Thursday, September 18, 2008

Rajma Royala (Kidney Beans)


Rajma Royala (Kidney Beans)

Let us cook Kidney beans also called rajma in India or chili here in the US.

My daughter loves these and often asks for them. Ever since she got
her braces she can only eat soft foods so this fits well
in that category. Although she does mention that cleaning the teeth
with braces is often difficult because tiny pieces of rice get stuck
in it.The orthodontist has told her that the braces will stay for a couple
of years, that means a lot of soft foods will be on the menu.

I enjoy cooking and will be experimenting even more with ingredients
that can be easily chewed; for young as well as not so young.

Here is another recipe for your palate.

Ingredients

1 cup kidney beans
5 cups water
2 tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp garam masala [curry powder, available at your local grocery store]
1/2 tbsp salt
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup sliced tomatoes
1/2 inch ginger sliced thin or grated

Optional Ingredients

3-4 coriander sprigs

Rinse kidney beans 5 to 6 times or until the water runs clear. Soak them overnight. Place happy, fluffy kidney beans in a pressure cooker, adding salt, turmeric, and chilli powder, water, and bring to full pressure.
Check the instructions for your pressure cooker to see if any special precautions are appropriate when cooking beans. Simmer under pressure and cook for another 20 minutes.

In a separate pan saute onions till golden brown, then add tomatoes.
Stir for a minute then add grated ginger. Stir for another minute before turning off the stove.
Add this mixture to kidney beans. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve warm with rice or paratha.

Enjoy.

Let me know how it turns out for you.

4 comments:

Jessica said...

I tried your Rajma Royala recipe this evening for dinner -- it was very good! However, I do not have a pressure cooker, so my final product looks very different from the picture. (It is much drier and chunkier than your version.)

I made a few changes to the recipe. I used butter instead of oil. I let the ginger cook with the onions and tomatoes for a few minutes before stirring in the kidney beans. I was not sure when to add the garam masala, so I stirred it in just before serving.

Thank you for sharing your cooking expertise! I look forward to learning from you and trying more recipes soon!

Shine said...

Hi, Just wanted to let you know this recipe sounds delicious, and when I get all the ingredients - I have most already - I'll be giving it a try. It's so fun to learn from other cooks, and this will be an exotic excursion for me. Although my cooking is vegetarian, finding authentic recipes to broaden my horizons is always such a pleasure, so thank you!

Shirley from Northeastern Indiana

Stuti Garg said...

Thanks Jessica for your comments. I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe.

Stuti Garg said...

Thanks Shine, for trying the recipe, let me know how it turns out.