I find it way too easy to fall into the trap of always making a meat based curry, but there are plenty of wonderful vegetarian dishes that can form the major part of your meal.
This dish is exceptionally versatile and can lead to some interesting fusion ideas.
*** for image of finished curry refer to Easter Banquet post ***
Rajma
Kidney Bean Masala
1 1/2 cups of dry kidney beans
1 tbs ghee
1 tbs oil
1 large onion
2 tsp grated ginger *
2 tsp chopped garlic *
1 cup thin tomato sauce/passata
2 tbs of natural yogurt
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
2 tsp besan flour
1 tsp coriander seeds**
1/2 tsp cumin seeds**
1/2 tsp garam masala
pinch of nutmeg
* substitute with ginger/garlic paste
** dry roast and grind
Directions:
If using dry kidney beans you will need to soak them overnight and then boil them for 1hr until they are tender and cooked through. Alternatively you can use canned kidney beans, rinse well and add at the end of cooking.
Slice onions add 1 cup of water and cook in the microwave for 5 minutes and cook until soft. Once cooled drain off the water and blend the onions with the garlic and ginger to make a paste.
Heat ghee and oil in a large pan. Add the onion paste, turmeric and salt and cook through for 10 minutes. Add in all the dry spices and besan flour, stir through and add the tomato sauce. Simmer until the tomato mixture thickens to a soup like consistency (the time will vary depending on the consistency of the tomato sauce.
To finish cooking add the kidney beans and yogurt and simmer for 10 minutes until the beans are heated through.
Special note: This recipe lends itself to accommodating ingredients you may already have in the cupboard. You can adapt as necessary using ground spices and pastes. Sour cream or even cream (with a little lemon juice) could be used if you don’t have any natural yogurt.
CurryGirl 