Rajma recipe - Punjabi kidney beans in tomato-onion sauce

Rajma

Rajma is a true comfort food in Punjab and the rest of North India. Red kidney beans are slowly simmered in a sauce of onion, tomato, ginger and garlic until they almost melt. With white rice, it is called rajma chawal, a dish that instantly evokes the weekend and the taste of home for many North Indians.

It is mainly a matter of patience. The beans must be completely tender before they go into the sauce, and you mash some of them finely so that the sauce becomes thick and creamy without cream. Always boil dried kidney beans vigorously for ten minutes first, because it is only when boiled thoroughly that a natural substance in the raw bean is destroyed.

At the end, rub kasuri methi, dried fenugreek leaves, finely over the pan for that typical, slightly bitter aroma.