# Rajma (राजमा)
**Rajma** (राजमा) is the Hindi name for kidney beans, the dried seeds of *Phaseolus vulgaris*, and for the thick bean curry of the same name that is a staple comfort food of [North India](https://www.edgepedia.org/north-india), most often served over rice as rajma chawal.[1](https://enam.gov.in/web/docs/221_commodity_list.pdf) • [2](https://food.ndtv.com/ingredient/kidney-beans-701095) The bean is a New World crop that reached India in the 16th century and became central to the cuisine of the Hindi belt.[3](https://www.fudboi.com/blog/rajma-field-guide)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Botanical identity | *Phaseolus vulgaris*, the common bean; English name kidney beans[1](https://enam.gov.in/web/docs/221_commodity_list.pdf) |
| Origin | Domesticated independently in Mesoamerica and the Andes; evidence points to the Oaxaca valley and to southern Bolivia and northern Argentina[4](https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2012.04377.x) |
| Nutrition (per 100 g dry) | 337 Kcal energy, 23 g protein, 61 g carbohydrate, 2 g sugar[5](https://www.ramkishanfoods.com/guides/rajma) |
| Safety rule | Raw kidney beans contain 20,000 to 70,000 hemagglutinating units of the lectin phytohaemagglutinin; fully cooked beans contain 200 to 400[6](https://www.fda.gov/files/food/published/Bad-Bug-Book-2nd-Edition-%28PDF%29.pdf) |
| Safe preparation | FDA guidance: soak at least 5 hours, then boil in fresh water at least 30 minutes; slow cookers are inadequate[7](https://www.fda.gov/food/chemical-contaminants-pesticides/natural-toxins-food) • [6](https://www.fda.gov/files/food/published/Bad-Bug-Book-2nd-Edition-%28PDF%29.pdf) |
| Main varieties in India | Lal (dark red) and chitra (speckled); prized hill types from Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand[3](https://www.fudboi.com/blog/rajma-field-guide) |
| Storage | Dry beans keep up to a year in airtight, dry storage[5](https://www.ramkishanfoods.com/guides/rajma) |
## The bean and its names
The English name kidney bean comes from the seed's shape, elongated, curved, and deep red, resembling a kidney.[8](https://www.organicmandya.com/know-your-food/pulses-and-dals/rajma/) In India the word rajma covers both the bean and the dish made from it, and it does not necessarily describe one exact variety; the term is used across Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Bengali, and Gujarati with the same form.[9](https://www.nishienterprise.com/blogs/learn-more-about-food/what-is-rajma-why-rajma-chawal-is-so-popular) • [5](https://www.ramkishanfoods.com/guides/rajma) Indian trade standards list the commodity as rajma, common name राजमा, English name kidney beans, botanical name *Phaseolus vulgaris*.[1](https://enam.gov.in/web/docs/221_commodity_list.pdf)
## Origin and arrival in India
The common bean was domesticated twice, once in [Mesoamerica](https://www.edgepedia.org/mesoamerica) and once in the Andes, from wild ancestral populations that had already diverged into two partially reproductively isolated gene pools.[4](https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2012.04377.x) Molecular evidence indicates a single domestication event within each gene pool, with the Oaxaca valley in Mesoamerica and southern Bolivia and northern Argentina in South America as the likely origins.[4](https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2012.04377.x) [Chloroplast DNA](https://www.edgepedia.org/chloroplast-dna) studies support these two independent domestications and a founder effect in each region.[10](https://cgspace.cgiar.org/items/9e243f55-a54e-41fc-930f-cbc99fab9cf8) Among Andean market classes, the race Nueva Granada includes the large-seeded light and dark red kidney beans.[11](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0211342)
The bean reached India as a New World transplant, introduced in the 16th century, and became established as a North Indian staple.[12](https://indiancookingguide.com/e-dal-8) • [3](https://www.fudboi.com/blog/rajma-field-guide)
## Varieties and production in India
Rajma is sorted mostly by color, size, and origin. **Lal rajma** is the common large dark-red kidney bean of most rajma chawal, robust and holding its shape. **Chitra rajma** is a spotted, pinkish-mottled type, softer and creamier when cooked and prized for a delicate flavor.[3](https://www.fudboi.com/blog/rajma-field-guide) In Kumaon the two main hill types are chitra rajma, mottled cream and maroon, and a smaller, evenly colored red rajma; Kashmiri rajma is a separate, smaller dark-red variety from the Kashmir valley.[13](https://www.heybhoomi.com/blogs/kumaoni-rajma-chitra-red)
Rajma is a popular but comparatively smaller pulse in India's overall production, grown mainly in the Himalayan hill states of [Jammu and Kashmir](https://www.edgepedia.org/jammu-and-kashmir), Himachal Pradesh, and [Uttarakhand](https://www.edgepedia.org/uttarakhand) and in parts of the plains. The Bhaderwah and Chenab-valley beans of Jammu and Kashmir and the Himachal and Uttarakhand hill rajma are the prized regional types.[3](https://www.fudboi.com/blog/rajma-field-guide) In the plains it is mainly grown as a winter crop in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and [Andhra Pradesh](https://www.edgepedia.org/andhra-pradesh).[14](https://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/server/api/core/bitstreams/0af0a54f-7d9d-4690-bd88-933d132c8ba7/content) Indian breeding programs have released nine rajmash varieties through the national pulses program, and Sher-e-Kashmir University released Shalimar Rajmash-5 in 2024, rated at 16.01 quintals per hectare at 2,200 m above sea level.[15](https://www.icar-iipr.org.in/aicrp-kharif-pulses/) • [16](https://skuastkashmir.ac.in/Varieties.aspx?id=Pulses)
## Nutrition and food pairing
Per 100 g of the dry pulse, rajma provides 337 Kcal of energy, 23 g of protein, 61 g of carbohydrate, and 2 g of sugar; cooking changes these values.[5](https://www.ramkishanfoods.com/guides/rajma) Like all pulses it is an incomplete protein, rich in lysine and short on the sulfur amino acids, which is why rajma chawal works nutritionally: the bean and the rice complete each other's amino acid profile, the same principle as dal-chawal.[3](https://www.fudboi.com/blog/rajma-field-guide) The beans are also a rich source of minerals such as potassium and magnesium, and their dietary fiber helps lower cholesterol levels.[2](https://food.ndtv.com/ingredient/kidney-beans-701095) Soaking, which is required for cooking anyway, reduces phytic acid and improves mineral absorption, and it also helps with the bloating that the bean's fiber can cause.[3](https://www.fudboi.com/blog/rajma-field-guide)
## Safety: phytohaemagglutinin
Raw or undercooked kidney beans contain phytohaemagglutinin (PHA), a lectin that the red kidney bean carries in the highest concentration of any common bean. A raw red kidney bean can contain 20,000 to 70,000 hemagglutinating units (hau), while fully cooked beans contain 200 to 400 hau.[6](https://www.fda.gov/files/food/published/Bad-Bug-Book-2nd-Edition-%28PDF%29.pdf) At high doses PHA causes nausea, severe vomiting, and diarrhea; symptoms appear within about three hours of ingestion and recovery generally occurs within four or five hours of onset.[17](https://www.fda.gov/media/171758/download)
The toxin is destroyed by moist heat. Boiling the beans for 10 minutes at 100°C completely destroys PHA, and the FDA recommends soaking for at least 5 hours and then boiling in fresh water for at least 30 minutes to ensure the whole pot reaches a sufficient temperature.[6](https://www.fda.gov/files/food/published/Bad-Bug-Book-2nd-Edition-%28PDF%29.pdf) • [7](https://www.fda.gov/food/chemical-contaminants-pesticides/natural-toxins-food) Slow cookers are unsuitable: casseroles cooked in them often reach internal temperatures of only 75°C or less, which is inadequate to destroy the toxin, and several outbreaks have been associated with beans cooked this way.[6](https://www.fda.gov/files/food/published/Bad-Bug-Book-2nd-Edition-%28PDF%29.pdf) Canned kidney beans are already cooked and need only be rinsed and reheated.[2](https://food.ndtv.com/ingredient/kidney-beans-701095)
## Cooking rajma
The standard home method soaks the beans for at least 8 hours or overnight, then pressure-cooks them, typically 6 to 7 whistles, with a water ratio of about 1 cup of rajma to 3 cups of water; on the stovetop after soaking, cooking takes 1.5 to 2 hours.[5](https://www.ramkishanfoods.com/guides/rajma) The beans must be cooked until completely soft.[5](https://www.ramkishanfoods.com/guides/rajma) The classic dish simmers the cooked beans in a thick onion and tomato gravy; the process, including overnight soaking and time with the masala, is treated as part of the dish's identity as a weekend ritual.[9](https://www.nishienterprise.com/blogs/learn-more-about-food/what-is-rajma-why-rajma-chawal-is-so-popular) • [12](https://indiancookingguide.com/e-dal-8)
Dry rajma stores well: kept dry and airtight, whole beans keep up to a year, though older beans harden and take longer to cook.[5](https://www.ramkishanfoods.com/guides/rajma) • [3](https://www.fudboi.com/blog/rajma-field-guide)
## References
1. [eNAM commodity list, Rajma (Kidney beans)](https://enam.gov.in/web/docs/221_commodity_list.pdf)
2. [Kidney Beans (राजमा), NDTV Food](https://food.ndtv.com/ingredient/kidney-beans-701095)
3. [Rajma (Kidney Beans) in India: Varieties, Bhaderwah, the Toxicity to Know, and the Market, Fudboi](https://www.fudboi.com/blog/rajma-field-guide)
4. [Bitocchi et al. (2013). Molecular analysis of the parallel domestication of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) in Mesoamerica and the Andes. New Phytologist 197(1): 300–313.](https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2012.04377.x)
5. [Rajma (Kidney Beans) — names, cooking & nutrition, Ram Kishan Foods](https://www.ramkishanfoods.com/guides/rajma)
6. [FDA Bad Bug Book, 2nd Edition (Phytohaemagglutinin)](https://www.fda.gov/files/food/published/Bad-Bug-Book-2nd-Edition-%28PDF%29.pdf)
7. [Natural Toxins in Food, U.S. FDA](https://www.fda.gov/food/chemical-contaminants-pesticides/natural-toxins-food)
8. [Rajma (Red Kidney Beans) — Nutrition, Safety & Recipes, Organic Mandya](https://www.organicmandya.com/know-your-food/pulses-and-dals/rajma/)
9. [What Is Rajma? Why Rajma Chawal Is So Popular, Nishi Enterprise](https://www.nishienterprise.com/blogs/learn-more-about-food/what-is-rajma-why-rajma-chawal-is-so-popular)
10. [Chacón Sánchez, Pickersgill & Debouck (2005). Domestication patterns in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Theor. Appl. Genet. 110(3): 432–444, via CGSpace](https://cgspace.cgiar.org/items/9e243f55-a54e-41fc-930f-cbc99fab9cf8)
11. [Evolution of SSR diversity from wild types to U.S. advanced cultivars in the Andean and Mesoamerican domestications of common bean, PLOS One](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0211342)
12. [Rajma (Kidney Bean) — Complete Guide, Indian Ingredient Encyclopedia](https://indiancookingguide.com/e-dal-8)
13. [Kumaoni rajma — why hill rajma cooks differently, Hey Bhoomi](https://www.heybhoomi.com/blogs/kumaoni-rajma-chitra-red)
14. [Effect of Varieties and Irrigation Regimes on kidney bean, Krishikosh thesis](https://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/server/api/core/bitstreams/0af0a54f-7d9d-4690-bd88-933d132c8ba7/content)
15. [AICRP on Kharif Pulses, ICAR–Indian Institute of Pulses Research](https://www.icar-iipr.org.in/aicrp-kharif-pulses/)
16. [Varieties Released (Pulses), Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology](https://skuastkashmir.ac.in/Varieties.aspx?id=Pulses)
17. [FDA CVM FOIA document on phytohaemagglutinin](https://www.fda.gov/media/171758/download)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Food, customs, and everyday culture › Food, cooking and hospitality › Dishes, foods, and foodstuffs › Vegetable, legume, and tofu dishes*
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