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Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Rajma - Curried Red Kidney Beans


Welcome Spring. !!! Finally Spring is here and I hope you are enjoying the great weather as much as we are here in Philadelphia. My son had his Spring break and so I took a short blogging break as well. The highlight of my break was that I got to see in person none other than President Obama himself and I'm still in that happy and excited phase. He was rallying for his health reform bill at the George Mason University in Virginia and since we were visiting some friends there it was a perfect opportunity to hear his speech first hand. I was impressed and since I have been and still am a great fan of President Obama , this was a great occasion for me. So thought about sharing this with my blogpals. Hope I'm not sounding boastful..LOL...
Here is a proof I was there, Moi posing for the Big Event!!!!. This only took a few seconds and I did listen to the President for the entire time except when clicking a few pictures...

Alright lets get down to the Recipe part of the post. Today's recipe is one of our favorites at out house. Its Rajma or Red Kidney Beans. Best combination to enjoy Rajma is with Chawal(Rice). Rajma-Chawal is comfort food to me and I'm sure there are many more who will agree with me. This Recipe was requested by one of my friend's daughter Richa, who really encourages me a lot by her feedback and she is also very passionate about cooking and trying out recipes on her. Stay tuned for her recipe in tomorrow's post. So, Dear Richa This is for you ......
Ingredients :
  • 1 cup Rajma/Red Kidney beans
  • 1 cup onion puree
  • 1 1/2 cup tomato puree
  • 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 black cardamom
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp red chilli powder
  • 1 tsp cumin-cilantro powder
  • salt to taste
  • 3-4 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp freshly chopped Cilantro

You could substitute 1 cup dried Red Kidney beans for two 14 0z cans of Red Kidney beans. For the onion puree I don't grind it too fine, its like a finely grated texture. You could even just grate the onions.

Preparation :

  • Wash the Rajma/kidney beans and soak them in about 4-5 cups water overnight.
  • Pressure cook the Rajma with enough water(4-5 cups), turmeric and salt for upto 4 whistles or until cooked. If you were to use canned Rajma/Red Kidney beans you would skip this step. Just wash the canned beans in a colander and discard the stock(canned liquid).
  • Heat oil in a pan. Add the Bay leaves and cardamom.
  • Next add the onion paste. Saute the onion till it becomes golden brown .
  • Add the garlic/ginger paste. Saute for about 2 minutes and then add the tomato puree. Fry for another 2 minutes.
  • Add the red chilli powder and the cumin-cilantro powder. Let it cook until the oil leaves the surface (about 5-6 minutes). Now add the Rajma/Red kidney beans with the liquid and let it simmer covered for about 10-12 minutes. (At this step you could add a little water if you think the consistency is too thick and adjust the salt).
  • Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro leaves and serve with rice. Enjoy my comfort food- Rajma Chawal with plain Yogurt or Boondi Raita.
  • This recipe serves 4.

23 comments:

  1. Hey thats wonderful!!!!! nope nope u r not sounding boastful :)
    Btw curry looks so creamy and yummy!!

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  2. WOW, it must be a great moment to see the President about whom the entire world is talking. Lucky you! BTW, loved the rajma curry, my favorite side dish for rotis

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  3. Wow such a fantastic moment to see the President, definitely u r lucky...Protein packed rajma curry looks beautiful..

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  4. I love the creamy rich gravy in this rajma dish.This is our familys firm favorite dish.

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  5. My fav curry..lucky u..i was also a gr8 fan of Obama,but not now...curry looks really mouthwatering

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  6. Hi dear, I also enjoyed my break. Wow, a great moment to cherish.
    I love Rajma and gladly we get excellent quality of Kashmiri Rajma here.I used to make in a similar fashion earlier now a days I boil the onions. Check out my version of Rajma Rasmisa if u want to try a variant sometime.

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  7. Rajma curry looks yummy!
    I am also a great fan of President Obama. It is nice that u got an opportunity to see him and hear his speech

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  8. Nice to hear that u got to hear Obama's speech in person.the rajma curry looks yum and nice to go with rotis.

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  9. Curry looks so creamy and delicious...

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  10. wow...thts wonderful, dear...curry looks delicious

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  11. Curry looks rich and creamy :-)
    An award is waiting in my blog dear ...

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  12. OOOOOOOO!!!!!!! I have saved the pic for my hubby to see.... Ke kitne bade logon se pehchaan hai!!!!! ;-0 Just kidding.... But I would wanna show him this pic..for sure..... I know how u feel.... His aura is enough to be influenced......

    I loved Rajma Chawal a lot..... After wedding when we had been to Vaishnodevi, I got some rajma from there... which was totally awesome... But after that the once I purchased here at a local store..... or a super market... I did not li8ke them.... Whatever I did, few of the rajma would just not agree to get cooked... I just donated the rest of it I had to my maid & never ever bought again..... THAT IS THE END!!!!! Your prep is lovely & tempting.....

    Ash...
    (http://asha-oceanichope.blogspot.com/)

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  13. Oh dear..its grt to see and hear the speech of President.U r didnot sound boastful dear..During my school days I got an oppurtunity to see Soniya gandhi and A.K Antony in a election campaign and I still boast abt it to my hubby :)Its always exciting when we see such VIP's.
    I too made a Rajma few days ago..lovely prepn.
    Happy to see ur pic dear..
    Thank u so much for vistg my sis's blog..she has to learn abt commentg and following now.:)

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  14. Rajma curry looks too good and I love it. Hey you look pretty.

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  15. The Rajma curry is so tempting...looks very yummy...luv the clicks.

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  16. It's like behind the scene,a great personality delivering his speech,lucky u dolly.Good moment to take the pic as well.Rajma curry looks splendid n beautiful pictures dolly.Glad that you enjoyed your break with your family.

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  17. hi new to ur blog....found bundle of nice recipes..this dish looks so yammy...visit my blog too......added u in my blog list..:)

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  18. Please Collect ur award from my blog.

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  19. wow..you met Mr.President..cool !!! I'm a big fan too, love his speeches :-)
    Rajma looks excellent..rich and thick, just the way I love it :D

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  20. wow dolly u got 2 c M Obama...lucky...loved the rajma curry, nice recipe

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  21. OMG!! U r really lucky yaar!!
    Anyway rajma curry looks delicious!As u told perfect with some rice ..
    Dear,Some awards waiting for u...Please collect it.

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  22. wowo rajma looks superly delicious..i too have posted but the recipe is lttle different..but the end product looks amazing :)...

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