Rajma, French beans and kidney beans are all Phaseolus vulgaris, the common bean, domesticated separately in Mexico and in the Andes about eight thousand years ago. In India the dried beans are grown in the hills of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and cooked into rajma chawal, while green French beans come from the Nilgiris and Karnataka. Raw or undercooked kidney beans are poisonous.
- Botanical name
- Phaseolus vulgaris L.
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Tamil
- Rajma
- Hindi
- Rajma
- Parts used
- Dried seed after thorough cooking, Young pod as French bean
- Habit
- Common bean: rajma, French bean and kidney bean; raw beans are toxic
- Last updated
- 2026-10-27
How to recognise Rajma
It may be a bushy plant or a twining climber, depending on the variety.
The leaves have three broad, pointed leaflets.
The flowers are white, pink or violet pea-flowers in small clusters.
Green pods are slender and round or flat; dried seeds are kidney-shaped and red, white, black, speckled or brown.
Lablab, avarai, has purple or white flowers in long spikes and flat, curved pods.
Traditional use of Rajma
Kitchen
Rajma chawal, red kidney beans in a spiced onion-tomato gravy with rice, is a Punjabi and Jammu favourite.
North Indian food practice
Kitchen
Green French beans go into South Indian poriyal and North Indian mixed vegetables.
Indian food practice
Kitchen
In Mexico and Brazil black beans with rice or tortillas are daily staples.
Latin American food practice
Modern notes on Rajma
Raw kidney beans contain phytohaemagglutinin, a lectin; eating a few raw or undercooked beans can cause severe vomiting and diarrhoea.
Boiling at full heat for at least ten minutes destroys the lectin, but slow cookers on low heat may not.
The beans are rich in protein, fibre, folate and iron.
Hill-grown rajma varieties are prized for flavour and cook faster than plains beans.
Rajma safety
Soak dried beans, discard the water, and boil them hard for at least ten minutes, or cook them fully in a pressure cooker. Never eat raw or sprouted raw kidney beans.
Ecology and sourcing
Wild common beans still grow from Mexico to Argentina.
Like other legumes it fixes nitrogen in root nodules.
It is mostly self-pollinating.
Related plants
Also in Fabaceae
Questions about Rajma
Are rajma and French beans the same species?
Yes. Both are Phaseolus vulgaris.
Why must kidney beans be boiled?
To destroy a lectin that causes food poisoning.
Is a pressure cooker enough?
Yes, if the beans are cooked until soft.
Where is rajma grown in India?
Mainly in the hills of the north.
Is Rajma the same as avarai?
No. Avarai is Lablab purpureus.
Sources
- Phaseolus vulgaris L. — Plants of the World Online, Kew (search) (accessed 2026)
- Wikidata item Q42339 (Phaseolus vulgaris)
Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.