Panjabi Rajma (Red kidney beans ) Masala Curry...

Hello friends....
Namaskar....
I am sangeeta Agrawal and welcome you to my blog.
Friends..Rajma (red kidney beans) is a very popular North Indian Dish that is made very often in homes with rice and sometimes with roti | chapati | bread.
Whole beans as.. Chole (kabuli chana) kaala chana,lobia,Rajma..etc are very healthy dishes.They are full of proteins that is necessary for our good health.
One of them is Rajma....Which recipe we are going to make today.

Boiled Rajma (red kidney beans ) are simmered in spicy tomato,ginger and green chili gravy with some whole spices.
We make thick gravy of Rajma when we take it with roties and little thin gravy when we use it with rice.

Today I am sharing the super tasty recipe of Rajma which I follow at my home without onion and garlic...Bt tastes awesome.
Cooking Time...40 minutes..
Enough for 2 people

Ingredients...For Pressure cooking.

1. 1 cup rajma (150 ) gram
2. 3 cups of water
3. 1 table spoon salt or as per taste
4. 1|2 tea spoon haldi....( Termeric ) For better colour
5. 1|4 tea spoon baking soda..Or 2 pinch of soda for making Rajma soft.

Ingredients for Rajma  gravy...

1.2 table spoon ...oil or pure ghee as you like
2. 1|2 tea spoon jeera ( Cumin seeds ) and  2 pinch of heeng ( aesafotida)
3. Whole spices...Bay leaf,5 cloves,1 cinnamon stick,2 black cardamom ,4 green cardamom,1 whole red chili and chakra fool and some javitri .
4. 1 bowl tomato puree with green chili and ginger (4 tomatoes.2 green chili and 1 inch of fresh ginger piece )
5. 1 table spoon coriander ( dry)
6. 1  tea spoon red chili powder
7.1 tea spoon cumin powder
8.1 tea spoon garam masala
9.. Fresh  chopped coriander...
10.1 lemon juice.....Enhances too much taste....Sour and spicy.
No need of termeric powder because we have used it at the boiling time of Rajma for better and tempting colour.

Procedure of making Rajma Curry...

Wash rajma ( red kidney beans ) properly till water comes clear. Soak them in enough water ( because it becomes double in size ) for at least 8 hours or better overnight.

Now discard the soaking water and add rajma to the pressure cooker with 2 cups of  water (2 inch above to the rajma ) and add salt and baking soda in Rajma.

Close the lid and put the weight on. Cook it for 2  whistles on high flame for the proper steam ..Then reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes
Let the pressure go down by itself.Then open the cover and check the Rajma.
If rajmas are soft and some of them are open up...It means cooked.
If not soft then again cook for 5 minutes.

Now heat the oil in a pan or wok on medium heat..Once add jeera and heeng..( aesafotida )..When it starts crackling..Then add whole spices as bay leaf(2) cinnamon stick etc.Saute them 30 seconds by half covering plate from avoiding burning.. Because sometimes whole spices splutters.

Then if you like...Onions and garlic...Then add 2 chopped onions and 4 pieces of garlic   and saute them till they become soft and light brown.

Then add tomato puree...And saute it for a minute.While stirring it add dry spices and salt  for better colour and taste.

Cook till the moisture evaporates and oil or ghee starts to leave the sides of pan.
Mix well and add boiled Rajma along with its water.Mix well and let it simmer for 5 minutes.Check the salt and other spices.

If gravy is thin and watery then let it simmer for few more minutes till goes desired consistency...If gravy is too thick then add some water and bring it to a boil.

Lastly add  garam masala powder,lemon juice and chopped fresh coriander.
Punjabi Rajma masala curry is ready to serve.
Enjoy it with your loved ones..

Note...
Over night soaking of Rajma (red kidney beans ) is better for it reduces the cooking time of Rajma.
But if you forget it.. Don't worry.....
Apply a simple trick for all kinds of whole beans like... Chole,masoor etc.
Just boil the water on the high flame upto bubbles.....Then pour the washed rajmas in the pan and cover it for a 1 hour.
Then cook it in the pressure cooker with salt and baking soda.

Some punjabi people don't use baking soda while boiling rajmas...But it very time taking.

The best method of boiling rajma is that..First cook it for five minutes and off the flame.Then releasing the pressure of cooker by itself. . check and stir it with a  spoon and again cook for 5 minutes in the pressure cooker...It takes less time to cook.

If you are using canned beans...Then no need to soak rajma and pressure cook them.Just rinse under the water and use beans in the recipe.

Thanku Friends...
Thanks again..