Monday, August 27, 2007

Royal Rajma Masala

Rajma Masala (Adapted from this recipe posted by Asha on Foodieshope)

Sundays are special!

Sunday is one day of the week when I love to indulge in some elaborate cooking:). After a busy work week and a Saturday designated for Groceries-Cleaning-Laundry and all other big-small errands comes the Super-Sunday:). Waking up every Sunday to a bright clean house and a kitchen full of fresh supplies, is one of the most awaited and cherished part of my week, and hence calls for a special meal :)

The menu for this Sunday was the classic combination of Rajma - Chawal. I added a few shahi spices suggested by Asha to my usual rajma recipe, and wow! that did make our meal royal:)

The basics:


1/2 cup rajma (red kidney beans) soaked overnight and cooked in plenty of water
1/2 cup of tomato puree
1 small onion finely chopped
2 Garlic cloves minced
Grated Ginger
2 small green chillies
Fresh cilantro
Salt
Chilli powder
Turmeric

The works:










Jeera (Cumin seeds)
Meere (Black peppercorns)
Saunf (Fennel seeds)
Dalchini( Cinnamon)
Tejpatta (Mace)
Elaichi (Cardamom)
Amcoor powder( Dry mango powder)
Garam Masala
Laung (Cloves)

Heat some oil in a Kadhai. Add 1/2 tsp of Jeera , when the seeds start to splutter add the green chillies, ginger garlic and onions. Fry for a minute or two and add all the masalas. Saute' some more till the onions turn reddish brown. Now add the tomato puree and mix well. Cover the pan for some time , so that the tomato onion paste retains the aroma of all the spices. Now add salt and fry till you see some oil separate out and smell the fresh aroma. Add the cooked kidney beans to this paste along with the left over water in the cooker. Mash some beans with a wooden laddle , this makes the Gravy thick and creamy.Cover and let cook for 5-10 minutes.,add more water as needed.Slow down the flame and add 1-2 spoonsfull whole milk. Mix well. Garnish with cream and Cilantro.Serve with fresh Basmati rice. Enjoy!

Rajma Chawal with a side of Aloo matar and a glass of spiced buttermilk- Our Sunday Lunch

4 comments:

Sreelu said...

Vani,
wow shahi masala in rajma I can smell the aroma.

FH said...

Vani, Rajma looks delicious, thanks for trying my version too!:))
Same here, Sunday is special for me too, one day we all are together to have lunch more than anything else!:)

Vani said...

Sreelu, Asha : ya...the sahi masala made all the difference, thanx to Asha:)

TBC said...

First time here. You have a nice blog with some great dishes.Rajma masala looks really good.