2tablespoonsCilantro or coriander leavesfinely chopped
For Chawal:
1cupBasmati rice
2cupsWater
Saltto taste
Instructions
Preparation (A day before): 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, almost double in size and some beans may have wrinkly skin. Discard the soaking water.
When you start cooking: Wash or rinse the basmati rice using cold water until water is clear and no more cloudy. Soak in enough water for 15-20 minutes.
Roughly chop onion, tomato, ginger, garlic and green chili. Then grind into a smooth puree and keep it ready.
Start making rajma: Heat the oil in a pressure cooker on medium heat. Once hot add cumin seeds and let them sizzle a bit.
Add the prepared onion-tomato puree. As it starts boiling, it may splutter a lot, so you can partially cover it with a lid. And continue cooking until most of the moisture is evaporated and becomes a thick paste.
Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder and salt. Mix well and cook for a minute.
Add drained, soaked kidney beans along with fresh water. Stir well. Cover the cooker with a lid, put the weight on and cook on medium heat for 1 whistle then lower the heat and cook for 15 minutes.
Make chawal while rajma is pressure cooking: Drain the water from soaking rice. Take this rice with fresh water and salt in a saucepan. Turn the heat on medium-high and let it come to a rolling boil.
Once it starts boiling, lower the heat to the lowest possible, cover it with a lid and cook for 17-18 minutes. Then turn off the stove and let it rest for 10 minutes.
Back to the rajma and pressure has released naturally, open the lid and check the kidney beans. If should mash easily. If not cooked, you can again pressure cook it for some more time. Also, check the gravy consistency. If it is too liquidy then let it simmer for few minutes till you get desired consistency. If it is too thick, then add a splash of water and simmer for 2 minutes.
Add amchur and garam masala, mix well.
Add chopped cilantro. Mix well and it is ready.
Now back to rice, it has rested for 10 minutes, open the lid. Fluff up the rice using a fork. Serve rajma chawal piping hot.
Notes
Forgot to soak the beans for rajma chawal? Here’s Quick Soaking Method: Take beans and plenty of water in a pan. Bring the water to a rolling boil. Let it boil for 2-3 minutes. Then turn off the stove and cover tightly with a lid. Let it sit for 1 hour. Voila, after 1 hour your beans are at the same stage where you have after overnight soaking.Using canned kidney beans in rajma chawal: Please use 1 can (15 oz) of kidney beans but skip the soaking step. Also, cook in a pressure cooker just for 1 whistle and do quick pressure release manually.Gravy has a bitter taste? It happens sometimes when you are grinding the raw onions. How to avoid that? Remove the stem and bottom root of the onion completely. If a single piece of root is present. The gravy will be bitter. Been there done that.