Sambar served with carrots, spicy and mouth-watering Indian dish Carrot sambar Yoghurt kebab served in pita with yoghurt sauce and fresh parsley Yoghurt kebab Spicy Pho served in a bowl, spicy rice noodle soup with fresh coriander and lime slices Spicy pho Smoked BBQ wild boar leg served Smoked BBQ Wild Boar Leg Chocolate and orange cake served Chocolate & orange cake Omurice bowl served with miso soup, omelette and miso soup Omurice bowl with traditional miso soup Freshly baked peach strudel Peach Strudel Momo with curry sauce steamed and served Momos with curry sauce Apple pie ravioli served Apple Pie Ravioli Kibbeh Nayyeh raw meat appetiser Middle Eastern style served Kibbeh nayyeh Chestnut tangsuyuk, crispy chicken with roasted chestnuts and sesame seeds Chestnut tangsuyuk Falukorv stuffed with mustard and onion, served with fresh coriander Baked Falukorv with mustard and onion Risi e Bisi served Risi e bisi Pav Bhaji with classic vegetables, served with fresh coriander and toasted rolls Mumbai street style pav bhaji Boiled sweet potato with chilli, spicy vegetable dish with coriander Boiled Sweet Potato with Chilli and Coriander Kebab in pita served Kebab in pita Freshly baked ciabatta rolls Homemade Italian ciabatta rolls Sacher waffles served Sacher waffles Golden baked cornmeal squares with visible chunks of white feta cheese Cheesy Cornbread (Proja) with Feta Misozuke, with fresh vegetables, in a miso paste marinade Misozuke Sambar served with carrots, spicy and mouth-watering Indian dish Carrot sambar Yoghurt kebab served in pita with yoghurt sauce and fresh parsley Yoghurt kebab Spicy Pho served in a bowl, spicy rice noodle soup with fresh coriander and lime slices Spicy pho Smoked BBQ wild boar leg served Smoked BBQ Wild Boar Leg Chocolate and orange cake served Chocolate & orange cake Omurice bowl served with miso soup, omelette and miso soup Omurice bowl with traditional miso soup Freshly baked peach strudel Peach Strudel Momo with curry sauce steamed and served Momos with curry sauce Apple pie ravioli served Apple Pie Ravioli Kibbeh Nayyeh raw meat appetiser Middle Eastern style served Kibbeh nayyeh Chestnut tangsuyuk, crispy chicken with roasted chestnuts and sesame seeds Chestnut tangsuyuk Falukorv stuffed with mustard and onion, served with fresh coriander Baked Falukorv with mustard and onion Risi e Bisi served Risi e bisi Pav Bhaji with classic vegetables, served with fresh coriander and toasted rolls Mumbai street style pav bhaji Boiled sweet potato with chilli, spicy vegetable dish with coriander Boiled Sweet Potato with Chilli and Coriander Kebab in pita served Kebab in pita Freshly baked ciabatta rolls Homemade Italian ciabatta rolls Sacher waffles served Sacher waffles Golden baked cornmeal squares with visible chunks of white feta cheese Cheesy Cornbread (Proja) with Feta Misozuke, with fresh vegetables, in a miso paste marinade Misozuke
Rajma chawal, Indian red kidney bean curry served with basmati rice in a bowl
Hearty red bean curry paired with fluffy white rice

Rajma Chawal

Author: Flavelo
Recipes Vegetarian & Vegan Main Courses
Rajma Chawal (red beans with rice) is the star of Sunday lunches in North India, especially Punjab state. Although kidney beans arrived in India from the Americas, Indians moulded them in their own image: cooked until tender in a thick, creamy, spicy tomato sauce, completed by the scent of basmati rice. This is a textbook example of comfort food: simple, filling and full of flavour.
🕒 Prep Time 55 mins
🍳 Cook Time 1 hr
⌛ Total Time 1 hr 55 mins
🍽️ Servings 4 servings
🔥 Calories 520 kcal
🌍 Cuisine Indian

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

  • Large saucepan or pressure cooker (for beans)
  • Frying pan for the sauce
  • Saucepan for rice

Allergen Information

⚠️ Milk (if using Ghee)

Instructions

1 ✓

Soak the beans in plenty of water the night before (for at least 8 hours). The next day, drain, place in fresh water and boil until tender (approx. 45-60 minutes, or 20 minutes in a pressure cooker). Do not salt the cooking water!

Tip: Soaking rehydrates the beans so they cook evenly.
2 ✓

Rinse the rice and cook in salted water for 10-12 minutes, then drain.

Tip: Basmati rice is good when grains are separate, not sticky.
3 ✓

Make the base (Masala): Heat oil and sauté chopped onion until golden. Add grated ginger and garlic, fry for 1 minute.

Tip: Thorough browning (caramelisation) of the onion gives the sauce its dark colour and sweet base flavour.
4 ✓

Add diced tomatoes and spices (coriander, cumin, turmeric, chilli, salt). Cook until the tomato breaks down and oil separates at the edge of the sauce.

Tip: 'Oil separating' indicates raw tomato flavour is gone and spices are perfectly roasted.
5 ✓

Pour the cooked beans with some of their cooking liquid into the masala base. Simmer together for 15 minutes.

Tip: Starch in the cooking liquid helps thicken the sauce. You can also crush a ladleful of beans for thickness.
6 ✓

Finally, stir in the garam masala and serve with the rice.

Tip: We only add garam masala at the end to preserve its volatile aromas.

Recipe FAQ

Why did the beans stay hard?
Either the dried beans were old, or you added salt/acid (tomato) to the water before cooking. Acids slow down softening, so always cook beans in unsalted water first.

Ingredients

  • 200 g Dried red kidney beans
  • 200 g Basmati rice
  • 2 heads Onion
  • 2 pc Tomatoes (or tinned)
  • 3 cloves Garlic
  • 1 tbsp Fresh ginger (grated)
  • 2 tbsp Oil or Ghee
  • 1 tsp Ground coriander
  • 1 tsp Ground cumin
  • 0.5 tsp Turmeric
  • 0.5 tsp Chilli powder
  • 1 tsp Garam masala
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 750 ml Water