Rajma garnished with coriander and onions
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).
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About Somdatta SahaExplorer- this is what Somdatta likes to call herself. Be it in terms of food, people or places, all she craves for is to know the unknown. A simple aglio olio pasta or daal-chawal and a good movie can make her day.
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FAQs
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.
How to make rajma if not soaked overnight? ›
Let the rajma beans boil rapidly for about 10 minutes. This helps to break down some of the complex sugars that can cause digestive discomfort. After boiling, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Continue simmering the Rajma beans for about 1 to 1.5 hours.
Is it mandatory to soak rajma? ›
Soaking Rajma(kidney beans) overnight before cooking is an age-old practice in every Indian household. And unlike other legumes and lentils kidney beans need almost 7-8 hours to soften up, but do you know why exactly kidney beans are soaked for such a long time and how it effects digestion.
How do you soften rajma when cooking? ›
To easily cook rajma, it is suggested that they must be soaked for as long as possible. Ideally, the soaking period must be 10-12 hours or overnight, as that softens the rajma and helps in getting the perfect texture and flavour.
Why rajma is soaked overnight? ›
Reason 1.
Beans and legumes, especially the dried ones have firm outer coat that often makes it hard to boil. In fact, we have seen unsoaked rajma, chana dal, chole taking up to two hours to cook. On the other hand, soaking legumes softens the outer layer and saves a lot of cooking time.
How do you skip soaking beans overnight? ›
If you can't soak overnight, follow these steps:
- Pick over the beans to remove any things hanging out with them that aren't beans (i.e. pebbles). ...
- Put the rinsed, drained beans in a large pot and cover them with cool water. ...
- Bring the beans and water almost to a boil. ...
- Let the pot sit, covered, for 1 hour.
Place 1 lb.
Add cold water until it's about 2 inches above the top of the beans. It's important for beans to remain submerged in a few inches of water throughout the cooking process so they don't dry out. Cover pot, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and then remove from heat. Let rest 1 hour.
How to cook kidney beans without soaking overnight? ›
Bring cold water to a boil in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over high heat. Add beans and salt, and return to a simmer; cover. Bake beans in the preheated oven until tender, about 1 hour and 10 minutes, checking after 30 minutes to ensure beans are still covered with water. If necessary, add just enough water to cover.
Can you skip soaking kidney beans? ›
But, then I learned something astonishing: You can actually skip soaking beans over night, and actually you should. Not only does it shorten the amount of time until you have ready-to-eat beans, it also produces a more flavorful end result.
What happens if you cook beans without soaking? ›
Modern cooking websites often say it doesn't matter. In a way, they're both right. Soaking beans can help improve the texture of the final product once the beans are cooked and reduce the gas produced when the food is being digested. But it isn't necessary to soak them.
Quick Soak: This is the fastest method. In a large pot, add 6 cups of water for each pound (2 cups) of dry beans. Heat to boiling; boil for 2–3 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and soak for at least 1 hour.
How to enhance the taste of rajma? ›
* Try to find Kashmiri Rajma. These are smaller than the standard Kidney beans and are much better for making Rajma “curry”. * When you boil Rajma, add 2 cloves, couple peppercorns, 1 bay leaf, 1 cinnamon stick and cardamom to the water. This will make the Rajma very aromatic.
How to speed up soaking rajma? ›
To quick-soak dried beans, simply bring a pot of beans and water to a boil and let them sit for an hour. It takes only about 5 minutes of your attention and works for any type of bean.
Is it better to quick-soak beans or overnight? ›
The 10- to 12-hour overnight soak is the easy and always effective method, but you can quick-soak beans by bringing them to the boil for one minute, then covering the pan and letting them sit for one hour. After their soak, you can quickly cook them in a pressure cooker.
How much time before rajma should be soaked? ›
Beans, Rajma, Chole need to be soaked for at least 6-8 hours before cooking.
What happens if you don't soak dried beans overnight? ›
If you're the impatient, bean-hungry type, you can cook your beans from dry without any soaking at all. Here's the thing: Beans that have not been soaked ahead of time will always take longer to cook, but they will, indeed, cook.
Is 5 hours enough to soak rajma? ›
Prepare rajma – soak & pressure cook
Pour fresh water and soak for at least 8 hours and up to 12 hours. Soaking helps to soft cook them well. While you soak them , do not cover the bowl completely.
How to quickly soak rajma? ›
Quick Soak Beans Tip
- Wash and rinse the beans.
- Soak in a pan with fresh water, making sure that the beans are well submerged.
- Bring the beans and the water in the saucepan to a boil.
- Allow them to boil for at least 5 minutes.
- Turn the flame off, cover the sauce pan with a tight lid and allow it to sit for an hour.
