Rajma

Rajma or red kidney beans were never in my fav food list. My parents used to force me to eat this curry whenever it was made which was quite often in my mom's house because of the two very important reasons, firstly it was my dad's favourite and it still is and second and the most obvious reason was that it is very nutritious, very rich in protein. Though inspite of all the pressures i never really liked it then, but with time i think my taste buds have developed a liking for these and now i am a true fan of these beans.

Serves : 2

Ingredients:

Rajma or Red Kidney beans : 1/4 Cup (soaked overnite)
Onion : 1-2, finely chopped
Tomatoes : 2-3 pureed
Garlic cloves : 3-4 finely chopped
Grated Ginger
Green Chillies : 3 finely chopped
Lemon Juice
Corriander Leaves for garnishing
Ghee : 2 Tblsp
Hing : a pinch
Cumin seeds : 1 tsp
Cloves : 3-4
Bay leaves
Cinnamon Stick : 1"
Red chilli powder : 2 tsp
Corriander Powder : 2-3 tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Garam masala : 1 tsp


Method:

1. Pressure cook soaked Red kidney beans till they are soft, I may take about 6-7 whistles.


2. Put Ghee in a pan or kadai and add hing, cumin seeds, cloves, Bay leaves, cinnamon stick, chopped garlic, grated ginger and green chillies and let it cook for few seconds.


3. Then add chopped onion and let it cook till it golden brown and then add pureed tomatoes and all the remaining spices except garam masala and cook it till gravy is fully done and leaves oil on sides.


4. Now add Rajma along with the water in which it was cooked (amount of water depends on the consistency of gravy required ).


5. Add lemon juice and garam masala and let it cook on medium flame for around 5-10 min.


6. Garnish it with corriander leaves and serve hot with either chappaties or rice.

P.S. You can also add a tsp of Kitchen King masala to enhance the taste and aroma of the dish. Rajma has gas producing enzymes, the trick to beating these, is to change the soaking water every few hours before cooking.