Rajma

Hi, this recipe is by Mira Manek and I saw it in the September/October 2021 Co-Op 'Food' magazine, you can also access the original recipe here and in bold below (dietary info is by myself). 

I found this recipe was very easy to make and had a nice, but very subtle flavour. My Mum thinks it needed more flavour so here are some ideas about how you can do this from me and my Dad. First, add salt and pepper into the pan when cooking the onions and when it's simmering on the hob. Second, in place of adding 200ml water, add some chicken/vegetable stock. Thirdly, cook for longer than 10mins, minimum 30mins. This will allow the flavours more time to develop and consequently get bigger.

Overall though, I was pleased with how it turned out, I served ours with rice and peas. I think this would be a nice curry to make/take with you if you were going to do something for Christmas, as it's warming and everyone can help themselves to it. Also, it is suitable for most dietary requirements. 

If you like, you could use any protein in place of kidney beans, whether that's other beans, or tofu, or chicken as this is a very nice curry base recipe.

Enjoy!

Hazel :)

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Dietary Info:

-Vegan

-Vegetarian

-Gluten-Free

-Dairy-Free

-No Nuts

-Main Dish

-Side Dish

Serves: 2 as a MAIN and 4 as a SIDE {I did 4 as a side.}

Takes: 25mins {This is more like 45mins and I would suggest cooking it for longer at the end to get more flavour into it. See intro and recipe for details.}

Ingredients:

-2tbsp rapeseed oil {I used extra virgin olive oil; any oil will be fine.}

-1/2tsp cumin seeds {I used dried cumin here.}

-1/2tsp mustard seeds (optional) {I used mustard powder here.}

-2 onions, finely chopped {I used brown onions, however, if you only have red, they will be fine.}

-5cm ginger, peeled and grated

-4 garlic cloves, grated {I used 5 cloves, and I finely chopped this and the ginger as it is easier for me than grating.}

-1–2 green chillies, finely chopped {I used 2 deseeded red chillies, however, I would recommend keeping the seeds in.}

-1+1/2tsp ground coriander 

-1/2tsp ground turmeric

-1tsp ground cumin

-3–4 tomatoes, chopped {These are bigger normal-sized tomatoes, not plum tomatoes.}

-4 spring onions, finely chopped

-2 x 400g cans Co-op red kidney beans, drained {Any brand is fine.}

-4tbsp passata or tomato purée {I used puree.}

-Squeeze of lime {I used lemon juice.}

-Handful coriander, chopped

{To serve: flatbreads e.g. pittas, naans, chapattis, paratha, rice e.g. basmati, black, wild, or to bulk out the curry, add some chopped boiled potatoes, sweet or white.}

Method:

1: Melt the rapeseed oil in a saucepan over a medium heat, then add the cumin seeds and mustard seeds, if using.

2: When they start to pop, add the onions. {Season with salt and pepper.}

3: Cook for 2-3 mins, until lightly browned, {I suggest cooking for longer on a lower heat, more like 10mins to a more flavourful base.} then add the ginger, garlic and chilli, and cook for another 30 seconds.  {Wait a bit longer, as if the heat is turned down, you will want them to be more cooked.}

4: Add all the remaining ingredients {Plus salt and pepper.} except the chopped coriander, plus 200ml water, and cook over a low heat for at least 10 mins, stirring regularly. {I suggest at least 30mins simmering, better still an hour. Add some more stock/water if it goes dry. Alternatively, once cooked for a long time, turn off the heat and leave to sit for the day (more flavour still) and then reheat when you need to eat.}

5: Stir the chopped coriander into the curry to serve

While you're here...

I have a Pinterest for all my recipes, where you can save them to boards for the future and categorise them into different types of recipe e.g Sunday Dinners, picnic ideas etc. My account is @hazellikestocook, or find the link below. Also, I have a whole blog post explaining this in more detail here and https://hazelscookingandbakingblog.blogspot.com/2021/02/pinterest.html. 

https://pin.it/5xDvARk - my profile

This recipe:

https://pin.it/4r5ZdoT