I often hear people complain about how vegetarian food doesn't have quite the 'uumph' that lamb or chicken (or beef) pack into a main course. I've never believed this to be true. One of the hallmarks of Indian cuisine is its ability to take a simple vegetable or grain and dress it up in a myriad different personalities and temperaments. Try for instance, one of my favorites, the mild mannered chickepea - sometimes seen gracing your plate as a side salad overpowered by the likes of the red onion, lemon and chaat masala, sometimes seen as batter for fried broccoli, sometimes seen as the base for a spicy and sour kadi soup and sometimes seen as a feisty bowl of chole (see other installments of this blog for those). To believe that vegetables cannot satiate like meats, is like sequestering grapes to the domain of the salad leaving unbirthed the world of wine.
Similarly, I challenge my carnivore friends to take on a solid bowl of Rajma alongside any lamb curry or chicken kabob in its inherent 'meatiness' and ability to make you lean back in your chair after a meal and wonder if it was you who consumed the rajma, or the rajma that won a democratic majority among your tastebuds.
Here I present several recipes for Rajma; some simple for the time-conscious and some a little more adventurous.
Simple Rajma
Ingredients:
-
| Ingredient | Quantity | Prep. |
| Onion | 1 medium (~4" diameter) | Chopped ~1cm chunks; use white/yellow, not red onion |
| Tomato | 1 medium (~3" diameter) | Chopped ~1cm chunks |
| Green chili | 1 | Coarsely chopped |
| Ginger | ~1" | Chopped ~1cm chunks or grated |
| Garlic | 4 average sized cloves | Chopped ~1cm chunks |
| Red kidney beans | 1 can | It's a can - open it. Don't dump out the water, you'll need that. |
| Cilantro | 3-4 stems | Coarsely chopped |
| Turmeric powder | 1/4 tsp. | |
| Red chili powder | 1/2 tsp. | - |
| Cumin seeds | 1 tsp. | - |
| Coriander powder | 1 tsp. | - |
| Garam Masala | 1 tsp. | - |
| Oil of choice | 1 tbsp. | - |
1. Chop up vegetables.
First, cut up your vegetables. For those of you new to this, see the pics below. It doesn't really matter how small or large you cut the tomatoes but do try to make the onions small. This is because as you cook it, you want the onions to break down and form a gravy - most gravy's in Indian cooking are really mostly onion by volume. If it makes you cry, stick the onion in the freezer for 5min before you cut it. If your tomato is mushy or overly ripe, you can cool that down too. Here's a question for the physicists, why does a tomato get more plump as you cool it for 5min?
2. Make your tadka/phodni.
As you'll find out real quick, most Indian dishes regardless of north Indian, south Indian, meat, fish or vegetable, start with a tadka (see my tadka posting for more detail on this than you'll ever want to know). Put about 3/4 of your oil in a hot pot, I prefer to avoid non-stick but its up to you. Add cumin seeds, watch them sputter (but not from too close if you want to keep both eyes intact). As soon as theyre all popping, toss in the garlic, ginger and green onion.
3. Once the onions are cooked, add tomatoes and spices stir thoroughly and often. Don't add the salt just yet. How will you know when the onions are cooked? Well, sniff it. Raw onion has a pungent flavor and smell that gradually disappears as it is cooked. You want to avoid raw onion flavor in your rajma so cook it on medium heat for a good long time, stiring to make sure it doesn't stick or burn. This part usually takes the longest time, usually 10min. How will you know if its over cooked? Sniff it. If you cook white/yellow onions for too long, they usually begin to give off a sweet smell. For rajma, its better overcooked than undercooked.
4. Add red kidney beans, add all the water it was cooked in or all the water in the can if you use canned kidney beans. Stir often, simmer on low heat. Add salt and stir until you have the taste you like.
5. Done. Garnish with cilantro. I like the scent warm cilantro adds as background so personally, I add 1/2 the cilantro leaves, stir and then add the 2nd half cilantro leaves as garnish. Some people like to also add finely chopped onions as garnish, my mom does that. Food is what you want it to be.
As you'll find out real quick, most Indian dishes regardless of north Indian, south Indian, meat, fish or vegetable, start with a tadka (see my tadka posting for more detail on this than you'll ever want to know). Put about 3/4 of your oil in a hot pot, I prefer to avoid non-stick but its up to you. Add cumin seeds, watch them sputter (but not from too close if you want to keep both eyes intact). As soon as theyre all popping, toss in the garlic, ginger and green onion.
Tip: To avoid messing up, be careful to not burn the garlic, it likes to do that. You're not using much oil so as soon as it begins to want to turn even the slightest bit tan/brown, put in the onions. You're better off undercooking it than overcooking it. You can add the rest of your oil if things begin to get too dry.
3. Once the onions are cooked, add tomatoes and spices stir thoroughly and often. Don't add the salt just yet. How will you know when the onions are cooked? Well, sniff it. Raw onion has a pungent flavor and smell that gradually disappears as it is cooked. You want to avoid raw onion flavor in your rajma so cook it on medium heat for a good long time, stiring to make sure it doesn't stick or burn. This part usually takes the longest time, usually 10min. How will you know if its over cooked? Sniff it. If you cook white/yellow onions for too long, they usually begin to give off a sweet smell. For rajma, its better overcooked than undercooked.
4. Add red kidney beans, add all the water it was cooked in or all the water in the can if you use canned kidney beans. Stir often, simmer on low heat. Add salt and stir until you have the taste you like.
5. Done. Garnish with cilantro. I like the scent warm cilantro adds as background so personally, I add 1/2 the cilantro leaves, stir and then add the 2nd half cilantro leaves as garnish. Some people like to also add finely chopped onions as garnish, my mom does that. Food is what you want it to be.
Rajma With Power Tools
This is mostly the same as the Simple Rajma except...
Change #1 - Chop about 1 bunch of cilantro leaves, in addition to those for garnish. Cilantro is usually sold in bunches and most bunches are about the same size, don't lose too much sleep over it, its a leaf.
Change #2 - In a blender or food processor, blend to a gravy the: onions, tomato, ginger, chili, garlic and cilantro.
Change #3 - At the beginning, add this gravy to the hot pot right after you add the oil. Cook this gravy for a good 15min stirring off and on until the raw onion smell is gone. Then, add the spices and proceed as above.
You'll find the 2nd recipe to have a much more warm and thick gravy and a more pleasing texture, but a lot of people may not want the extra step of using a blender and washing it afterward.
This is mostly the same as the Simple Rajma except...
Change #1 - Chop about 1 bunch of cilantro leaves, in addition to those for garnish. Cilantro is usually sold in bunches and most bunches are about the same size, don't lose too much sleep over it, its a leaf.
Change #2 - In a blender or food processor, blend to a gravy the: onions, tomato, ginger, chili, garlic and cilantro.
Change #3 - At the beginning, add this gravy to the hot pot right after you add the oil. Cook this gravy for a good 15min stirring off and on until the raw onion smell is gone. Then, add the spices and proceed as above.
You'll find the 2nd recipe to have a much more warm and thick gravy and a more pleasing texture, but a lot of people may not want the extra step of using a blender and washing it afterward.
sounds YUM!
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