Rājmā (, , ), also known as rajmah, rāzmā, or lal lobia, is a vegetarian dish, originating from the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...

, consisting of red kidney beans in a thick

gravy Gravy is a sauce made from the juices of meats and vegetables that run naturally during cooking and often thickened with thickeners for added texture. The gravy may be further coloured and flavoured with gravy salt (a mix of salt and caramel food ...

with many Indian whole spices, and is usually served with rice. It is a part of the regular diet in Northern

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

and Punjab province of

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. The dish developed after the red kidney bean was brought to the

from Mexico. Rajma Chawal is kidney beans served with boiled rice.

Regional variants

Rajma is a popular dish in the Northern states of India, as well as in

and

. Some of the best Rajma is said to be grown in the north Indian states of

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; Sanskrit: ''himācāl prādes;'' "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a States and union territories of India, state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen Indian Himalayan ...

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand (, ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2007), is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. The state is bordered by Himachal Pradesh to the n ...

, and the

Jammu Jammu () is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute ...

region of Jammu and Kashmir. ''Rajma Chawal'' served with

chutney A chutney () is a spread typically associated with cuisines of the Indian subcontinent. Chutneys are made in a wide variety of forms, such as a tomato relish, a ground peanut garnish, yogurt, or curd, cucumber, spicy coconut, spicy onion ...

of Anardana (

pomegranate The pomegranate (''Punica granatum'') is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub in the family Lythraceae, subfamily Punica, Punicoideae, that grows between tall. Rich in symbolic and mythological associations in many cultures, it is thought to have o ...

) is a famous dish in Peerah, a town in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir, and Assar/Baggar in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir. Going further, the Rajma of Chinta Valley in Doda district, a short distance from the town of

Bhaderwah Bhaderwah or Bhadarwah (also ''Bhaderwah Valley'') is a town, tehsil, and sub-district in the Doda district of Jammu Division of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir, India. Bhaderwah Valley is famous for its beauty, nature. B ...

of Jammu province are said to be amongst the most popular. These are smaller in size than most Rajma grown in plains and have a slightly sweetish taste. The combination of rajma and rice is generally listed as a top favorite of North Indians and

Nepalis Nepali or Nepalese () are the permanent citizens of Nepal under Nepali nationality law. The term ''Nepali'' strictly refers to ''nationality'', meaning people holding citizenship of Nepal. Conversely, people without Nepalese citizenship but wi ...

. Rajma is prepared with onion, garlic and many spices in India, and it is one of the staple foods in Nepal. Rajma Masala is a popular dish in the Northern states of India, as well as in Pakistan. The traditional way of cooking Rajma Masala is to soak the kidney beans overnight in water, cook them in a pressure cooker and then mix in bhuna masala made with chopped onions, diced

tomatoes The tomato (, ), ''Solanum lycopersicum'', is a plant whose fruit is an edible berry that is eaten as a vegetable. The tomato is a member of the nightshade family that includes tobacco, potato, and chili peppers. It originated from and was d ...

ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of l ...

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...

and a mélange of spices including cumin, coriander, turmeric,

garam masala Garam masala (Hindustani language, Hindustani: ''garam masālā'', ) is a Spice mix, blend of ground spices originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is common in Indian cuisine, Indian, Pakistani cuisine, Pakistani, Nepalese cuisine, Nepale ...

and

chili powder Chili powder (also spelled chile, chilli, or, alternatively, powdered chili) is the dried, pulverized fruit of one or more varieties of chili pepper, sometimes with the addition of other spices (in which case it is also sometimes known as chili p ...

Nutrition

A serving of boiled Rajma beans contains about 140 calories, of protein, of fat and of carbohydrate.

References

{{Authority control Indian cuisine Pakistani cuisine Nepalese cuisine Punjabi cuisine Legume dishes Indian legume dishes Culture of Delhi

Regional variants

Nutrition

See also

References