Rajima

This is an Indian recipe: a  very good dish and also a complete meal.

Ingredients:
(serves 2)
150 gr of dried red beans
1/2 chopped onion
1/2 can of diced tomatoes
a piece of fresh ginger
1 bay leaf
1 pinch of chili
1 tsp of coriander powder
1 pinch of powdered ginger
1/2 tsp of cumin seeds
1 pinch of black pepper
1 pinch of turmeric
1/2 tsp of garam masala
1 pinch of chana masala or curry
2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
salt, as needed
boiled basmati rice

Method:
Soak the beans for 12 hours with a bit of baking soda. Rinse, drain and cook them with a piece of fresh ginger, a bay leaf and a pinch of baking soda (I do not add salt, as every time they remain a little hard, but I add a pinch of baking soda which soften them and makes them cook better). When they’re done, add salt and cook for 4-5 min longer. Remove the bay leaf and ginger and put the beans aside.
In a saucepan, place the chopped onion with a little water and let it stew. Meanwhile, toast the cumin seeds in a frying pan for a few seconds, or crush in a mortar, or if you like just leave them as they are. Add coriander, chilli, ginger, turmeric, and pepper. Mix all the spices and make a mixture by adding a tablespoon of water (I add water so the spices don’t get burnt). Add a little oil to the onion, which in he meantime is softened, and brown it a little until it becomes golden. Add the spices firts, fry for a while, then add tomato puree and salt, to taste. Simmer to reduce the sauce until you get a sort of dry mixture, then add the beans with a ladle of cooking water. Cook for 8 min. At the end, add curry (or chana masala, a ready made mixture of India spices) and garam masala and cook for 2 min longer.
Accompany this dish with some basmati rice.
The success of this dish lies in carefully following the process of cooking 😉
It’s a gorgeous dish for those who love Indian food and spices.

Chef: Concita from VeganBlog

1. heidi 16 January 2011 at 09:25

   

   quite a long process but it’s worth it!

   
   
2. ascanio 16 January 2011 at 20:32

   

   seems so good and heart-warming!

   
   
3. EleonoraNW3 17 January 2011 at 08:12

   

   It must have a wonderful Indian aroma :-)…can almost smell it from here!

   
   
4. Heide M. 19 January 2011 at 06:57

   

   Wish I could have a bowl of this. This would be perfect on a cold Michigan night.