What comes to your mind when we say rajma-chawal? For people from Northern part of India, it defines the ultimate comfort. In fact, it won't be an exaggeration to say that rajma-chawal defines the food culture of the region. Boiled kidney beans, cooked in spicy curry and served with rice and salad - the platter makes for a wholesome meal anytime of the day. That's not all. It is protein, fibre-enriched and fulfilling to the core. Alongside, rajma beans are also low on fat and cholesterol-free making it ideal for people who like to keep their diet clean and healthy.
If you ask us, what we love the most about rajma is its versatility! Besides the quintessential rajma curry, this bean is also used to prepare an extensive range of dishes including kebab, salad and more. Whatever it is, the first step to make any rajma-based recipe is soaking it overnight. Rajma is a hard legume that needs time to boil. This is why, we prefer soaking it in water for six to eight hours or overnight. This helps soften the outer-shell and makes it easy to boil.
But what if we forget soaking rajma beforehand?! Fret not, we have found a perfect solution for this. Celebrity chef Pankaj Bhadouria recently shared a quick hack on how to cook rajma without soaking it overnight. She took to Instagram to share her expert tip and wrote alongside, "Beans, Rajma, Chole need to be soaked for at least 6-8 hours before cooking. Here is a Nuskha to help you cut down the time to just 30 minutes!"
How To Cook Rajma Without Soaking It In Water For 6-8 Hours:
According to Chef Pankaj, all you need to do is, take the rajma in a bowl, add boiling water to it. Make sure the water level is higher than the bed of rajma. Close the lid and leave it for half-an-hour. And you get soft rajma ready to be cooked. You can do the same for other legumes including chole and black gram (kali urad dal).
Take a look at the complete post:
Now that you got the quick tip handy, what are you waiting for? Soak some rajma right away and make a bowl of rajma chawal after 30 minutes. Click here for the classic rajma chawal recipe.
For other rajma-based recipes, click here.