Rajma Chawal

Name: Rajma Chawal
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 2 cans kidney beans (15 oz cans); 1.5 cups basmati rice, uncooked, rinsed; 1 onion, diced; 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste; 3 tbsp tomato paste; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 1/2 tsp turmeric powder; 1/2 tsp red chili powder; 1/2 tsp coriander powder; to taste salt; 4.5 cups water; 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped; 1/4 tsp garam masala powder

Creamy kidney bean curry paired with fluffy basmati rice, a beloved North Indian comfort meal. Mild, warming, and deeply satisfying.

60 minEasyServes 4420 cal/serving

IndianDinnerStovetopVegetarian

Cook this free in the appFree. No download, no account. The screen stays awake and each step can run its own timer.

Ingredients

2 cans kidney beans (15 oz cans)
1.5 cups basmati rice, uncooked, rinsed
1 onion, diced
2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
3 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
to taste salt
4.5 cups water
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 tsp garam masala powder

Instructions

1

Rinse 1.5 cups basmati rice, uncooked until water runs clear.
2

Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add 1 tsp cumin seeds and let it crackle for 30 seconds.
3

Add 1 diced onion and sauté until golden, about 5 minutes.
4

Stir in 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
5

Mix in 3 tbsp tomato paste, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, 1/2 tsp red chili powder, and 1/2 tsp coriander powder. Cook for 2 minutes.
6

Add 2 cans kidney beans (15 oz cans) and stir well.
7

Pour in 4.5 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes until thickened.
8

Season with to taste salt and finish with 1/4 tsp garam masala powder.
9

In a separate pot, bring 4.5 cups water to a boil. Add 1.5 cups rinsed basmati rice, uncooked and cook for 12-15 minutes until tender. Drain any excess water.
10

Serve the kidney beans (15 oz cans) curry over basmati rice, uncooked, garnished with 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro.

Cook this free in the appCooking it now? The app keeps the screen awake and times each step. Free, nothing to install.

Keep this recipe

Prints the ingredients and method only.

The Indian Kitchen 30 recipes from this kitchen in one printable PDF. $5, no account.

Questions

How much time should I plan for Rajma Chawal?

As written, 60 minutes: 15 of prep and 45 of cooking. The longest single stretch is step 7 (25 minutes): "Reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes until thickened."

Do I need to rinse the grain for Rajma Chawal?

Step 1 reads: "Rinse 1.5 cups basmati rice, uncooked until water runs clear." Yes. Step 1 washes off what coats the grain: surface starch on rice, which makes it clump and turn gummy, or the bitter natural coating on quinoa. Rinse until the water runs mostly clear.

Is there a substitute for garam masala in Rajma Chawal?

The entry for Rajma Chawal calls for 1/4 tsp garam masala powder. In its place: Mix two parts each of ground cumin and coriander with one part each of black pepper, cinnamon and cardamom. Curry powder is a different blend but works in a pinch.

Can I use dried beans instead of canned in Rajma Chawal?

Yes. One 15-ounce can is about one and a half cups of cooked beans, which comes from a generous half cup dried. Soak them overnight and simmer until tender before you start the recipe. As written, the entry for Rajma Chawal uses 2 cans kidney beans (15 oz cans).

Can I make Rajma Chawal less spicy?

Yes. The heat in Rajma Chawal comes from 1/2 tsp red chili powder. For a milder plate, halve the chili powder; nothing else in the method changes.

Serve it with

Cook this free in the app

Textual Chef is 4,544 plain-text recipes, free to read and free to cook from. No account, no paywall, no ads, no life stories. Open this one in the app and each quantity sits inside the step that uses it, so you read once and cook.

Every recipe is curated or public-domain sourced, written to one template and checked before it publishes. Nothing here is a scraped blog post.

Cook this free in the appNo download needed. It opens in your browser. The kitchen tools (planner, shopping list, pantry, import) are $5.33 a month billed annually; the first 30 days are free.