Kashmiri Rajma
Rajma is a delicious, creamy red bean curry, a treasured comfort food and beloved street food in the Kashmir region of India. Think of it as India's answer to red beans and rice, but richer, more aromatic, and with a color so vibrant it almost glows. After lots of research, we created this version with ingredients you can easily find in the United States.
There is much debate about what makes Kashmiri Rajma different from other rajmas. Some use onions, some don't. Some use curd (yogurt), some don't even use tomato. But to be Kashmiri Rajma, it always uses Kashmiri chili, a bright red chili known for its vibrant color and complex flavor.
The Bean: Speckled Bayo, Grown by the Capaul Family in Sacramento Valley
This kidney-shaped beauty is a rare regional gem, an old favorite in pockets of Coastal California and Louisiana that has been grown by the Capaul family in Northern California since the 1800s. Chris Capaul's family has farmed Sacramento Valley since 1915, and he still has his great-grandfather's original horse-drawn bean cutter. As consolidation swept through American agriculture, Chris held the line, preserving this beloved variety that many customers tell us their grandparents once grew and never thought they'd see again.
The Speckled Bayo cooks up creamy yet holds its shape beautifully, with a flavor that falls somewhere between a kidney bean and a pinto, earthy, full-bodied, and faintly ham-like. Its broth is meaty and hearty, exactly what you want carrying all those warm spices.
A Word on the Kashmiri Chili
It's the Kashmiri chili powder that gives tandoori its signature hue, and it does the same thing here, lending this rajma not just color but also complex flavor with very little heat. We love the Kashmiri chili powder from our good friends at Burlap & Barrel. When an Indian cook tells you Kashmiri chili has no heat, keep in mind that person likely eats things that would melt a spoon. It is mild, but not heatless. The real fire comes from the fresh chili you add, and that part is entirely up to you.
*A Note On Our Recipes:
Every recipe here was developed and tested using farm-fresh beans from Foodocracy and Primary Beans. Older beans, anything past a year in your pantry or beans from other sources may need more coaxing. Give them a soak and add extra cooking time, and they'll get there eventually.
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KASHMIRI RAJMA
Lisa Riznikove
4
Indian
Main Dish
Kashmiri Rajma is a creamy, deeply spiced bean curry and one of the great comfort foods of the Kashmir region. We make ours with the rare Speckled Bayo from the Capaul family farm in Sacramento Valley.
Ingredients
- 4-6 cups water
1 Caribbean bay leaf
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 cup onion; diced
- 1 diced fresh chili (this is the heat of the dish depending on the chili you choose)
- 1 cup crushed tomatoes
- ⅓ cup cilantro leaves, large stems removed
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
½ teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoon plain yogurt
- 3 tablespoons oil
Directions
Cook the beans in water with a teaspoon of salt and one Caribbean bay leaf. You can soak them overnight and cook on the stovetop until soft and silky (approximately an hour) or you could cook them in a pressure cooker for 25 minutes from dry with Caribbean bay leaf, salt, and enough water to cover the beans by an inch. Let the pressure release naturally.
- Put the tomato and cilantro in a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.
- In a separate thick bottom pot, melt the ghee or oil until a cumin seed sizzles when dropped in. Add the cumin seed and toast for 30 seconds.
- Add the chopped onion and chili pepper and saute until translucent. 2-3 minutes.
- Add the tomato puree, ginger, garam masala, Kashmiri red chili powder, cumin powder, turmeric, and salt. Saute for 3-4 minutes until well combined.
- With a slotted spoon add a cup of the beans to the tomato curry. Using an immersion blender, blend the mixture until you have a mostly smooth sauce.
- In a small bowl add a couple of tablespoons of the bean curry mixture to the yogurt and mix well. Slowly add a few more tablespoons of the bean mixture, stirring constantly. Then add the yogurt back into the pot and stir to combine. This is to keep the yogurt from curdling when it hits the heat and acid in the tomato mixture.
- Add the beans with their cooking liquid to the pot and turn up the heat to high. Boil the Rajma for 5-10 minutes until it reaches your desired consistency. Taste and adjust salt and spice levels. If it's too spicy serve with yogurt.
- Serve this with basmati rice, chopped cilantro, yogurt, and chopped chilis. We served ours with Indra's Rice. Her incredible basmati rice recipe with deeply caramelized onions and cumin seed is highly recommended.