rajma (aka kidney bean curry)

“I miss my mother’s rajma” one of our regular customers lamented a while back while scooping kidney beans into a bag. We nodded sagely for a second then dropped the pretence that we knew what he was talking about.  We realised there was a very good chance that he was talking about a delicious dish made by his Northern Indian mum, and that if we played our cards right he might share the recipe with us.

“Rajma” he said dreamily. “It’s a curry made with kidney beans . But it’s so much more than that. It can’t be explained. You just have to taste it”. 

He didn’t know his mother’s exact recipe but he pointed us in the right direction. Suzanne was on the case, and by the end of the week had produced a pot of Rajma. Not wanting to be left out, I made it the following day and we had a rajma-off. Suzanne won!

How to explain rajma… it’s rich, bright, creamy sauce is reminiscent of butter chicken, and the kidney beans give it a comforting, velvety texture. It’s delicious, and we couldn’t wait to share it with you.

Serves 4
Prep Time: 15 min, plus 8 hour or overnight soaking time; Cook time: approx 1 - 1½ hours

Ingredients:
1½ cups dried kidney beans
3 tbsp ghee or cooking oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 bay leaves
2 onions, finely diced 
3 cloves garlic, crushed 
2 tsp minced ginger 
1 680g bottle passata or tomato puree
½ - 1 tsp chilli powder (optional)
2 tsp garam masala
2 tsp ground coriander 
1 tsp ground cumin 
½ tsp ground turmeric 
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp fenugreek leaves (optional)

To serve (all optional):
Handful fresh coriander, chopped
3-4 tbsp pouring cream
1 green chilli, sliced

Method:
Rinse and soak 1½ cups of dry kidney beans overnight in 4 to 5 cups of water in a large pot.  

Drain the beans and rinse them very well under running water.  

Fill a large pot with cold tap water and add the soaked and rinsed kidney beans. Bring to a boil on the stove then maintain the water at a rolling boil for 20 mins. Then turn heat down to a more gentle boil and continue to boil for another 10-40 mins - different batches of beans can need shorter or longer cooking times, so check them for softness regularly. You'll know they're done when they're tender and creamy. It's also a good idea to stir the beans occasionally to promote even cooking.

Drain the beans and reserve the liquid, as that will be your cooking stock for the rajma. Put both aside.

Put your large pot back on the stove over medium-low heat. Add ghee or oil, cumin seeds and bay leaf. When the seeds start sizzling, add the onion and cook while stirring continuously for about 3 mins or until lightly golden. Add ginger and garlic, stir for 1 min.

Add tomato passata, stir and cook until mixture thickens a little (3 or 4 mins) then add the ground spices - garam masala, cumin, coriander, turmeric and chilli. Cook for another 1-2 mins until you can smell all those aromatics, then add the reserved kidney beans, along with 1 cup of the reserved cooking water, plus salt. Cook on a low simmer for about 15 mins, or until the consistency is like a thick curry. Add more reserved cooking liquid (and even extra water if need be) as it cooks to get the right consistency. Note: if the consistency is too thin, take out a few tablespoons of kidney beans, mash them with a fork then add them back into the pot - this thickens the dish up beautifully. Add in fenugreek leaves if using. 

Taste to check seasoning and add more salt, garam masala or chilli if needed. 

To serve, ladle into a bowl and add a swirl of cream, a sprinkling of fresh coriander and a scattering of green chilli slices if you like things spicy. A squeeze of lemon is a lovely addition too.

Serve with flatbread, rice or on its own.

Pimp My Recipe:
If you're in a time crunch, use canned kidney beans. You'll need 2 x 400g cans for this recipe. Make sure you drain them first and rinse well.

Add a tsp of dried veg stock if you want to up the flavour.