This is a curry that is coming straight out of the book 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer. When I first took this huge book out of the library, I was disappointed at the lack of pictures. But it didn’t take me long to figure out that the recipes are excellent. I have tried 3-4 recipes from the book and some of them more than once. This easy to make rajma curry has been prepared many times now and I am still surprised at the unique flavor combination of kidney beans with yogurt and cardamom.

Instead of tomatoes, the yogurt brings in the tartness and the cardamom brings in that beautiful, yet light masala flavor. I don’t like using whole cardamom pods so I use only ground cardamom. I wouldn’t use sour yogurt for this recipe as the sourness might overwhelm everything else. Cooking the water off the yogurt is an important part according to the author. This step increases the sharpness of yogurt by letting only the curd pellets remain and be a part of the curry. I am yet to try this with other variety of beans, but I think it would taste equally fabulous.

This is my submission to Cooking from Cookbook Challenge event. Do check out the link to learn more about the event and see who else is participating.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons ghee/oil
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder or 4 cardamom pods
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoons garam masala
• 1 teaspoon red chili powder (optional)
• 2 cups red kidney beans, cooked
• salt as needed
• coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

 

Heat 2 tablespoons ghee and saute one chopped or sliced small red onion. If you are using whole cardamom pods, you have to add it in along with the onions. If its ground cardamom, you can add after onion is sauteed. Once the onion turns pink, add one cup of yogurt.

 

Add 1/2 teaspoon of ground cardamom (I used powder instead of whole pods) and let it cook stirring in between. The water will evaporate leaving yogurt pellets, in about 10 minutes or so.

Add in 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric, 1 teaspoon of garam masala and salt as needed. Add 1.5 cups of water, red kidney beans and bring it to a boil. You can add more water, may be 1/2 cup at a time, if the curry seems to be dry.

Add 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper or red chili powder, if needed. Taste test and adjust seasonings and let the curry cook for about 5-10 minutes on a medium flame. Mash the rajma (red kidney beans) slightly with the back of the ladle if you want it to be little more thicker. Serve with rice or roti.

This is my submission to Cooking from Cookbook Challenge event. Do check out the link to learn more about the event and see who else is participating.