Rajma chawal (kidney bean curry with rice)
Kidney beans simmered in a deeply spiced onion and tomato gravy and spooned over fluffy basmati, the Punjabi comfort dinner that tastes like it cooked all day.
- 55 min total
- 30 min hands-on
- A little more hands-on
- Serves 4
- About $1.54 a serving
- 570 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1½ cups crushed tomatoes
- 2 cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1½ cups basmati rice, rinsed
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped (optional)
- ½ cup plain yogurt (optional)
From your pantry
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp salt, divided
- 4¼ cups water, divided
Each serving has about 570 calories, 19 g protein, 98 g carbs and 12 g fat, and costs about $1.54 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No crushed tomatoes? Diced tomatoes work.
- No kidney beans? Pinto beans or black beans work.
- No basmati rice? Jasmine rice or long-grain white rice works.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
- No plain yogurt? Plain Greek yogurt works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, 8 to 10 minutes, until .
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Medium heatTimer: 9 min
Dolly’s tip: Golden onion is where the depth comes from, so give it the full time.Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute.
Medium heat
Add the cumin, coriander, turmeric, paprika and cayenne and stir 30 seconds, .
Fragrant. Fragrant means cooking until you can clearly smell it, usually garlic or spices, often in about 30 seconds. That’s the moment the flavor is ready, just before it can burn.
How you’ll know: You can smell it from a step back, and garlic is pale gold, not brown.
Medium heat
Dolly’s tip: If the spices start to stick, add a tablespoon of water and keep stirring.Add the tomatoes and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, 6 to 8 minutes, until thick and little pools of oil appear at the edges.
Medium heatTimer: 7 min
Dolly’s tip: Those pools of oil are how you know the masala is cooked and won’t taste raw.Add the beans and 1½ cups water and .
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Cover, turn the heat to low and 20 minutes.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Low heatTimer: 20 min
Meanwhile, put the rice, 2¾ cups water and 1 teaspoon salt in a and over high heat.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Stir once, cover, and cook on low for 15 minutes. Take it off the heat and leave the lid on for 5 minutes.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
Mash a spoonful of beans against the side of the curry pot to the gravy, stir in the garam masala, and taste for salt.
Thicken. Thickening means cooking a sauce or soup until it’s less runny, by simmering it down or adding something like cornstarch. A thicker sauce clings to food instead of pooling on the plate.
How you’ll know: It coats the back of a spoon, and a line drawn through it with your finger holds its shape.
Fluff the rice and serve the rajma over it with cilantro and a spoonful of yogurt.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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