Rajma and Chawal. Can anything be easier, tasty, and comforting than this? I love Chole or Chana Masala, too. But there is something about Rajma-Chawal that gives the meal a very homely feeling.
I have been making Rajma for years now. From scratch and from canned kidney beans. Add a few fresh herbs and ingredients, and you have a tasty meal in minutes. Well, making Rajma from scratch takes a little more planning than scooping out the kidney beans from a can. But hey, fresh kidney beans also taste much fresher.
The toughest part of cooking Rajma is to get it right in the pressure cooker. The beans are tough and take a long time to cook even under pressure. Cooking the beans in a pot is definitely not an option, in my book.
Rajma Recipe Ingredients
1 Cup Dry Rajma (Kidney) Beans
4-5 Cloves
4-5 Pepper Corns
1 Medium Bayleaf
1 inch Cinnamon
2-3 Black Cardamom
1 tsp Garam Masala
1 inch Ginger, grated
2 Medium, Ripe Tomatoes
2 Mendium Onions, finely chopped
1/2 Cup Tomato Puree
2 Tbsp Oil
How to Make Rajma
1. Soak Rajma overnight or 8-10 hours in water
2. Drain the water and add fresh water. Enough to completely cover the beans
3. Add the whole spices to the pot and place the pot in a pressure cooker
4. Wait until the pressure cooker reaches the pressure and gives out a whistle. then lower the flame to a minimum and cook the beans for 15 minutes
5. In a wok, Heat the oil and fry the onions on a medium flame, until they are completely cooked
6. Add the Tomatoes and cook until they begin to wilt
7. Add the beans from the pressure cooker to the wok, add the Garam Masala and let it simmer for a few minutes
8. Add the tomato puree and Ginger and let it simmer for a few more minutes
Serve the hot Rajma gravy with steaming white rice, with a spoon of Ghee.
Piping hot Rajma-Chawal reminds me of winter months. And with this comfortable, aromatic dish you would love to watch a riveting movie like JFK.
JFK (1991)
Director: Oliver Stone
Stars: Kevin Costner, Gary Oldman, Jack Lemmon
JFK is a historical thriller that examines the events leading up to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the circumstances and events on the day of the assassination.
Three years after the assassination, a New Orleans DA reopens the investigation on finding inaccuracies in the Warren Commission report.
His investigation leads him to an alternate theory where Oswald is not the only killer. He refutes the single bullet theory and claims that there were more than one killers on that day in Dallas.
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