
Rajma pulao, an easy one pot dish perfect for quick fixes and lunch box too. I have used Kashmiri rajma, you can use the same recipe with regular rajma too.
I saw this organic Kashmiri rajma in Mustafa. It was smaller in size than the usual rajma and looked really pretty. So got it to make rajma masala. I thought I should try pulao too once and made this few weeks back. It turned out really good in taste. Aj too loved it.

Rajma chawal, usually had as rajma masala and cooked rice is a famous combo. I have posted this combo even in my lunch menu series. But making some variety rice was my idea. First I thought will cook rice separately and make a masala to mix, but that’s not I wanted. Something easy and simple. For Chana pulao, I have just soaked the chana and skipped precooking. but for rajma pulao I was in doubt if rajma would get cooked. So precooked rajma and used in the recipe. It was soft and tasted good.
Rajma pulao recipe
Recipe Cuisine: Indian | Recipe Category: Lunch
Prep Time: Overnight soaking + 10 mins | Cook time:25 mins | Serves:3 | Author: Raks anand
Click here for cup measurements
Rajma pulao, an easy one pot dish perfect for quick fixes and lunch box too. I have used Kashmiri rajma, you can use the same recipe with regular rajma too.
Ingredients
- Red kidney beans/ Rajma – 1/2 cup
- Basmati rice – 1 cup
- Green chilli – 1
- Ginger garlic paste – 1 to 1 & 1/2 tsp (*see notes)
- Onion – 1
- Tomato – 1
- Mint leaves – 12
- Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
- Garam masala powder – 1 tsp
- Kasuri methi – 1/2 tsp
- Lemon juice – 1 tsp
- Salt – As needed
- Ghee / oil – 2 tbsp
- Cinnamon – 1 inch piece
- Clove – 1
- Cardamom – 1
- Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
To temper
Method
- Soak rajma overnight. Next day, drain water, add 1 & 1/2 cups water and pressure cook for 4 whistles in medium flame. Or until cooked soft (rajma should retain its shape)
- In a small pressure cooker, add ghee and temper with the items given under ‘To temper’.
- Add slit green chillies, sliced onion to it. Stir fry for a minute. Add ginger garlic paste. Fry until it is fragrant. (1 minute)
- Add finely chopped tomato, salt, red chilli powder, kasuri methi, masala powder and fry until tomato turns mushy.
- Add cooked rajma, mint leaves. Mix well.
- Pour 1 & 1/2 cups water, add soaked rice (drained from water), lemon juice and required salt. Mix well.Bring to boil.
- Close the lid, give 2 whistles in medium flame. Once pressure is released by itself, fluff the pulao.
Notes
- Since I added fresh crushed ginger garlic, I have mentioned 1 & 1/2 tsp. If you use paste, reduce to 1 tsp.
- 1/2 cup rajma soaked overnight and cooked, will yield more.
- Add more ghee or oil if the rice is too dry after it got cooked.
- You can skip mint leaves.
- You can add biryani masala powder or kitchen king masala powder in place of garam masala powder.
- Choose red cooked rajma over black coloured ones as red ones get cooked easily.
- If you have water reserved from cooking rajma, you can use it while adding water.
Step by step pictures
- Soak rajma overnight. Next day, drain water, add 1 & 1/2 cups water and pressure cook for 4 whistles in medium flame. Or until cooked soft (rajma should retain its shape).
- In a small pressure cooker, add ghee and temper with the items given under ‘To temper’.
- Add slit green chillies, sliced onion to it. Stir fry for a minute. Add ginger garlic paste. Fry until it is fragrant. (1 minute)
- Add finely chopped tomato, salt, red chilli powder, kasuri methi, masala powder and fry until tomato turns mushy.
- Add cooked rajma, mint leaves. Mix well.
- Add 1 & 1/2 cups water, soaked rice (drained from water), lemon juice and required salt. Mix well.Bring to boil.
- Close the lid, give 2 whistles in medium flame. Once pressure is released by itself, fluff the pulao.
Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with papad, raita and pickle. We had with simple onion raita.
Excellent ! Video is amazing .
Thanks a lot 🙂
I have made this many times for my daughter's lunch box..an easy one pot meal to make :)I make the same way except that I add pav bhaji masala in place of garam masala and don't use lemon juice.the clicks are as usual too good Raji..
Hi
I am curious as to what you used for garlic and ginger chopper in the video.
TIA!!
very tasty dish.thanks for sharing its recepie in detain kindly share more recepies thank u
Thanks a lot 🙂
Thank you so much 🙂
Hi Thanuja, I got the garlic press from IKEA. I used the rough part meant to paste ginger in my peeler. It is available in many graters too. If you look closely, there may be a rough part(without holes) in the grater to use in this way.
Thank you 🙂
So easy and Luks so yummy.. gonna try tis today raks��
Thanks for the recipe…I tried it out and the whole family loved it
When should Kasuri methi be added? It is mentioned in the ingredients list
In step 4, I missed mentioning, will edit to add, thanks for asking.
Thanks for the recipe.
Awesome recipe! Curious to know thiygh, doesn't pressure cooking the pulao with Lemon juice make it bitter?
Hi
The recipe looks amazing. But can I make this same dish in a regular pot instead of a pressure cooker. As I can never get the whistles correct in the cooker and instead of a pulav it will turn out to be a kitchdi.
Thanks
Sang
Yes sure you can prepare in open pot. 1:2 rice: water ratio. Boil briskly until the rice is 3/4th done (water almost absorbed) Then simmer for 10-12 mins, cook covered.