Rajma Chawal (Red Beans and Rice)

Rajma Chawal is the Indian version of Red Beans and Rice. We just came back from a trip to New Orleans and had a lovely time, indulging ourselves in fabulous Creole cuisine. I’ll admit though that after a few days of authentic Cajun meals, I did long for a dish with just a little more familiarity. Turns out I didn’t have to look far! Red beans and rice is as strong a representation of Louisiana as they come, but funnily enough, that exact dish with a dash of Indian spices is our homespun and greatly beloved Rajma Chawal (which is the ultimate comfort food for all Punjabis in my household). Now if two ends of the world ended up gravitating towards this simple and flavorful dish, I think that’s a sign that there must be something pretty special about it!

Rajma Chawal (Red Beans and Rice)

Soumya Santhanakrishnan

Rajma Chawal is Punjabi comfort food with a flavorful red beans curry ladled over rice

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Indian

Servings 3 people

Ingredients

  

• 2 Red onions
• 1 Tomato
• 2 cans (14 oz) Dark red kidney beans
• 1 tsp Cumin powder
• 0.5 tsp Chili powder
• 0.5 tsp Coriander powder
• 1 tsp Garam masala
• 1 tsp Ginger paste
• 1 tsp Garlic paste
• 1-1.5 tsp Salt
• 0.5 tsp Sugar
• 2 tbsp Vegetable oil

Instructions

 

• Blend the red onions in a blender to get a ground paste.
• Blend the tomato separately in a blender to get a ground paste.
• Drain the dark red kidney beans and set aside.
• Bring a large pot to high heat. When hot, add the oil and wait for a minute.
• Then bring the pot to medium high heat, and add the cumin seeds.
• When the seeds have browned (this should take 30 seconds), add the ginger and garlic paste. There will be quite a bit of spluttering so be careful and use a pot lid as a shield.
• Sauté the ginger and garlic paste along with the cumin seeds.
• After a minute or so, add the minced red onion paste and bring the pot to high heat again.It will take about 15 mins for this paste to nicely brown. Be patient, and keep stirring. It’s important to give the time for the onion paste to cook well since otherwise, you’ll be left with a distinct smell of raw onions.
• Once the onion paste has cooked well and the raw smell is gone, add the tomato paste.
• Then add the chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala, sugar and 1 tsp salt to begin with and sauté for a minute or two.
• Now add 1 to 1.5 cups water depending on how thick you want the red beans gravy to be and bring it to a boil.
• Then add the red kidney beans and bring the pot to medium heat.
• Let it cook together for about five minutes. Taste and add more salt if needed.

Keyword easyrecipes, indian, meatless, punjabi, tastecooking, tasty, vegan, vegetarian