Rajma Masala Recipe / Red Kidney Bean Masala

     I greedily buy Rajma :P as though I cook regularly. Stacking Rajma and other pulses in the kitchen for a while, one fine day comes with someone nudging me to use them up, I put a handful of them for soaking overnight. Then if everything goes good (with my laziness talking a lazy nap and forgetting to bother me) the soaked lentil will be cooked and used up on the next day itself. If not, it visits the fridge for a day and then makes its appearance for a dish aaram se !!!
     This time, the soaked Rajma made its appearance without the sitting-in-the-fridge episode :) and we had a yummy Rajma masala to pair up with the chappathi.

Prep Time: overnight rajma soaking & steaming + 10 mins || Cook Time: 25 mins || Serves: 3 || Category: Side-dish for roti/chappathi

Ingredients:
1. Rajma (Red kidney beans) - 100 gm (soaked overnight & pressure cooked for 6-7 whistles)
2. Onion - 1
3. Oil - 2 tbsp
4. Bay leaves - 2
5. Cinnamon - 2 pieces
6. Cumin seeds - 2 tsp
7. Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
8. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
9. Tomato - 1 large
10. Green chilli - 1 or 2 slit
11. Hing - 2 tsp
12. Kashmiri chilli powder - 2 tsp
13. Coriander powder - 2 tsp
14. Garam masala - 2 tsp
15. Salt - as required
16. Kasoori Methi (dry fenugreek leaves) - 2 tbsp
17. Fresh cream - 3 tbsp

Method:
1. Heat a pan with 2 tbsp of oil. Throw in the bay leaves, cinnamon and cumin seeds and fry them until a nice aroma comes. Then add finely chopped onion and saute for a min. Add ginger garlic paste and turmeric powder and cook until the onion starts becoming translucent.

2.  Add the slit green chilli, chopped tomatoes and give a stir. Saute until the tomatoes start to become mushy. Then add all the powders (Kashmiri chilli, Garam masala, Coriander powder, hing) and stir thoroughly. Cook for about 3-4 mins covered with the lid.

3. Add required amount of salt and then some water for the gravy to get cooked. Cook covered for 2 mins. Then add the pressure cooked rajma and mash a few of them in the gravy.

4. Allow the gravy to boil for 2 mins and let the gravy thicken. Now add fresh cream and kasoori methi crushed in between the palms. Give a quick stir and switch off the flame after a min.

Suggestions:

• It is optional to use fresh cream & kasoori methi.
• Rajma can be replaced with any other kind of soaked lentil.