Punjabi Rajma Masala
A Northern Indian favorite, this version of rajma masala is made with no onions and no garlic- making it a Jain vegetarian and Buddhist friendly option.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dried red kidney beans (about 1.5 cups after cooking)
For cashew paste:
- 1/4 cup roasted cashews
- 2 tbsp water (plus more for soaking)
For masala:
- 1 tomato (about 1/3 lb)
- 1 bird's eye (Thai) green chile
- 1 garlic clove (optional!)
- a few cranks of pepper
To assemble rajma:
- 2 tbsp neutral frying oil, such as vegetable or canola
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 green cardamom pods
- 1/2 tsp whole cloves
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tsp lime juice + lime wedges for serving
- salt and pepper, to taste
- cooked white rice, for serving
Instructions
Prep:
- 8-12 hours before you plan to cook, soak kidney beans in water.
- 2 hours before cooking, place cashews in a separate bowl and cover with an inch or so of water.
Cook the kidney beans:
- If you have a pressure cooker or Instant Pot, cook your soaked beans at pressure for 20 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally. If you are cooking beans on the stovetop, allow 2-3 hours for them to soften completely.
Create the masala:
- Roughly chop the tomato. Place in blender along with bird's eye green chile, garlic clove (if using) and pepper. Puree until smooth. Pour into a separate bowl and set aside.
Create the cashew paste:
- Rinse your blender. Drain water from cashews and place them in the blender. Add 2 tbsp water, and puree until smooth. Scrape the sides if necessary.
Assemble rajma:
- Heat neutral oil in a medium frying pan. Add the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods and cloves. Sauté until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.
- Remove and discard the solids, preserving the oil. Add masala mixture to pan. Cook, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes.
- Add cooked kidney beans, turmeric, coriander, chili powder, garam masala and bay leaf. Stir to combine and then add 1 cup of water.
- Cook, partially covered, until soft and the liquid has reduced - about 20 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Stir in lime juice and cashew paste. Season generously with salt and pepper. Serve with white rice, lime wedges and (optional!) flatbread.