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Punjabi rajmah
Red kidney beans in a slow-cooked onion and tomato masala
A Punjabi home favourite: red kidney beans pressure cooked until creamy, then simmered in a deep red masala of ground onion, garlic and ginger, tomatoes and yogurt, and partly mashed so the gravy turns thick and velvety. Serve hot with chapaties or boiled rice.
- Total time
- 80 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the paste
For the seasoning
For the tempering
To garnish
Method
0/10 doneStep 1: Drain 10 oz red kidney beans and 1 tbsp bengal gram lentils (chana dal) and pressure cook them with 1 ½ tsp salt and 5 ¼ cups water for 3 whistles.
15 minStep 2: Keep the cooker on a very low heat for 20 minutes more, then take off the heat and let the pressure drop.
20 minStep 3: Grind 2 onions, 8 cloves garlic and 1 in fresh ginger to a paste.
Step 4: Heat 4 tbsp oil in a heavy pan, add 1 bay leaf and 2 cloves, then the onion paste. Sauté until brown.
8 minStep 5: Reduce the heat and stir in ¼ tsp ground turmeric, 2 tsp ground coriander, ¼ tsp amchur (dried mango powder), ½ tsp garam masala and 1 tsp red chilli powder.
Step 6: Add 6 tomatoes and cook until the oil separates.
10 minStep 7: Stir in 4 ½ oz plain yogurt and cook on a low heat until the masala turns red and the oil separates again.
5 minStep 8: Strain the beans, keeping the cooking water. Add the beans to the tomato mixture.
Step 9: Cook on a medium heat for 2–3 minutes, mashing some of the beans now and then to thicken the gravy.
3 minStep 10: Add some of the saved cooking water if the curry is too thick, then take off the heat. Garnish with 2 tbsp fresh coriander and serve hot with chapaties or boiled rice.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 15 g
- Carbs
- 45 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 14 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does punjabi rajmah take?
- About 80 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of bengal gram lentils (chana dal)?
- Yellow split peas, same amount.
- What can I use instead of tomatoes?
- Tinned chopped tomatoes: a 400g tin for about 6 tomatoes (in cooked dishes, not salads).
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