Rajma Chawal is a popular north Indian dish. Red kidney bean (Rajma in Hindi) is cooked with rice (Chawal in Hindi) and some mild spices. I cook this rajma chawal during family get-together and for lunch box as my family likes less spice in lunch box. I cook rajma and rice separately and then mix them.
Along with rajma chawal, I prepare a raitha and a stir fry to make it a complete meal.
Cooking time: 45 minutes approximately
Ingredients
- Rajma or red bean or kidney bean – 1½ cup
- Basmati or any rice – 2½ cup
- Lemon juice – 1 tea spoon
- Onion – 1 no
- Green chilli – 2 no (adjust as per your taste)
- Salt – as per taste
- For seasoning
- Cloves – 5 no
- Green cardamom – 4 no
- Cinnamon stick – 2 inch long
- Bay leaf – 3 no
- Black pepper corn – ½ tea spoon
- Cumin seeds – ½ tea spoon
- Ghee/butter – 1 table spoon
Method
- Soak rajma for 10 to 12 hours; wash, boil till soft, drain water and keep rajma (It takes around 20 to 25 minutes of pressure cooking time for me. Also, while pressure cooking add little salt and a pinch of turmeric powder).
- Soak rice for 20 minutes, then drain and keep rice; in the mean time chop onion and green chilli.
- In a hot cooker, add ghee and do the seasoning; now add onion, green chilli and fry till onion is golden in colour; then add drained rice and fry for few minutes.
- Add water (for 1 cup of rice I used 1½ cup water), salt, lemon juice and mix well; close and pressure cook (after the steam comes in full pressure put the weight) in low flame for 5 minutes; allow it to cool and then open (or you can cook rice as per your cooker specifications).
- Now add boiled rajma with rice and mix gently.
- Now Rajma Chawal is ready to be served.
- For lunch box, Rajma Chawal can be packed with Oil-free Grilled Taro (Colocasia) and Vellarikkai Pachadi (Cucumber Raitha).
Tips
- Boiling rajma and rice separately is necessary as cooking time for rajma is more than rice.
- Water used for boiling rajma can be used in some other curry/gravy.
I consider the above Rajma Chawal (Rice with Red Beans) with Oil-free Grilled Taro (Colocasia) and Vellarikkai Pachadi (Cucumber Raitha) are suitable for the event “Food for 7 stages of Life – Tiffin Box (35-55 yrs)” hosted by Radhika Vasanth and co-hosted by Sudeshna of Cook like a bong.
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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
i have it separately but mixing it with rice is such a nice idea and looks good as well
its really a healthy rice!
Wat a healthy and nutritious rice…
your recipes are good combination of north n south regions
Nice idea to use beans with rice, instead of making rajma.
Thanks for the tip about the camphor oil for cold. I am hoping you will also share some remedies with us. Do send any remedy you know for the event.
Love the pictures they are so depicting!!!! I simple feel like having a bowl full of your rice!!!
Rajma does not cook for me…any tips…???
tis recipe gave me an idea to prepare various others wit all kinds of sprouts and te same procedure…thnks fr te recipe.
fr te rajma to cook well, u can add a pinch of cooking soda while cooking in te cooker; also, be sure u have soaked it in water for a good 10-12 hours; thn, see hw it s getting cooked.
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