Kidney Bean Chili, Indian Style (Rajma in Masala)

Anu's Note:

This is one of the signature dishes of North India, and is spicy, aromatic, flavourful, and simply out of this world! For the authentic feel, try to stick to the original recipe ingredients as much as possible, but you may also use suitable substitutes as mentioned. This is from "Vegetable Delights" by Malini Bisen. Note: Prep. time does not include pre-soaking time for the beans.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 40 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs 20 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 10

Yield: 5.0 cups

• 2 1/2 cups uncooked kidney beans
• 1 medium onion, peeled,quartered and
• 2 medium onions, peeled,finely chopped
• 1/2 inch ginger, peeled,chopped
• 1 tablespoon coriander seed
• 1 green chili pepper
• 4 red chili peppers
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
• 1/4 inch turmeric or 1/8 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 10 black peppercorns or 10 black pepper, to taste
• 2 cinnamon sticks or 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons ghee or 2 tablespoons clarified butter
• 1 teaspoon dried mango powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3 cups water

Directions:

1. Wash the kidney beans well and soak in water overnight.
2. Next morning, steam them until tender; or cook in a large pot of water for about an hour or until tender.
3. Remove 1/2 cup of cooked beans, crush coarsely and keep aside.
4. Grind 1 onion, ginger, coriander seeds, chili peppers, cumin, turmeric, peppercorns, and cinnamon to a very fine paste.
5. Heat ghee in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
6. Add the chopped onions and saute until golden brown.
7. Add the ground paste and saute, sprinkling water occasionally, until the ghee starts separating from the paste.
8. Add the cooked beans (not the crushed beans), stir for a while and add salt and dried mango powder.
9. Pour 3 cups of water and add the crushed beans.
10. Mix well and bring to a boil, twice.
11. Serve hot over steamed rice, chappatis, or whole-wheat tortillas.

Reviews

[Charishma_Ramchandani]

I can go NEWS(North, East, West, South) and beat a drum, and scream out loud, saying this is YUM YUM YUM! Seriously! I mean every word here. I made this for lunch yesterday since it was my BF's birthday(he's not here, but, my folks caught me to cook a recipe by you coz we love your recipes), and, I ended up serving this and having this for lunch and for dinner. Mom, dad and me loved it, and it's a fantastic recipe. I served this with bread(for myself), rotis(for mom and dad)and I had some with rice too topped with a dollop of chilled yogurt!! Absolutely rajma heaven and you know, I LOVE RAJMA, and so does my BF! So, you can be sure I'll be cooking this alot after I get married:) Had you to eat the rajma our cook makes, GOD BLESS YOU! You would love it allright, if you love oily food(your recipes tell me you dont and I'm so glad you post at Zaar) but, your fingers would be dripping with oil. Thank GOD you posted this, Anu, you know, I love you from the bottom of my soul for this. This will be a regular on our table if and when I'm cooking. Oh, and our cook has suddenly decided I'm not such a dummy at cooking as he thought I was. YAY! :-) THANK U, Anu! It's all because of U!

[Raza's Mama]

really good. i loved this recipe the only trouble i had was i think i didn't steam the beans long enough, they were a little dry. next time i might try using canned beans to cut down on the cooking time. all in all a great recipe. thanks

[Three Kids Make Me Crazy]

I've been on a big Indian kick this week, and I'm so gad we tried this! Served with rice, I will have to double the recipe next time to accommodate three kids and DH!