Ingredients 


¼ to ½ tsp red chili powder or lal mirch powder
¼ tsp turmeric powder or haldi powder
a pinch of asafoetida or hing (optional)
¼ tsp to ½ tsp garam masala powder
3-4 medium garlic + 1 inch ginger + 1 to 2 green chilies - crushed to a paste in a mortar-pestle, about 1 tbsp ginger-garlic-green chili paste.
1 tsp coriander powder or dhania powder
3.5 to 4 cups water for pressure cooking
1.5 to 2 cups of rajma stock (the water which is used to cook the rajma) or plain water for the gravy or curry
salt as required
1 cup rajma or kidney beans (any variety)
1 large onion or pyaaz or 150 grams onion, about ¾ to 1 cup finely chopped onions
3 medium or 2 large tomatoes or tamatar, 250 grams or 1 cup finely chopped tomatoes
½ tsp cumin seeds or jeera
1 tsp kasuri methi or dry fenugreek leaves, crushed
2 tbsp butter + 1 tbsp oil or 3 tbsp butter
2 to 3 tbsp cream



Preparation

Rajma if not soaked for long time takes quite a while to cook. Add a pinch of baking soda (soda bicarbonate) while boiling rajma to reduce the cooking time.
Rajma masala is well known for its dark red colored gravy. While making rajma masala try to use kashmiri red chili powder instead of green chilies to give red color. This should make rajma masala less spicy. Also avoid using food color.
The hotness of spices is balanced by sweet taste of tomatoes. Try adding more of tomatoes than onion to counter balance the heat and also retain the color of rajma masala. So for 1 part onion use 2 parts tomato / tomato purée.
Reuse the water in which rajmas were soaked for the curry instead of adding normal water in curry. This will make gravy thicker and also retain all nutrients.
You can also use tinned rajma (kidney beans) for this curry to save on cooking time.
If using dry kidney beans try to cook in pressure cooker as it will cut the cooking time to 2-3 folds.
To make thicker gravy, mash some of the rajma beans with back of the spatula / spoon and add it in gravy.