"The Rajma" - Indian Spiced Vegetarian Chili

This is my all-time favorite comfort food. Coming from a Tambrahm family, rajma (red kidney bean curry) wasn’t exactly a regular on our table. In fact, my dad would wrinkle his nose and ask, “What kind of dish is called Rajammal?”

So I didn’t actually taste rajma until I was four years old—and the fact that I remember it so vividly says a lot. We were living in Srinagar at the time (yes, that Srinagar in Jammu & Kashmir), which is about as far back as my childhood memories go. Our next-door neighbors were a warm, kind-hearted Punjabi family, and Badi Ma (their grandmother) made the best rajma I’ve ever had. I practically lived in their house, happily devouring all the finger-licking Punjabi food—kaali dal, kadhi, and of course, rajma.

So you could say this Tambrahm girl got her loyalties a little mixed up. Rasam wasn’t really my comfort food—rajma was. And it still is. This is one dish I could eat every single day and never get bored. Well… within reason.

I call this recipe “The Rajma” because it’s the closest I’ve ever come to recreating the flavors of my childhood rajma days. This recipe is a contribution from my sister-in-law Mathangi, an Army wife who grew up in Jammu, Delhi, and Pathankot—and who is, without a doubt, a Punjabi at heart. She’s an exceptional cook, and this is just one of her many much-loved recipes.

While rajma may seem like a cliché dish, her method involves slow cooking, which truly brings out the depth of the spices and gives the gravy that unmistakable, finger-licking richness. Pair it with hot rice and a dollop of ghee, and you’ll agree—this is ultimate comfort food, perfect for lazy Sundays.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• Rajma (red kidney beans) – 1 cup
   (I usually use the lighter red, smaller variety known as Jammu rajma. They cook faster and mash beautifully into the gravy, but any variety works.)
• Garlic – 3 small or 2 large cloves, crushed
• Ginger – 1½ inches, grated or crushed
• Red onion – 2 small or medium, roughly chopped
• Tomatoes – 3 small or 2 large, roughly chopped
• Cumin seeds (jeera) – 1 tsp
• Whole coriander seeds (dhaniya) – 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
• Red chili powder – 1 tsp
• Rajma masala – 1 tsp (available at Indian stores)
• Salt – to taste
• Olive oil – 1 tbsp

Method

• Soak the rajma overnight in 2–3 cups water. Alternatively, soak in hot water for 4–6 hours.
• Cook the rajma until soft using a pressure cooker, stovetop, or slow cooker. Set aside the rajma water—you’ll use this later for the gravy.
• Grind the garlic and cumin seeds with a little water into a fine paste.
• Grind the onion and ginger separately into a smooth paste.
• Dry-roast the coriander seeds in a pan without oil. Grind them with the tomatoes into a fine paste.
• Keep all three pastes separate.
• Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a heavy-bottomed vessel. Once hot, add the garlic–jeera paste and sauté for about 2 minutes, until lightly browned and aromatic.

• Add the onion–ginger paste. Cook on low to medium heat for 5–10 minutes, stirring often, until the raw onion smell disappears and the mixture turns a deep golden brown. This step is crucial.

• Add the tomato–coriander paste and sauté for another 10 minutes, until the mixture thickens and oil begins to separate at the edges—this means the base is fully cooked.
• Add salt, turmeric powder, and red chili powder.

• Sauté again for about 5 minutes, allowing the spices to blend and cook thoroughly.
• Drain the cooked rajma (reserve the water) and add the beans to the spice mixture. Mix well so the rajma is evenly coated. Sauté for 2–3 minutes.

• Slowly add the reserved rajma water until you reach your preferred gravy consistency. Keep in mind that rajma thickens as it cooks, so be generous—about 2–3 cups or as needed.

• Bring the curry to a boil, then lower the heat and let it slow cook for 15–20 minutes. You can also transfer it to a slow cooker at this stage and cook on low for 20–30 minutes.
• Add the rajma masala, mix well, and cook for another 5 minutes.
• Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot with steamed rice or jeera rice and a generous dollop of fresh ghee.
• Pure comfort.