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Stovetop: Scratch Rajmah, Curried Kidney Beans

May 15, 2025

Stovetop: Scratch Rajmah, Curried Kidney Beans
bowl of Rajmah

RAJMAH.

Utter this one word to someone Indian and simply watch the reaction. Their eyes will light up, and they will tell you how much they love this dish. It screams comfort and home. Why most folks in the West don't know about it - and why you won't see it on an Indian restaurant menu. Red kidney beans cooked until soft and creamy, cloves and woody black cardamom, warming spices, and hot, hot fresh chiles.

This recipe is part of my 'scratch/one cup' series that shows you how to make iconic Indian curries on the stovetop using only 1 cup of product. You know I have recipes for this in the slow cooker and the Instant Pot as well, and love my family-style recipes, but here we get back to basics so that you can cook up a small batch.

I also like seeing how long beans actually take to soak and cook on their own. In this recipe, I gave them 90 minutes to really soften up. Give our dark red kidney beans a try - they are perfect in this curry. Pretty soon, your family will be asking for this dish over and over again, just like my own.

Another iconic recipe you'll want to try is my stovetop/scratch Chana Masala! 

xoxo Anupy

Ground down ginger and garlic
Grind your ginger-garlic ahead of time for a head start.

Rajmah cookbook recipe
Rajmah spice kit
Get everything you need for this recipe with our Rajmah Spice Kit! 

Rajmah and Rice

Stovetop: Scratch Rajmah, Curried Kidney Beans

Makes: 8 cups

Ingredients

  • 1 cup dried red kidney beans, washed, soaked overnight, and drained
  • 8 cups water
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or ghee
  • 1 pinch hing 
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 2 whole cloves
  • 1 black cardamom pod
  • 1 small yellow or red onion, minced
  • 1-inch piece of ginger, pureed
  • 3 cloves garlic, pureed
  • 1-4 Thai chiles, stems removed and thinly sliced, or 1 serrano
  • 1 medium tomato, pureed (no peel)
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted tomato paste
  • 2 teaspoons garam masala
  • 2 teaspoons coriander powder
  • 2 teaspoons amchur powder 
  • 1 teaspoon red chile powder
  • 2 teaspoons salt

Instructions

  1. In a roomy pot, simmer the kidney beans in the 8 cups of water, partially covered, for at least 90 minutes. The kidney beans will soften and start to break down. There is no need to drain - the water will become part of your curry later. Once finished, turn the stove off, cover the pot completely, and let the beans sit to soften even more.
  2. In a separate and small sauté pan, heat the oil or ghee until warm. Add the hing, cumin, turmeric, cloves, and cardamom. Stir and cook for about 40 seconds until the seeds sizzle.
  3. Add the onion. Stir and cook for about 1 ½ minutes until slightly brown.
  4. Add the ginger, garlic, and fresh chiles. Stir and cook for about 1 minute.
  5. Add the pureed tomato and tomato paste. Stir and cook for about 1 minute. The pureed tomato will help deglaze the pan.
  6. Add the garam masala, coriander, amchur powder, red chile, and salt. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
  7. Pour the ingredients from your sauté pan into the pot of kidney beans. Turn the heat on and simmer partially covered for about 20 minutes until all of the ingredients pull together. You should not need to add any more water, but if you do, add it ½ cup at a time. In this curry, the beans should be broken down and almost creamy. Use the back of a spoon to break some of the beans down, but not all, because you also want some texture. Remove and discard the cloves and black cardamom, or leave them in for flavor and eat around them. Garnish with chopped cilantro if you would like and serve with basmati rice, an onion salad, and a side of yogurt or raita. 
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[[ recipeID=recipe-2mapnat1z, title=Stovetop: Scratch Rajmah, Curried Kidney Beans ]]

 

 




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Stovetop: Scratch Rajmah, Curried Kidney Beans

by Anupy Singla, Indian As Apple Pie

Servings: 8 cups

Keywords: kidney beans, rajmah, indian, rajma, spicy

  • Prep Time: 1 hours 30 mins
  • Cook Time: 35 mins
  • Total Time: 2 hours 5 mins

Ingredients

Instructions

Ingredients

  • 1 cup dried red kidney beans, washed, soaked overnight, and drained
  • 8 cups water
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or ghee
  • 1 pinch hing 
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 2 whole cloves
  • 1 black cardamom pod
  • 1 small yellow or red onion, minced
  • 1 (1-inch) piece of ginger, pureed
  • 3 cloves garlic, pureed
  • 1-4 Thai chiles, stems removed and thinly sliced, or 1 serrano
  • 1 medium tomato, pureed (no peel)
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted tomato paste
  • 2 teaspoons garam masala
  • 2 teaspoons coriander powder
  • 2 teaspoons amchur powder
  • 1 teaspoon red chile powder
  • 2 teaspoons salt

Instructions

  1. In a roomy pot, simmer the kidney beans in the 8 cups of water, partially covered, for at least 90 minutes. The kidney beans will soften and start to break down. There is no need to drain - the water will become part of your curry later. Once finished, turn the stove off, cover the pot completely, and let the beans sit to soften even more.
  2. In a separate and small sauté pan, heat the oil or ghee until warm. Add the hing, cumin, turmeric, cloves, and cardamom. Stir and cook for about 40 seconds until the seeds sizzle.
  3. Add the onion. Stir and cook for about 1 ½ minutes until slightly brown.
  4. Add the ginger, garlic, and fresh chiles. Stir and cook for about 1 minute.
  5. Add the pureed tomato and tomato paste. Stir and cook for about 1 minute. The pureed tomato will help deglaze the pan.
  6. Add the garam masala, coriander, amchur powder, red chile, and salt. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
  7. Pour the ingredients from your sauté pan into the pot of kidney beans. Turn the heat on and simmer partially covered for about 20 minutes until all of the ingredients pull together. You should not need to add any more water, but if you do, add it ½ cup at a time. In this curry, the beans should be broken down and almost creamy. Use the back of a spoon to break some of the beans down, but not all, because you also want some texture. Remove and discard the cloves and black cardamom, or leave them in for flavor and eat around them. Garnish with chopped cilantro if you would like and serve with basmati rice, an onion salad, and a side of yogurt or raita. 

Notes

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