Rajma/Kidney beans curry

The longing for home never stops, even after years of staying away from home the desire to be at home, with the known faces around, the painted walls, the familiar scent, and the all too blissful warmth of the bed and pillows is incomparable to any place in the world. No luxury is bigger than getting bed tea in mornings and home cooked meals!The other day I was longing for some comfort food… something that would bring home back to me. Though in our household, the typical comfort food would be fish curry and rice, and so would be in many of the Bengali household, yet my favorite is Rajma Chawal (Kidney beans curry and rice).

Rajma could be classified as a North Indian dish, however it is pretty much famous all over the country. My favorite combination is Rajma with Jeera rice, however it tastes fabulous with plain rice, roti, paratha and naan.

Ingredients:

Rajma/Kidney beans – 1 cup
Salt – to taste
Onion, grated or finely chopped – 1 medium
Ginger paste – 1 tsp
Garlic paste – 1 tsp
Green chillies, slit – to taste
Tomatoes, pureed or finely chopped – 1
Cumin powder – 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder – 1 tsp
Red chilli powder – to taste
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Garam masala powder – 1 tsp
Oil – 2 tbsp

Method:

Wash and soak the Rajma in 3-4 cups of water overnight.
Pressure cook Rajma along with the water and salt till completely cooked and soft. (Add the 1/2 tsp ginger and garlic paste, green chillies in the cooker though this is optional an can be added at later stage as well).
Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions till they change color.
Add green chillies, ginger & garlic paste and saute for a minute.
Add tomatoes and cook well.
Add cumin powder, coriander powder,red chilli powder, turmeric powder and cook till the oil leaves the masala.
Add the cooked Rajma along with the water and add salt to taste.
Cook all the spices have blended well and moisture has evaporated to the desired consistency.
Add garam masala and mix well.
Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro and serve hot.


Filed under: Pulses & Beans Tagged: beans, curry, kidney beans, rajma