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At a glance: Rajma — Punjabi Kidney Bean Curry in Ghee: serves 4, cooked in ghee, with no seed oils.
Updated 2 November 2026: we added the safe way to cook dried kidney beans, a short tips list and two new FAQs, and made the cooking times match across the recipe.
Rajma chawal — kidney bean curry with plain white rice — is north India's ultimate comfort food. The pairing is as Indian as dal chawal, as reliable as any dish in the repertoire. Kidney beans slow-cooked in a ghee-based onion and tomato gravy with ginger, garlic, and warming spices until the beans are completely tender and the sauce has thickened around them. The ghee is added twice: once to build the gravy, and again at the end in a finishing pour that rounds the whole dish.
The Slow Cook
Rajma requires either soaking dried kidney beans overnight and then cooking for 1-1.5 hours, or using canned kidney beans and reducing the cooking time to 30 minutes. The slow cook of dried beans produces a creamier, more flavourful result because the starches from the beans thicken the sauce naturally as they cook. Canned beans produce a serviceable quick weeknight version. Both are good; the dried bean version is excellent.
Serves 4 · Prep 10 min · Cook 1 hour (canned) or about 2½ hours (dried)
Ingredients
- 400g canned kidney beans, drained, or 200g dried, soaked and boiled (see step 1)
- 3 tbsp ghee, divided
- 1 large onion, very finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2cm ginger, grated
- 400g canned tomatoes, blended
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- Salt, fresh coriander
Method
- If using dried beans: soak them for at least 5 hours (overnight is easiest), drain and throw away the soaking water, cover with fresh water and boil hard for at least 30 minutes, then simmer until completely tender, about 1 to 1½ hours in total (or 25 minutes at high pressure). Drain, keeping some of the cooking liquid. Never cook dried kidney beans from raw in a slow cooker.
- Heat 2 tbsp ghee over medium heat. Add cumin seeds.
- Add onion. Cook 12 minutes until deep golden — this is the flavour base.
- Add garlic and ginger. Cook 2 minutes.
- Add coriander, cumin, turmeric, chilli powders. Cook 1 minute.
- Add blended tomatoes. Cook 10 minutes until oil separates from masala.
- Add beans and 300ml water (use the bean cooking liquid if you cooked dried beans). Simmer 25 minutes.
- Mash some beans against the pot side to thicken the sauce.
- Finish with garam masala and remaining ghee. Scatter coriander.
- Serve with white basmati rice.
Tips for success
- Take the onion further than you think. Deep golden, not just soft, is what gives rajma its sweet, rounded gravy. Medium heat and patience; ghee will not burn at this temperature the way butter does.
- Wait for the ghee to separate. When it pools at the edges of the masala, the raw tomato taste has cooked out and the spices are fried, not steamed.
- Mash a ladleful of beans. Crushing some beans against the pot thickens the gravy without flour or cream.
- Salt at the end, generously. Beans soak up salt as they sit, so taste again just before serving.
- Make it a day ahead. Rajma thickens and deepens overnight in the fridge; loosen with a splash of water when you reheat.
Why cook the onion for so long?
Golden, deeply caramelised onion is the flavour base of north Indian cooking. Rushing this step produces a weaker sauce. 12 minutes minimum over medium heat.
How do I know when the masala is done?
When the oil visibly separates from the tomato-spice mixture — you can see the ghee rising to the edges. This means the tomato has cooked down enough to stop steaming the spices.
Can I make rajma in a pressure cooker?
Yes — cook soaked dried beans on high pressure for 25 minutes. Release pressure naturally. Then make the gravy and combine.
Why do dried kidney beans need a hard boil?
Raw red kidney beans contain a natural lectin, phytohaemagglutinin, that can cause food poisoning if the beans are undercooked. Soaking for at least five hours, throwing away the soaking water and boiling in fresh water at a full boil breaks it down (source). A gentle simmer or a slow cooker may not get hot enough, which is why step 1 boils them hard first. Canned beans are already cooked.
Why finish rajma with ghee?
The first ghee fries the onion and spices. The spoonful stirred in at the end, with the garam masala, adds a fresh buttery richness and gloss that the long simmer cooks out of the first lot.
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Storage and Reheating
Store refrigerated up to 5 days — deepens overnight. Freeze 3 months. Reheat over low-medium heat with a splash of water to loosen the thickened sauce.
Recipe Variations
- Restaurant Punjabi style — add an extra tablespoon of ghee and 2 tbsp heavy cream in the last 5 minutes for a richer dhaba-style result
- Rajma with spinach — stir 2 large handfuls of baby spinach into the finished rajma, cover, and wilt for 3 minutes
- Fat substitution — ghee is the traditional fat here. Ghee, lard, or grass-fed butter each produce slightly different results.
What to Serve With Rajma
Serve over steamed basmati rice — rajma chawal is one of the most beloved comfort food combinations in North Indian cuisine. Red onion sliced raw, a wedge of lemon, and Indian pickle (achaar) complete the traditional presentation.
What type of kidney beans?
Dark red kidney beans (rajma) for authentic result. Dried beans, soaked and cooked from scratch, give a creamier sauce than canned because the cooking liquid becomes part of it. Boil them hard first, as in step 1.
Why does my rajma taste flat?
Undercooked masala (give it at least 10 minutes, often longer, until the ghee separates) or insufficient salt. Taste and adjust aggressively at the end.
Can I use canned beans?
Yes. Drain, rinse and simmer for the 25 minutes in the method. The flavour is less complex but still very good.
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