Guest Post: Rajma & Potato Curry

Hi everyone,

With my 'summer drink' frenzy, I haven't posted any main course dishes or snacks recipes of late. Don't worry I haven't gotten lazy. I have been doing some cooking and you will soon find them on the blog. But before I get into my routine posting of recipes, I have a special post today....special because (1) it is a recipe my good friend (who also shares my name) has shared and (2) this is the first ever guest post on my blog!

I figured you could have a slight change and here it is, guest post by Ekta P, my college friend, who is a gujarati, lived in Mangalore and now lives down under. When I just started this blog, I tried out her recipe potato and cabbage sabzi and now she's our guest post author.

During our last college days, she invited us over for lunch, and her mum's chapatis were just super soft (i wish I could get her to share her secret with you all). And it is at her house I learnt that pickle can be sweet too. All of us girls ate so much at her house for lunch that afternoon, you won't believe it but we took breaks while eating. You can't help it when such awesome food is right in front of you (talk about losing control).

Hope you like the recipe.

-bpV

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Rajma & Potato Curry by Ekta. P

Photo courtesy: Ekta P- Sub: Rajma and Potato Curry served with Chapati and cucumber and onion salad- 2013- Copyright.

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp Mustard seeds
• 2 tsps Cumin seeds
• 4-6 cloves
• 1 three inch stick of cinnamon or 2 tsps cinnamon powder
• 1 tbsp of ginger-garlic paste
• 2 tsps green chilly paste (increase if you would like it spicy)
• 3 tsps turmeric powder (haldi)
• 3 tsps red chilli powder
• 3 tsps coriander powder (dhania)
• 2 tsps cumin powder (jeera)
• 2 tsps garam masala powder (optional) *For Garam Masala powder preparation check footnote.
• One large tin of Rajma/ Red kidney beans or two small tins (drain the water out) or 400gms rajma/kidney beans (soak the previous night in water if you plan on cooking for dinner tonight)
• 1 medium sized onion finely chopped
• 2 small potatoes- washed, peeled and diced
• 3 tbsps tomato puree/paste or fresh tomato (2 no.s) cut into pieces
• 2/3 tbsp cooking oil
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

Take a non stick sauce pan pour the required cooking oil.

Once heated, add the mustard seeds wait till it starts spluttering, immediately add cumin seeds wait for a second then add finely chopped onion.

Then add garlic ginger & chilli paste & let it cook till onion turns golden brown.

Then add diced potatoes. Fry for about 4 minutes on low flame. Stir in between.

Then add tomato puree/paste/fresh tomatoes. Mix it well, then add Turmeric (Haldi),Red chilli powder, salt, coriander (dhania) powder, cumin seeds (jeera), garam masala and let it cook for 2-3 minutes.

Next add rajma. (If you are using tinned rajma/red kidney beans, then just add the tinned beans with water OR If you are using soaked red kidney beans/rajma, then first remove most of the water , leaving just a little to make the gravy dry but if you intend on eating this with rice you may want to keep most of the water in order to get a runny gravy).

Allow this to cook at low flame for 20-30 minutes. Keep checking and stirring in between.

Serve with chapati/rice or you can have just a bowl of this on its own.

                                                            Photo courtesy: Ekta Mandavia-  Sub: Rajma and Potato Curry - 2013- Copyright



Hope you enjoy cooking this and serving this dish as much as I do. A plain and simple Rajma and Potato curry that can be served with chapati, rice or on its own.

Thank you,

Ekta P.


*Garam Masala: a mix of powdered hot spices namely (2 ) green cardamoms, (2) cloves, (4) black cardamoms, (2) bay leaves, (12) peppercorns, 2 inch cinnamon stick.Fry these on slow fire for about 30 seconds. Grind this into a fine powder using a grinder/ mortar pestle or even a coffee grinder. Store in a clean and dry container Garam Masala.