Rajma (red) beans curry
Comfort food at its best – every home should have their menus prepared for a beans day! Best served with potato sambharo (lightly spiced, shallow fried potato) and roti (Indian flat bread).
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil (odourless) or ghee
- 1 dry red chilli
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- ¼ tsp ingh/ asafoetida
- ½ tsp finely crushed or chopped red chilli
- ½ tsp finely crushed or chopped green chilli
- ½ tsp crushed ginger
- ½ tsp crushed garlic
- 1 cup Rajma (red) beans (soaked overnight)
- Salt to taste
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp dhana jeeroo (coriander & cumin powder)
- ½ tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp red chilli powder
- ½ tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder (optional)
- 3 medium-sized gem tomato (blended)
- 1 stem of curry leaves
- Handful of chopped coriander leaves
Method
- Use a colander to thoroughly rinse the beans that have been soaked overnight. Add to a pressure cooker and fill fresh water till the level is halfway of the pot. Add 1 tsp salt. Note: You can also use red kidney beans, but it might take a little longer to cook since the beans are much bigger.
- Close the pot with the lid and place on the stove on a high heat. Once the water is boiling, put the little steel knob on the top of the pressure cooker. Lower the heat to medium. Time the beans for 1 hour. Ensure that the pot whistles every few minutes.
- Meanwhile, in another pot, heat coconut oil or ghee. Add red chilli, cinnamon stick and cumin seeds. Once the seeds have slightly browned, add ingh/ asafoetida.
- Then add red and green chilli, ginger and garlic. Braise for a few seconds.
- Add blended tomatoes with 1/2 cup of water. Flavour with salt, turmeric, dhana jeeroo (coriander & cumin powder), garam masala, red chilli powder and Kashmiri red chilli powder. Cook for 20-30 minutes, once the tomatoes make a thick gravy. Add curry leaves.
- Once the beans are cooked, allow the pressure cooker to cool off for about 10 minutes before attempting to open the lid. Put the pot into the sink and rinse the top with cold water, while slowly releasing the pressure by lifting up the steel knob on the top.
- Add beans with the water to the tomato gravy. Mix well. Allow to boil for 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.