This rajma sundal is a South Indian style healthy and nutritious snack. It is also prepared during festivals and offered to god as prasad (naivedyam).
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❤️ About This Rajma Sundal Recipe
For making a rajma sundal recipe (or any sundal variety), one important thing to keep in mind. Never overcook the beans so that they get mushy. They should be cooked and soft yet hold their shape.
Sundals are popular during the Navratri festival in Tamil households that keep the golu and offer this as neivedyam. These sundals are made with different legumes/beans e.g. Chickpea sundal // Kala chana sundal
Since this makes a healthy, light snack, it should not be restricted to Navratri only. You can make it on any day of the year and enjoy.
🧾 Ingredient Notes
Here is the pic of the ingredients you’ll need to make this easy, delicious rajma sundal recipe. Very few south Indian staples are required.
- Rajma (Red kidney beans): I always use dried kidney beans. That I wash and soak overnight. The next day I boil them in a stovetop pressure cooker. But nowadays I boil kidney beans in an instant pot. Alternatively, you can use canned red kidney beans. Just drain the liquid and use beans.
- Green chilies: This is the only ingredient that adds a spicy taste. So adjust accordingly. If making for kids who don’t tolerate heat then skip or reduce.
- Curry leaves: This is a must. It adds a nice aroma as well as flavor. Curry leaves are added two times. 1) A paste is made from curry leaves, ginger and green chili. (2) Curry leaves are added to tempering.
- Coconut: I always keep the packet of frozen grated coconut in my freezer. So I can make chutneys or use them in the curries or stir-fry like this.
👩🍳 How To Make Rajma Sundal? (Pics)
Soaking & Boiling Rajma:
1) Wash the rajma under running cold water until the water runs clear. Or rinse them with tap water 2-3 times or until the water is not cloudy anymore. Soak in enough water for at least 8 hours or overnight. After the soaking time, they get lighter in color, and almost double in size and some beans may have wrinkly skin. Discard the soaking water.
2) Take soaked rajma along with fresh water in the pressure cooker (or instant pot). Drain the cooking water.
Pressure cooker: 1 whistle on High heat then reduce to Low and cook for 10 minutes.
Instant pot: Manual (high pressure) for 8 minutes.
Making Sundal:
1) Take curry leaves, ginger and green chili in a small grinder jar.
2) Coarsely ground them into a paste and keep it ready.
3) Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat. Once hot add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Then add urad dal, saute with stirring constantly until dal is golden brown in color.
4) Add the prepared paste, dry red chili and curry leaves. Saute for 30-40 seconds or until the raw smell of ginger goes away.
5) Add boiled, drained rajma and salt. Mix well and cook for 2 minutes.
6) Add grated coconut, mix and cook for a minute. Turn off the stove.
💭 Tips For Rajma Sundal Recipe
- The cooking liquid (the water drained from boiled kidney beans) is very nutritious. Do not throw it away. Use that in making dal, sambar, rasam. Or use in kneading the roti, paratha dough.
- For a variation, to make rajma chana sundal spicy, add a little red chili powder, coriander powder and very little crushed black pepper. It tastes too good. But traditionally spices are not added.
- Instead of adding a few different spice powders, just add sambar powder or rasam powder. That tastes fantastic.
Check Out Other Kidney beans Recipe
Did you try this rajma sundal recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a review in the comment section below.
📋 Recipe Card
Rajma Sundal Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ inch Ginger
- 1 Green chili
- 5 Curry leaves
- ½ cup Rajma (Red kidney beans)
- 1 ½ cups Water for pressure cooking
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- ½ teaspoon Mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon Urad dal (split, skinless black gram)
- 1 Dried red chilies
- 8-10 Curry leaves
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons Coconut (fresh or frozen) grated
Instructions
- Wash the rajma under running cold water until the water runs clear. Or rinse them with tap water 2-3 times or until the water is not cloudy anymore. Soak in enough water for at least 8 hours or overnight. After the soaking time, they get lighter in color, and almost double in size and some beans may have wrinkly skin. Discard the soaking water.
- Take soaked rajma along with fresh water in the pressure cooker (or instant pot). Drain the cooking water.Pressure cooker: 1 whistle on High heat then reduce to Low and cook for 10 minutes.Instant pot: Manual (high pressure) for 8 minutes.
- To make rajma sundal, take curry leaves, ginger and green chili in a small grinder jar. Coarsely ground them into a paste and keep it ready.
- Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat. Once hot add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Then add urad dal, saute with stirring constantly until dal is golden brown in color.
- Add the prepared paste, dry red chili and curry leaves. Saute for 30-40 seconds or until the raw smell of ginger goes away.
- Add boiled, drained rajma and salt. Mix well and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add grated coconut, mix and cook for a minute. Rajma sundal is ready, turn off the stove.
Notes
- The cooking liquid (the water drained from boiled kidney beans) is very nutritious. Do not throw away. Use that in making dal, sambar, rasam. Or use in kneading the roti, paratha dough.
- For a variation, to make rajma chana sundal spicy, add a little red chili powder, coriander powder and very little crushed black pepper. It tastes too good. But traditionally spices are not added. Instead of adding a few different spice powders, just add sambar powder or rasam powder. That tastes fantastic.
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