Rajmah: Red Kidney Bean Curry

Okay, okay, I know this doesn’t look like much. BUT it is one of my favorite things to eat of all time. I am baffled that I haven’t put it on the blog yet. We just learned on our hospital tour that we have access to a fridge and freezer and can bring whatever we want to eat after delivery…so I think I will be bringing this. It is just so lusciously delicious. The spice mixture is so absolutely perfect that it should be patented (not by me, of course). The sauce is so exquisite that I always scrape up whatever’s left in the bowl with pita bread (naan would be even better). I double the recipe every single time I make it. And tripling it doesn’t seem like a bad idea either.

It’s also a remarkably easy dish, one of the first ones I made back when I was learning to cook. There’s a little bit of chopping, a little bit of measuring, and then the heat does the rest. I love this dish for its depth of flavor and subtle heat (not enough to cause a pregnant lady heartburn, and that’s key). I hope you love it as much as I do. Sorry again for the lack of process photos. The chopped ginger and peppers are so pretty, but I am getting too HONGRY while cooking to stop and take pictures!

Rajmah (Red Kidney Bean Curry)
Recipe from Smitten Kitchen (with a few notes from me)

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (C: when I double the recipe, I still only use 1/3 c olive oil–it’s sufficient)
1/4 cup chopped fresh ginger
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 plum tomato, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large green chili, chopped (C: I use serrano peppers.)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground tumeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
8 ounce can of tomato sauce or 8 ounces of one of your choice
3 cups boiled red kidney beans or 30 ounces canned red kidney beans, undrained (C: I use dried beans cooked in a pressure cooker.)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (or parsley, if you’re cilantro-averse)

-Heat oil in a deep sauce pan over medium heat for one minute. Add ginger, garlic, onion, green chili, and let sizzle for one minute.
-Add the tomato sauce, salt and remaining spices and cook for an additional five minutes, stirring frequently.
-Add the kidney beans with water or canned red kidney beans (undrained) plus one additional cup of water, and tomatoes.
-Bring it to a boil, then reduce to medium heat and let cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Garnish with cilantro.
-Serve over rice or with naan.