Rajma is a Sunday dish in most Punjabi houses, because dried kidney beans want a night in water and the best part of an hour on the hob. Rosecoco beans come ready cooked and hold their shape in the gravy, so the whole thing becomes a weeknight job. The gravy is the recipe. The beans just come along.
Ingredients
- 2 tins KTC rosecoco beans (400g each), drained and rinsed
- 1 tin KTC chopped tomatoes (400g)
- 3 tbsp KTC desi ghee
- 2 large onions, very finely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic and a thumb of ginger, crushed to a paste
- 1 tsp cumin seeds, and 1 black cardamom if you have one
- 1 tsp turmeric, 2 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tsp garam masala and half a tsp of dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
- Salt, fresh coriander and a spoon of cream or yoghurt to finish
Method
- Melt the ghee in a heavy pan over a medium flame. Add the cumin seeds and black cardamom and wait for the cumin to crackle.
- Add the onions and cook for 12 to 15 minutes until they are deep brown rather than just soft. This is where the whole flavour of the dish comes from, so give it the time.
- Stir in the ginger garlic paste for a minute, then the turmeric, coriander powder and chilli powder with a splash of water so nothing catches.
- Pour in the chopped tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes, until the ghee separates and the masala pulls away from the sides of the pan.
- Add the drained beans with 300ml of hot water and salt. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, then mash a ladle of the beans against the pan and stir it back in to thicken the gravy.
- Crush the fenugreek leaves between your palms and add them with the garam masala. Rest the pan off the heat for five minutes, then serve with rice and a spoon of cream or yoghurt.
Cook's notes
Rajma is better on day two, so make it the night before if you can. If the gravy tightens in the fridge, loosen it with hot water rather than more ghee.
