Rajma

An easy half-hour recipe for Rajma adapted from Madhur Jaffrey.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups dried red kidney beans, preferably a mix of light and dark (I used two 14 oz cans of dark kidney beans)
Salt to taste
3 tbsp oil
1 cup finely chopped onions
1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
1 1/4 cups peeled and chopped ripe tomatoes
2 tsps ground corainder
1/4 tsp chilli pwdr
2 tsps ground cumin
1 fresh hot green chilli, finely chopped (optional)
1 tbsp amchoor or 2 tsps fresh lemon juice

Soak the beans overnight and cook. Add the salt to the beans and stir to mix.

Put the oil in a wide medium pot and set over medium high heat. Add the onions. Stir and fry until the onions are a rich, reddish-brown color. Add the garlic and stir a few times, then add the ginger and stir once or twice. Add the tomatoes, coriander, cumin, chilli pwdr, and green chilli. Stir and cook over medium heat for 5 to 6 mins, or until the tomatoes are slightly reduced. Stir in the cooked beans and their liquid as well as the amchoor. Note: If using canned beans, add veg stock instead of water. Turn the heat to low and simmer gently for 10 mins to marry all the flavors. Can mash some of the beans for thicker consistency. Serve hot.

Serves 4 to 6