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Red Kidney Beans Indian Curry or Rajma Masala Recipe

This is the Indian cousin of your favourite spicy chilli : red kidney beans are stewed in fresh or canned tomatoes, seasoned with onion, garlic, fresh ginger, fresh chillies and Indian spices. Asafoetida, also known as Hing, is an extremely pungent spice extracted from a sort of giant fennel, frequently used in Indian cuisine. Asafoetida's strong, off-putting, rotting garlic smell disappears during cooking to deliver a delicious savouriness. I truly believe it is the secret ingredient here : I had made many decent rajma masalas over the years, but it is not until I started adding a pinch of asafoetida, that I found rajma masala perfection. So although optional, do include asafoetida if you can get hold of it.

Customer Rating:
5.0 (3 votes)

Posted by: michael
On:

Cuisine

Indian

Time

1 - 2 hrs

Skill Level

Newbie

Serves

4

Courses etc.

Main Courses

You will need

IngredientAdd
1 cup or about 200g red kidney beans, soaked overnight OR More products
2 400g cans red kidney beans More products
4 Tbsp sesame oil OR More products
4 Tbsp olive oil More products
2 tsp whole cumin seeds More products
1 onion, finely chopped More products
4 cloves garlic, crushed More products
1 inch piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and chopped finely More products
1 small green or red chilli pepper, chopped (optional) More products
1 400g can chopped tomatoes More products
1 tsp ground cumin More products
1 tsp ground coriander More products
1/2 tsp ground turmeric More products
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, optional More products
generous pinch asafoetida, optional More products
1/2 tsp sea salt, or to taste More products

Need help converting measurements? View our recipe measurement conversion tables here.

Method

  • If using canned kidney beans, simply rinse them well, drain them and set them aside. If using dry, pre-soaked kidney beans, cook them in at least 3 cups of water until soft, ideally in a pressure-cooker (about 25 minutes).
  • Gently heat the oil over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and stir fry until fragrant.
  • Add the onion, garlic,  fresh ginger and chilli (if using) and fry for about a minute.
  • Add the tomatoes and the ground spices, season with sea salt to taste and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
  • Add the beans, along with a cup of water and bring to a boil. Then turn the heat down and simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes.
  • Garnish with fresh chopped spring onion, chives or coriander, and serve with some basmati rice.

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