Rajma with a Twist (Red Kidney Beans Dish)

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Michael Levin on March 12, 2012 at 10:43am

That looks delicious, Chandra. I've made a red bean dish last week that delighted all culinary senses. Stay tuned! Do you mind reposting that recipe here in your discussion for the benefit of people who can't make the leap to your site?

Permalink Reply by Chandra on March 12, 2012 at 12:00pm

Absolutely! Here it is:

Rajma with a twist

For dinner I made Rajma with a twist. Rajma is a Red Kidney Beans curry. I made slight modifications to a recipe for Rajma, so I can enjoy the Baby Portabella Mushrooms we had.

Ingredients:
Onion 1 Large - chopped
Ginger root - 1 inch long piece
Red Kidney Beans - 3 cups cooked
Cloves - 10-12 pieces
Coriander powder - 2 Tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 Tsp
Red Chili powder - 1 Tbsp
Grape Seed Oil - 2 Tbsp (other oils are fine too)
Tomatoes - 3 diced
Garlic paste - 1 Tbsp

Preparation:

1. Grind the onions, ginger into a fine paste in the food processor
2. In a large pan, heat up the oil and add the cloves, cumin and the paste from step 1
3. Turn the heat to medium
4. Add the tomatoes, garlic paste, turmeric and chili powders
5. Add the beans {I did forget to mention this step in the original post, but I figured most of you would have figured it out anyways :) }
6. Cook on medium heat for another 5 minutes. Stir frequently
7. Add salt to taste

Can be served with hot steamed rice or chapatis or eaten over a bed of your favourite salad or baby spinach!

Bon appetit' :)

Permalink Reply by Michael Levin on March 12, 2012 at 12:11pm

Fantastic. I have a few questions, though. What is the advantage of grape seed oil? What modification did you make to the original recipe to add mushrooms? Chapatis are like naan? Of  course, I could Google all of this, but I am interested in your opinion. Looks delicious. I have a friend whose cooking is traditional Indian (from Pune) and I love to have lunch there. Nothing remotely similar to restaurant fare here in Florida. I can't tell you how many times I've tried to make chickpea and tempura cauliflower curry ala Tasty Buddha. Admittedly,. I never added the tempura because I don't know how to ... yet! 

Permalink Reply by Chandra on March 12, 2012 at 12:39pm

Grape seed oil has a higher flashing point, so there is less smoke. The main change to the Rajma recipe was the addition of the mushrooms. Chapathis are a flat bread, no yeast bread. They are thinner and often they are made of whole wheat flour.

Good, healthy food is not always easy to find! I am glad you have a connection, where you can taste some authentic dishes!

Paz :)

Permalink Reply by Michael Levin on March 13, 2012 at 10:15am

Hi Chandra, Thanks for those answers. Now, a simple (seemingly) question: why no yeast? I am guessing that some people don't have access to yeast, like the guys in the desert with the unleavened bread, etc. But, I'm curious. Why perpetuate the no yeast on purpose when yeast is readily available? Best, Mike

Permalink Reply by Chandra on March 13, 2012 at 11:09am

Great question, Michael!

I can think of two answers:

1. I don't know any other way. That's how I observed my mom make it (even when yeast was available)
2. I don't use yeast when it is not necessary. I don't know if it offers any specific health benefit

Paz :)

Permalink Reply by Michael Levin on March 21, 2012 at 9:23am

Chandra, This is my version of your Rajma recipe. I soaked the beans overnight and then cooked them. I had no onion (I thought) so I substituted garlic chives from my patch at beautiful McRorie Community Garden here in Gainesville, FL. Then, I found a red onion, so I sauteed it and added it to the other ingredients. I didn't have any coriander. I used fewer cloves than suggested simply because the cloves I used for the Tepache were so strong. All in all, it turned out good. Next time, I'll be sure to have coriander. I'll cook it longer so the flavors get more absorbed into the beans. I wake up feeling energized because of the healthy meal in my home last night, thanks to my Texan Zoobird pal Chandra. All the best, Michael

Permalink Reply by Chandra on March 21, 2012 at 10:19am

Hey Michael,

The dish you have prepared looks delicious. Great job!

You said it best: A healthy meal not only is a joy to eat. You feel much better too!

I find it economical to prepare the beans from scratch when I need it or prepare larger batches and freeze what I don't need for future use.

I will post my Mung bean recipe soon.

Take care.

Paz :)