This kidney bean coconut curry also known as rajma chawal is healthy nutritious comfort food in a bowl. Spiced with delicate Indian spices, rich coconut cream this is made with canned or pre-cooked or frozen kidney beans in less than 15 minutes.
If you've been to a north Indian restaurant then this is often one of the dishes on the menu. 'Rajma' meals kidney bean and 'chawal' means rice. A north Indian classic dish called rajma chawal. Very delicious, creamy, hearty, and wholesome.
If you ever get invited to dinner by a north Indian, they probably make rajma as one of the dishes. That's how popular and proud they are about this dish.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Kidney bean - You can use canned kidney bean. I used dried kidney beans soaked overnight then boiled in the morning.
Tip- add 2 tea bags to the beans when cooking them. I do believe they cook faster and add a deeper color to the beans. My mom did it so I do it. - Coconut Cream - cream or milk both work for this curry. Canned coconut becomes easy to have on hand. The thickness of the curry will depend on the coconut cream or milk you use.
- Curry Powder - This is a blend of Indian spices like cumin, coriander, turmeric, and paprika. It is readily available in most supermarkets these days. They come as spicy, mild, or not spicy. Choose one that works for you. I make my own homemade curry powder which is very easy. If you like making homemade spice mixes then you probably already have some of these in your pantry.
- Paprika - I love adding smoked sweet paprika in addition to curry powder because I love when a curry has a deep rich color that says come eat me. If you like spicy food go ahead and switch the sweet paprika to hot paprika or try cayenne for a more spicy curry.
- Fresh herbs - Cilantro or parsley is a must have in all curries - these are not only used as a garnish but also as flavor.
Step by step instructions (pin)
- In a skillet over medium heat saute chopped onions in oil until translucent - about 3 minutes
- Add garlic and ginger - cook a minute more.
- Then add curry powder, paprika, and tomatoes - combine well on medium-low heat
- Add a splash of water (3 tbsp) to cook the spices until fragrant - about 3 minutes.
- Then add the kidney bean. Followed by the coconut cream.
- Season with salt and pepper - stir well to combine
- Let come to a boil and simmer for two minutes more.
- Add cilantro and lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning
- Serve over steamed white rice or some crusty bread.
- Enjoy!
What do you serve with this curry?
Traditionally this dish is always served with steamed white rice as you can see in the pictures below. This curry also goes well with any Indian bread, such as chapati or naan. Our family's favorite is garlic butter naan or vegetable pilaf. And when I'm looking for a low carb option, I eat cauliflower rice. Since the no-fuss cauliflower rice works great for me in place of steamed rice. My kids also love the turmeric cauliflower rice or my mustard dill cauliflower rice.
Frequently asked questions
This beans curry will keep in the fridge for 4 to 5 days in the fridge.
Yes, you can freeze this beans curry for up to a month. If you want to keep it longer do not add the coconut cream/milk. The shelf life without coconut milk will be up to 3 months
This is a very basic and yet very versatile recipe that would work beautifully with most soaked and boiled beans such as black beans, black-eyed beans, yellow lentils, red lentils.
Try my kidney beans coconut curry or yellow lentil soup
Yes, you can. Perhaps you want to try my other black bean curry without any coconut milk and use kidney beans instead.
Yes, you can. You will need about 1 ½ cup dried kidney beans for this recipe
Soak the beans in water for 4 to 6 hours until hydrated then cook them using one of the methods I have listed above in this post. Once cooked you can proceed with this recipe.
Yes. You can use 1 - 16 oz can or 2 cups of kidney beans for this recipe
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Kidney Bean Coconut Curry
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Ingredients
- 14 oz (396 g) Kidney Bean (1 can or 2 cups)
- 1 cup Onion (1 large finely chopped)
- 1 tbsp Garlic finely minced
- 1 tbsp Ginger grated
- 1 cup Tomatoes (1 large finely chopped)
- 2 tbsp Cooking Oil
- 3 tbsp Curry powder
- 1 tbsp Sweet paprika
- ½ cup (120 ml) Coconut cream
- 2 tbsp Lemon juice
- ½ cup Cilantro or Parsley (finely chopped)
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Pepper
Instructions
- In a skillet over medium heat saute chopped onions in oil until translucent - about 3 minutes
- Add garlic and ginger - cook a minute more.
- Then add curry powder, paprika, and tomatoes - combine well on medium-low heat
- Add a splash of water (3 tbsp) to cook the spices until fragrant - about 3 minutes.
- Then add the kidney bean. Followed by the coconut cream.
- Season with salt and pepper - stir well to combine
- Let come to a boil and simmer for two minutes more.
- Add cilantro and lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning
- Serve over steamed white rice or some crusty bread.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
Sherstin
Does adding peppers, zucchini, or eggplant ruin the integrity of the dish? Would you just add them when you sauté the onions? We are trying to go vegetarian for my husband and I’m hoping to adapt a bunch of your chicken recipes to chickpea, lentil, or black/kidney bean recipes.
Veena Azmanov
Sherstin, you can use this as a base for any vegetable. I make this with chopped eggplant or mixed veggies, sometimes sweet potato, zucchini. My kids love this with a combination of peas and potato. It is a good base for lentils with veggies too!
Yvette
I had vegetables that needed to be used up, so I added eggplant and kale. Delicious! Thank you. 😌
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Yvette. Happy you enjoyed it.
Susan
This recipe was easy, and absolutely delicious! It will be a staple in my life from now on! Thank you
Veena Azmanov
Thank you so much, Susan. Happy to hear that.