Rajma Masala / Kidney Beans Curry / Chili

Keep your heart healthy and satisfy your taste buds with this vegan / vegetarian recipe of Rajma masala aka kidney Beans Curry aka Chili. This Kidney Bean recipe is called Rajma Masala in India, Kidney Beans Curry or Chili in rest of the world. This Curry recipe can be eaten as a bowl of Chili made out of kidney beans or as a soup or as a curry with the side of salad, flat bread, and rice. Keep yourself healthy and add this recipe in your everyday meal.

What are Kidney Beans / Rajma ?

Kidney Beans also known as Rajma are very nutritious and high source of protein. They are part of legume family and come in light red and dark red variety. According to Webmd.com, “European explorers first discovered these beans and helped spread them around the world.” Kidney beans are commonly eaten in South East Asia, South and Central America, and the Caribbean.

Health Benefits and Nutrition Facts

• Kidney Beans (Rajma) are one of the healthiest beans. They are very high source of protein. One cup of cooked kidney beans has about 14 grams of protein.
• Kidney beans are counted as both protein source and vegetables because of their high protein and fiber content. One cup of kidney beans contains about 14 grams of fiber. High amount of fiber satisfies our hunger faster. So these kidney beans if eaten in appropriate amount can help in weight management.
• Kidney beans are considered a good replacement of meat as they help in lowering cholesterol. Hence they play important role in improving health of our heart.
• These beans have low glycemic index compared to other food. So if we eat kidney beans as part of our meal it helps in controlling our blood sugar too.
• Beside protein and fiber, kidney beans (Rajma) are also good source of Iron, manganese, folate, phosphorous, and thiamine (Vitamin B1).

How to Cook Raw Kidney Beans / Rajma in pressure cooker

• Take two cups of raw kidney beans in big vessel (bowl).
• Wash them properly.
• Add double the amount of water.

• Cover the bowl with a lid.

• Put pressure on it.
• Soak these beans overnight or at least (7-8 hours).

• Transfer these soaked beans in the pressure cooker.
• Add another three – four cups of water.
• Add 1 teaspoon of salt.
• Close the pressure cooker and add a whistle to it.
• Turn on the cook top.
• Let the beans cook in the pressure cooker for at least 4 whistles.
• Turn off the cook top.
• Let the steam blow off.
• Open the pressure cooker and check the beans.
• Beans should be soft in texture. In a way that if you press them between your fingers, it breaks easily.
• Once cooked, 2 cups of raw kidney beans turns into about 4 cups of cooked kidney beans.

How to Use Canned kidney Beans for this Recipe

• 2 (16 Oz each) cans of kidney beans = about 3.5 cups of cooked beans.
• For this recipe use 2 or 2.5 cans of kidney beans.
• If you are using canned kidney beans, there is no need to pressure cooking them.
• Once you open the can, transfer the kidney beans to a bowl.
• Drain the liquid from the can.
• I prefer to wash the canned kidney beans with drinking water before adding them to the curry base. But this step is optional.

Ingredients for Rajma Masala / Kidney beans Curry Recipe

• 2 cup of raw kidney beans (cook them in pressure cooker as mentioned above) or about 2 – 2.5 cans of kidney beans
• 2 – 3 minutely chopped tomatoes
• 1 minutely chopped onions
• ½ table spoon of grated ginger or ginger paste
• ½ table spoon of grated garlic or garlic paste
• ½ cups of minced cilantro or coriander leaves
• 1 table spoon of kasoori methi (fenugreek leaves) (optional)
• Water
• Salt to taste
• 2 – 3 teaspoon of special blend of spices / Garam Masala / Punjabi Garam Masala
• ½ lemon or lime
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 – 3 teaspoon of red chili powder
• 2 tea spoon of cumin powder or cumin coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
• 2 – 3 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon of Cinnamon powder
• 2 tablespoon of oil
• 1 tablespoon of ghee (clarified butter) (this is optional)

How to make Garam Masala / Special blend of spices at home

Click the link below to know how to make special blend of spices at home

Special blend of spices / garam masala recipe

Preparation Time – 10 hours

Cooking Time – 30 minutes

This Recipe Serves – 5 – 6 people

Rajma Masala / Kidney beans Curry – Vegan Recipe

• Add about 2 tablespoons of cooking oil to a deep nonstick pan. Let it heat up on a medium heat.
• Add 2 teaspoon of cumin seeds and 2 bay leaves to the hot oil in the pan.
• Let these seeds sizzle until they turn dark brown in color.

• Add chopped onions. Stir the mixture. Let them cook for 7 – 8 minutes, until onion turns light golden in color. Don’t rush this step. Onions should not be raw.

• Once onions are cooked, add chopped tomatoes, grated ginger, and grated garlic. Stir this mixture well. Let this mixture cook well for another 5 minutes.
• Add turmeric, red chili powder, cumin coriander powder (optional), cinnamon powder, and garam masala (special blend of spices) to the onion tomato mixture. Stir the mixture well and cook it for about 2 – 3 minutes.

• Keep stirring the mixture until oil starts separating and everything is mixed and cooked well. Once this step is done our curry base is ready.

• Now transfer the cooked beans from pressure cooker or cans to the curry base in the pan. Stir the mixture well.
• Add salt to taste.
• If you want your curry gravy to be thinner add half cup of water to the mixture in the pan and stir.

• Cook the curry for at least 15 – 20 minute on low or medium flame. Keep stirring.
• Squeeze ½ a lemon or lime to this curry and stir it well.
• Keep cooking until mixture is properly cooked and the curry is not too thin and not too thick.
• Once the curry is ready, you can see the rim of spices and curry around the pan.
• Keep the cooktop on the low flame.
• Add a spoon full of ghee (clarified butter) to the kidney bean curry (Rajma) and stir it well. Skip this step if you are making vegan curry.
• Add chopped Cilantro or Coriander leaves for garnishing.
• Add a pinch of chopped kasoori methi or dried fenugreek leaves to the curry. This step is optional.

• Rajma Masala / Kidney Bean Curry is ready to eat.

• Serve it with flat bread or cooked white rice. Or you can eat it as a soup too. Or eat it as a bowl of Chili.

Click Below to see the Step by Step Video of How to Cook Rajma / Kidney Beans Curry / Chili recipe

Instant Pot Recipe

• Wash and soak the Raw Kidney Beans / Rajma overnight.
• Switch on your instant pot on a sauté option.
• Add about 2 tablespoon of oil, 2 teaspoons of cumin seeds, and 2 bay leaves to the instant pot.
• Let these seeds sizzle until they turn dark brown in color.
• Add chopped onions. Stir the mixture. Let them cook for 7 – 8 minutes, until onion turns light golden in color. Don’t rush this step. Onions should not be raw.
• Once onions are cooked, add chopped tomatoes, grated ginger, and grated garlic. Stir this mixture well. Let this mixture cook well for another 5 minutes.
• Add turmeric, red chili powder, cumin coriander powder (optional), cinnamon powder, and garam masala (special blend of spices) to the onion tomato mixture. Stir the mixture well and cook it for about 2 – 3 minutes.
• Keep stirring the mixture until oil starts separating and everything is mixed and cooked well. Once this step is done our curry base is ready.
• Now transfer the soaked raw beans in the instant pot. Stir the mixture well.
• Add salt to taste.
• Add 4 – 5 cups of water to the mixture in the instant pot and stir.
• Squeeze ½ a lemon or lime to this curry and stir it well.
• Close the instant pot lid.
• Put the whistle on sealing option.
• Switch on the chili option and let the Kidney Beans cook.
• Once the curry is done.
• Let the pressure release naturally.
• Once done open the lid.
• Add a spoon full of ghee (clarified butter) to the kidney bean curry (Rajma) and stir it well. Skip this step if you are making vegan curry.
• Add chopped Cilantro or Coriander leaves for garnishing.
• Add a pinch of chopped kasoori methi or dried fenugreek leaves to the curry. This step is optional.
• Rajma Masala / Kidney Bean Curry is ready to eat.
• Serve it with flat bread or cooked white rice. Or you can eat it as a soup too. Or eat it as a bowl of Chili.

Tips

• Make this curry thinner. Add 2 – 3 cups water extra in the curry. Eat it as a soup.
• To make the curry vegan, do not add ghee (clarified butter) to the curry.
• Garam Masala, Punjabi Garam Masala, Cumin Coriander powder, Cumin seeds, and Kasoori Methi (dried fenugreek) are easily available in Indian store. If you do not have Indian grocery store nearby, you can skip all these ingredients all together and carry on with the above cooking steps.
• If you want to taste your curry / Rajma / Chili to taste authentic use raw Kidney Beans. 
• Curry / Chili made with canned Kidney Beans will taste good too.

Subscribe to Our YouTube Channel for Instant updates and step by step recipes

Find, like, share and Subscribe  FoodRecipes-by-eatwritecreate on YouTube.

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for step by step creative Arts and Craft Tutorials.

Find, like, share and Subscribe  ArtsandCraft-by-eatwritecreate on YouTube.