Rajma/red kidney beans – 1 cup, soaked in room temperature water for at least 8 hours
Onions – 4, large, chopped finely
Ginger paste – 2 tsp
Garlic paste – 2 tsp
Tomato – 2, large, pureed
Green cardamom – 4
Black cardamom – 1
Cloves – 6 to 8
Cinnamon stick – 2 inch
Dry red chili – 1
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Red chili powder – 2 tsp
Coriander powder – 3 tsp
Cumin powder – 1 tsp
Garam masala powder – 1 tsp
Vegetable / mustard oil – 6 tbsp
Sugar – ½ tsp
Salt to taste
Freshly coriander leaves to garnish
Instructions
Cook the rajma/kidney beans in a pressure cooker or in a large saucepan till they are soft but still have a bite in them. If using pressure cooker, then pressure cook the kidney beans with about 4 cups of water & 1 teaspoon of salt on high flame until 5 whistles. Then lower the flame to minimum, let it cook for another 15 minutes and shut the flame off after that. You can also use canned kidney beans which are precooked and completely skip this step.
Heat the oil in a wok or skillet. Tip in the dry red chili, green and black cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon stick and sauté for a minute till the oil becomes fragrant.
Add the chopped onions and ginger-garlic paste. Fry until onion turns golden brown and soft. This would take about 15 minutes on medium-low heat.
Next add the tomato puree and sauté until the raw smell of the tomatoes is gone and the oil starts to release.
While the tomatoes are frying, make a smooth paste of the powdered spices – turmeric, coriander, cumin and red chili – with about 2 tablespoons of water. Set aside.
Once the tomato puree is nicely sautéed, add the boiled rajma/kidney beans and the spice paste and keep stirring on high heat until oil starts separating from the spices.
Finally add warm water, sugar and salt to taste. Bring the water to full boil. Then cover the wok and let it simmer for 10 minutes or until the rajma is completely cooked and slightly mashed when pressed with the back of your wooden spoon.
Adjust the thickness of the gravy as per your liking; you can boil off some excess water to make a thick gravy clinging to the gorgeous red kidney beans. Check and adjust seasoning if needed.
Sprinkle garam masala and freshly chopped coriander leaves. Serve the spicy rajma masala with plain white rice or phulkas with a generous squeeze of lemon juice.
Recipe by Flavor Quotient at http://www.flavorquotient.com/2013/12/rajma-masala-spicy-red-kidney-beans-curry/