javentri)
Dry roast all the spices except dry mango powder on low heat.
Once cooled down, grind in a spice grinder to make a fine powder.
Mix with the dry mango powder and store in an airtight container.
How to make Punjabi Rajma Masala Recipe
Clean and soak dried beans for overnight in plenty of water . (If using canned beans skip this step).
Discard the water, add fresh water and boil the rajma in the pressure cooker .
Heat oil in a pan or kadai and add the whole spices
Once they crackle, add the onion, garlic, green chilies and ginger puree. Saute until the mixture turns a golden brown. This masala is also known as bhuna masala.
Add in the tomato puree and keep frying the mixture until you see oil is visible to the surface or sides of the pan.
Now turn the heat low, add all the ground masala except rajma masala
Give it a good mix, if masala gets dry add a few drops of water.
Now add the cooked rajma, mix well and add 3/4 to 1 cup of hot water. You could also use the excess water from the boiled kidney beans. Add salt to taste.
Take a teaspoon of dry kasoori methi in your palms, crush a little in your palms and add to the curry.
Let the beans simmer very gently for 20-22 minutes. You can gently mash a few red kidney beans with the back of the ladle to help the gravy become thicker. Ensure you have enough water in the pan to prevent burning.
Once the gravy has thickened, add homemade rajma masala.
Sprinkle freshly chopped coriander and serve hot.
Serving Suggestions
Rajama masala can be served as a main or side dish. In North India, Rajma is served with rice.
To make it a complete meal, I serve it with round and soft Gujarati rotlis or garlic and coriander naan along with fresh salad or lightly stir-fried vegetables and raita .
Jeera rice is always on the side! Jeera rice uses basmati rice, a type of white rice, which has a wonderful aromatic flavour.
Brown rice or steamed rice is a good alternative.
Kachumber adds crunch and also provides a cooling effect.
Serve a tall glass of mango lassi or sweet lassi on the side.
Storage
Fridge:
Store leftover rajma in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Reheat on the stove on medium heat with a little water to loosen up the gravy.
Freezing:
All the legume and beans based dishes freeze very well and don’t lose their texture, get mushy or fall apart once heated through. Rajma Masala freezes for several weeks, just use freezer safe container and seal tightly to avoid any spillage. When ready to eat, defrost in the microwave for 10-12 minutes or leave in the refrigerator for 12-14 hours or keep it on a worktop at room temperature for 4-6 hours before reheating thoroughly.
Can Rajma Masala be made in advance?
Rajma Masala can be prepared in advance and stored in the fridge (covered) overnight or up to 2 days. To reheat, place the rajma pot on the stove top or microwave, if the sauce is too thick add little water, mix well until heated through.
Sometimes, I make and add extra tadka (tempering) into the rajma when I reheat it, by heating a little oil and cumin seeds, once seeds crackle pour over the rajma. This step brings lots of freshness to the dish and extra flavours.
I would recommend soaking as unsoaked beans take much longer to cook.
According to health experts and our ancestors, any type of beans need soaking as they enhance digestibility and absorb nutrition. Also, they are more filling meaning that you consume less. Cooking unsoaked beans takes more time and energy
I definitely recommend using whole spices as they lend a deeper flavour without adding direct heat to the dish.
You can’t take out spiciness once the dish is done, but there are ways to tone down the spiciness. First add an extra ingredient (here I would add boiled or tinned red kidney beans) to dilute the spiciness, so the taste and dish remain same. If it’s not too spicy, add extra lemon or lime juice and a big handful of freshly chopped coriander. Add tiny chopped potatoes and cook the curry another 5 minutes, they blend so well in any bean curry. Serve the rajma with plain flatbread, plain rice and lots of fresh salad and sweetened yogurt to tone down the heat.
Other Red Kidney Bean Recipes
Red Kidney Bean and Sweet Corn Recipe
Afghan Lubya
Red Kidney Bean and Coconut Curry
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
- YouTube
Rajma Recipe (Punjabi Rajma Masala)
Ingredients
- 250 gram raw red kidney beans Rajma
- 4 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon whole spices cloves, cinnamon, green and black cardamom, dry red chilli, bay leaf
- 1 large onion
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon ginger minced
- 2 green chillies adjust to your spice level
- 5 tablespoon tomato puree
- 1 tablespoon red chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin and coriander
- 1 teaspoon rajma masala or garam masala optional
- 1 teaspoon dry fenugreek leaves kasoori methi
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Clean and soak dried beans for overnight in plenty of water. (If using canned beans skip this step).
- Discard the water, add fresh water and boil the rajma in the pressure cooker.
- Heat oil in a pan or kadai and add the whole spices
- Once they crackle, add the onion, garlic, green chilies and ginger puree. Saute until the mixture turns a golden brown. This masala is also known as bhuna masala.
- Add in the tomato puree and keep frying the mixture until you see oil is visible to the surface or sides of the pan.
- Now turn the heat low, add all the ground masala except rajma masala
- Give it a good mix, if masala gets dry add a few drops of water.
- Now add the cooked rajma, mix well and add 3/4 to 1 cup of hot water. You could also use the excess water from the boiled kidney beans. Add salt to taste.
- Take a teaspoon of dry kasoori methi in your palms, crush a little in your palms and add to the curry.
- Let the beans simmer gently for 15-20 minutes. You can gently mash a few red kidney beans with the back of the ladle to help the gravy become thicker. Ensure you have enough water in the pan to prevent burning.
- Once the gravy has thickened, add rajma masala (optional)
- Sprinkle freshly chopped coriander and serve hot.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Note:- This post was originally posted on 25th April 2019 but I have updated the post since with helpful content. The recipe remains the same.
Rajma Recipe (Punjabi Rajma Masala)
Ingredients
- 250 gram raw red kidney beans Rajma
- 4 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon whole spices cloves, cinnamon, green and black cardamom, dry red chilli, bay leaf
- 1 large onion
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon ginger minced
- 2 green chillies adjust to your spice level
- 5 tablespoon tomato puree
- 1 tablespoon red chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin and coriander
- 1 teaspoon rajma masala or garam masala optional
- 1 teaspoon dry fenugreek leaves kasoori methi
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Clean and soak dried beans for overnight in plenty of water. (If using canned beans skip this step).
- Discard the water, add fresh water and boil the rajma in the pressure cooker.
- Heat oil in a pan or kadai and add the whole spices
- Once they crackle, add the onion, garlic, green chilies and ginger puree. Saute until the mixture turns a golden brown. This masala is also known as bhuna masala.
- Add in the tomato puree and keep frying the mixture until you see oil is visible to the surface or sides of the pan.
- Now turn the heat low, add all the ground masala except rajma masala
- Give it a good mix, if masala gets dry add a few drops of water.
- Now add the cooked rajma, mix well and add 3/4 to 1 cup of hot water. You could also use the excess water from the boiled kidney beans. Add salt to taste.
- Take a teaspoon of dry kasoori methi in your palms, crush a little in your palms and add to the curry.
- Let the beans simmer gently for 15-20 minutes. You can gently mash a few red kidney beans with the back of the ladle to help the gravy become thicker. Ensure you have enough water in the pan to prevent burning.
- Once the gravy has thickened, add rajma masala (optional)
- Sprinkle freshly chopped coriander and serve hot.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
These vegan peanut butter oatmeal cookies are so chewy with an irresistible crunchy edge. They have a delicious peanut butter flavor and are great breakfast cookies. Beware, you can’t stop at one!
- Why you will love this recipe
- Vegan Oatmeal Cookies Ingredients
- Equipment/Tools
- How to make Oat Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Serving Suggestion
- Storage
- Other Vegan Baking Recipes
These are my vegan peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies – phew what a mouth full! They are tasty treats with a perfect balance of sweet and salty and are oozy with melted chocolate chips.
The recipe is made with simple ingredients – oats, flour, peanut butter, choc chips and plant milk. I’ve used oil for fat as it is easier to get hold of than vegan butter and ground linseeds (flax meal) to make a quick flax egg.
They’re the perfect cookies for breakfast or as a delicious snack just like these eggless amaranth cookies , whole wheat oat cookies and nankhatai .
If you love peanut butter flavor, you will also love this 4 ingredient peanut butter mousse .
Why you will love this recipe
Suitable for vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free and egg-free diets.
Made with wholesome ingredients.
Perfect vegan cookies for picnics and potlucks.
You do not need fancy equipment or ingredients for this recipe – simply mix together the wet ingredients then fold in the dry and bake until just done.
Satisfy cookie cravings.
Vegan Oatmeal Cookies Ingredients
Full ingredients with measurements are available in the recipe card below at the end of this post
plain flour – aka all purpose flour, you could also try using whole wheat flour
porridge oats – aka rolled oats or old fashioned oats
vegan dark chocolate chips – alternatively, use milk or white chocolate chips. Instead of choc chips, you could add raisins / mixed fruit or chopped nuts.
smooth peanut butter – you can use regular peanut butter or natural peanut butter (give it a good stir to mix in the oils). For more moist cookies, I prefer creamy peanut butter as the crunchy version adds more texture. Use almond butter or cashew butter as an alternative.
sunflower oil – you can use any other flavourless oil.
plant-based milk – any non-dairy milk works, I’ve gone for oat milk.
granulated sugar
dark brown sugar – or coconut sugar
ground flax seeds powder – to make a flax egg
baking soda
baking powder
Optional flavourings:
Pinch of salt
Few drops of vanilla extract
Pinch of cinnamon powder
To make gluten free oatmeal cookies, use a 1:1 substitution of gluten-free flour and gluten free oats.
Almond flour is an alternative to gluten-free flour but this may mean that the ratio of the wet ingredients in the original recipe needs to change too.
For a refined sugar free alternative, try maple syrup or date syrup instead of the sugar.
Equipment/Tools
- One large mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Spoon or large cookie scoop
- Baking tray
- Parchment paper
- Spatula or wooden spoon
How to make Oat Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Preheat oven to gas mark 4 or 350F.
Line 2-3 baking trays with parchment paper and set aside.
In a small bowl, mix together the ground flax seeds with water to make a flax egg – set aside so that it becomes a jelly like consistency.
In a big bowl whisk together the peanut butter, oil, sugar, flax egg and plant based milk. Beat until smooth. Add any flavourings such as vanilla extract at this stage.
Sieve in the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Fold in the oats and chocolate chips with a spatula.
Using a spoon or ice cream scoop, form cookie dough balls and place on the baking sheet. For best results, keep a generous distance to allow for spread. I did not flatten the cookies.
Bake in the centre of the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until edges just start to go golden brown. They will appear underdone but they will continue to harden as they cool so do not bake them for too long.
Once done remove from the oven. Allow to cool and firm up in the baking tray, then cool completely on a wire rack.
Serving Suggestion
Vegan chocolate chip oatmeal cookies are delicious served with a coconut milk coffee or Starbuck’s style pistachio latte .
I love them with Karak Chai – a type of Middle Eastern and Indian strong tea.
Storage
Allow to cool to room temperature before storing leftover cookies in an airtight container or cookie jar.
If they become hard and overly chewy with time, you can gently warm them in the microwave in 10 second bursts to soften them up a little.
To freeze, place the cookies in a freezer bag and bake again until warm through on Gas Mark 4.
You can also freeze cookie dough ball to bake directly from frozen on Gas Mark 4 whenever you fancy chewy peanut butter oatmeal cookies.
Other Vegan Baking Recipes
Burnt Basque Cheesecake
Oatmeal Waffles (3 ingredients)
Thyme Oatcakes
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
- YouTube
Vegan Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- One large mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Spatula or wooden spoon
- Spoon or large cookie scoop
- Parchment paper
- Baking tray
Ingredients
- 1 cup oats rolled oats
- 1 cup plain flour
- ½ cup chocolate chips dark
- ⅓ cup peanut butter smooth
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup soft brown sugar
- ⅓ cup oat milk or other plant based milk
- ¼ cup oil flavourless
- 2 tablespoon flax seeds ground to a powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat oven to gas mark 4 or 350F.
- Line 2-3 baking trays with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix together the ground flax seeds and 4 tablespoon water to make flax egg.
- In a big bowl whisk together the peanut butter, oil, sugar and plant based milk. Beat until smooth. Add any flavourings such as vanilla extract at this stage.
- Sieve in the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Fold in the oats and chocolate chips with a spatula.
- Using a spoon or ice cream scoop, form cookie dough balls and place on the baking sheet. For best results, keep a generous distance to allow for spread. I did not flatten the cookies.
- Bake in the centre of the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until edges just start to go golden brown. They will appear underdone but they will continue to harden as they cool so do not bake them for too long.
- Once done remove from the oven. Allow to cool and firm up in the baking tray, then cool completely on a wire rack.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Note:- This post was originally posted on 25th March 2019 but I have updated the post since with helpful content. The recipe remains the same.
