Indian & South Asian · Lunch · Dinner
Rajma Chawal (Kidney Bean Curry with Rice)
राजमा चावल
Tender red kidney beans simmered in a spiced onion, tomato and ginger gravy, served over nutty brown basmati rice. A comforting North Indian favourite made with just a spoonful of oil.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 55 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 73% · Fat 14% · Protein 13%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 1 1/2 cups280 gBrown basmati rice
- 3 cups710 gWater (for rice)
- 2 cans (about 3 cups drained)480 gRed kidney beans, canned, drained and rinsed
- 1 tbsp14 gVegetable oil
- 1 tspCumin seeds
- 1 leafBay leaf
- 2 medium220 gOnions, finely chopped
- 4 cloves12 gGarlic, minced
- 1 tbsp6 gFresh ginger, grated
- 15 gGreen chilli, slit
- 3 medium360 gTomatoes, puréed
- 1/2 tspGround turmeric
- 1 tspKashmiri chilli powder
- 2 tspGround coriander
- 1 tspGaram masala
- 1 tsp6 gSalt
- 2 cups475 gWater (for curry)
- 1 tbsp15 gLemon juice
- 1/4 cupFresh coriander leaves, chopped
Steps
- 1
Rinse the rice in cold water until the water runs mostly clear.
- 2
Put the rice and 3 cups of water in a pot, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low for 35 minutes.
- 3
Take the rice off the heat and leave it covered for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
- 4
While the rice cooks, heat the oil in a heavy pan over medium heat and add the cumin seeds and bay leaf until the seeds sizzle, about 30 seconds.
- 5
Add the onions and cook, stirring often, until golden, 8–10 minutes; splash in a little of the curry water if they stick.
- 6
Stir in the garlic, ginger and green chilli and cook for 1 minute.
- 7
Add the turmeric, chilli powder and ground coriander and stir for 30 seconds.
- 8
Pour in the tomato purée and cook until thick and the oil starts to separate, about 8 minutes.
- 9
Add the kidney beans, salt and 2 cups of water and bring to a boil.
- 10
Lower the heat and simmer, partly covered, for 15 minutes.
- 11
Mash a few spoonfuls of beans against the side of the pan to thicken the gravy, then simmer 5 minutes more.
- 12
Stir in the garam masala and lemon juice, remove the bay leaf and taste for salt.
- 13
Scatter with coriander leaves and serve the rajma over the rice.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- Use white basmati rice instead of brown and cut the simmering time to about 15 minutes with roughly 2 1/4 cups of water.
- Swap the canned kidney beans for 1 cup of dried beans soaked overnight and boiled until completely soft (boil hard for at least 10 minutes first), which can be cheaper.
- Use one 14 oz can of crushed tomatoes in place of the fresh puréed tomatoes for easier shopping.
- Replace the Kashmiri chilli powder with 3/4 tsp sweet paprika plus a pinch of cayenne if you can't find it.
Storage
Refrigerate the rajma and rice in separate covered containers within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days, reheating until steaming hot. The rajma freezes well for up to 3 months; cool rice quickly and keep it chilled, and don't reheat it more than once.
Make ahead
The rajma tastes even better made a day ahead; cool it, refrigerate, and reheat with a splash of water, adding fresh coriander just before serving. Rice can be cooked a day ahead and chilled promptly.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
No major allergens in the ingredients.
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (650 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 487 kcal | 75 kcal |
| Protein | 17 g | 2.6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 90.4 g | 13.9 g |
| of which sugars | 5.5 g | 0.8 g |
| Fiber | 12.9 g | 2 g |
| Fat | 7.5 g | 1.2 g |
| of which saturated | 1.2 g | 0.2 g |
| Sodium | 857 mg | 132 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
