RAJma

Rajma Chawal is a comfort food for a Punjabi like how Rasam rice is for a southindian.
A regular punjabi dish is so unlike what we eat in the restaurants. It is nit at all heavy and no not everything has malai, makhan in it. This dish is an authentic punjabi style Rajma that i learnt from my mum-in-law.

Ingredients

2 cups – Rajma

3 nos – Whole red chilly

1 tsp – Jeera

1 Bay leaf

1 no – Onion

1 no – Tomato

2 tbsp – Yogurt

1 tsp – Turmeric

2 tsp – Red chilly powder

1 tsp – Garam masala powder

1 tbsp – Julienned ginger

Salt to taste

1 tsp – Sugar

2 tbsp oil

Julienned Onions and lemons for serving 

Preparation
Soak the rajma overnight and pressure cook it with little salt, half the ginger and red chilly till the cooker lets out 2 whistles. The rajma shouldnt have cooked at this stage.
Finely chop the onions.
Grate the tomato and discard the peel.

Method
In a small fry pan, heat the oil. To this add jeera and let it turn brown. To this add onions and saute till it turns pink. Add grated tomato and yogurt to this and saute for a minute. Add turmeric, red chilly powder and garam masala and saute. Add salt and sugar and cook till the oil seperates. This should take 5 mins. The more you cook this the tastier the rajma gets. Let this mixture cook and thicken and turn into a paste.

Add this paste and ginger to the rajma and pressure cook it again for two whistles. Rajma should have softened completely but not mashed. It should be still holding the shape.
Open the lid of the cooker ones the steam is out and start boiling the rajma. Mash few beans to give the gravy a thicker creamier consistency.

Add a cup of water and boil for 10 to 15 mins till the gravy gets creamier.

Serve it on steamed rice with a dollop of ghee along with Papad and Khatta Oninons with a generous squeeze of lime juice.

 Follow my blog MADaboutkitchen and my Facebook page MADaboutkitchen for regular updates .