What Makes Rajma Recipe So Popular?

Rajma is a kidney-shaped bean that is used for making one of the most popular Indian dishes, which is rajma chawal. The dry bean is reddish-brown in colour and carries a strong nut-like flavour and a powder-like texture. The recipe of red kidney beans in a thick gravy is extremely popular in the Indian subcontinent, and is typically enjoyed with rice by both kids and adults alike.

The History

Rajma Recipe | Image Resource : shutterstock.com

The dish of rajma chawal is extremely popular among the vegetarian people of India. It would not be an exaggeration to say that there is no single household in India that does not love rajma chawal on weekends. But you would be surprised to know that the dish so dear to Indians did not actually originate in  the country. They were the Mexicans who first brought red kidney beans into India. Since then, numerous regions of the country like Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Nepal hills are known to grow the best quality of Rajma beans. The Rajma beans that are grown in Jammu province are known to be smaller in size and sweeter in taste, due to which they are more in demand than kidney brands grown in other parts of the country. Today, they have become a part of every North Indian’s regular diet, and taste best when relished with boiled rice.

Rajma Recipe Masala

The best Rajma masala is prepared with a combination of many spices, along with chopped onions, ginger, garlic, and tomatoes. The Punjabi way of cooking Rajma with a Rajma Masala is a very popular style that is loved in many Northern states of India. Fresh spices used for making Rajma include coriander, cumin, and chilli powder. Typically, the Rajma beans need to be soaked in water for 7-8 before cooking. So, many people prefer to leave them soaked overnight and cook them in the morning to enjoy in lunch.  Soaking the beans make them softer, so that cooking them becomes easier and faster. One can also use canned beans, but it is essential to use the right Indian spices and proportions of chopped onion, ginger, garlic, and tomatoes to make the perfect recipe. The dish is garnished with coriander leaves and chopped onions before serving.

The Punjabi style of cooking Rajma is looked upon as an authentic Rajma recipe and is consumed by people in north India with great fervour and enthusiasm. People love to make the dish for their guests, or simply to make their Sunday lunch something special. It can be enjoyed with boiled, steamed or jeera rice, and complemented  with curd, Chaas, or buttermilk. The popular recipe from Northern India is loved by the whole country. It is hard to resist the aroma of freshly made Rajma with ginger-garlic flavours. The recipe is not just delicious, but also nutritious in value. One serving contains about 140 calories, 18 grams of carbohydrate, and about 5 grams of fat and protein.

There is no need to have any side dish, as just enjoying the red kidney bean curry with rice is enough to treat the taste buds. It is a complete dish in itself, and thus there is no need to prepare any other recipe or vegetables. Just pour the steaming hot thick gravy with rajma on freshly boiled rice, and you have a complete meal. The dish can be enjoyed at any fancy restaurant or a roadside Dhabha in India too. But the one made in your own kitchen has a flavour of its own.