Beans

Jammu Rajma

Has it ever happened to you, that you presented the idea of making the best dish from your hometown with so much enthusiasm that you could barely resist the urge to get going and make it but your baloon of excitement was burst with one simple “ Sure! But I don’t understand what the fuss is about this dish.”

A lightening strikes and then there is a deafening silence. While you scurry for an appropriate response, your mind is racing with responses that you want to utter in a thundering voice so high pitched that every crystal in the house could shatter. You want to tell the person in question that the big deal about this dish is the same big deal there is about sushi, kimchi, hand made pasta, hand tossed pizza, freshly made cheese, the good old BLT, crawfish boil and on and on. But you don’t. You are saying all this in your head, while trying to find a calm and composed response.

So you calm yourself and say, “I just want to make this for the guests coming over tonight and I have a feeling they might like it,” and leave it at that.

Rajma

Then you slowly gather whatever is left of your enthusiasm and set to work. The delectable aromas wafting from the wok with the frying of onions and the boiling of the sauce help you get back in the zone and you forget the previous conversation ever happened.

rajma masala

You finish cooking the main dish and the sides and set the table, air out the cooking aromas and light candles, select a sophisticated playlist, fluff the cushions and head over to get the last minute brushing done on your hair and apply a hurried lip gloss before the guests knock at the door.

Conversations happen, there is quiet laughter and some hearty laughs. There is sharing of food and wine and compliments galore and then one big voice that gushes “ Oh Now I understand what the fuss is all about!”

And you say out loud, “Well, Thank you!” and smile a sweet smile while secretly placing this in the part of mind that keeps track of all things he did wrong. Husband! You should have known better!

So dear reader’s let me tell you what the fuss is all about! This recipe is for red kidney beans from the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir, one of the states in India. The kidney beans from this region are smaller in size, sweeter in taste and the texture is far more superior than the regular kidney beans. Also the process of cooking Rajma in Jammu region is different from the rest of the Northern India, even though the spices and ingredients used are almost the same. The first difference is that Jammu style Rajma is cooked with a stick of cinnamon at the time of boiling them. The other major difference is that we use more onions than tomatoes in the dish and we make it in ghee and serve it with rice with ghee topped over it. And if you can get hold of Rajma from Doda in Jammu, you got yourself a Beany jackpot!

Do try out and find out what the fuss is all about.

Rajma – Indian Style Kidney Beans

Ingredients

2 cups red kidney beans soaked in 8 cups of water for 8 hours or in hot water for 2 hours
6 cups water
3 tbs cumin coriander powder ( or 2 Tbs coriander +1 Tbs cumin powder)
3 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder
1 tsp mango powder (amchoor)
1 tsp pomegranate seed powder ( anardana powder)
3 cloves slightly pounded
3 cups sliced onions ( about 400 gms)
1 ½ Cups chopped tomatoes (seeds removed)
2 tsp garam masala (kashmiri preferred)
2 tbs minced ginger
2 tbs minced garlic
¼ C cilantro
2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 stick of cinnamon
6 Tbs ghee ( non negotiable )
1tsp cumin
1 tej patta (Indian bay leaf)

Instructions

Rinse the soaked kidney beans and put them into a pressure cooker along with 6 cups of water and the cinnamon.
Put on medium- high heat and let it come to a boil before closing the lid of the pressure cooker.
When the water starts boiling, close the pressure cooker, reduce heat to medium low and pressure cook for about 12 minutes.
After 12 minutes, allow the pressure to gradually come down on its own. Place a do not disturb sign on it ;) Once the pressure releases check if the beans are done. Perfectly cooked beans will hold their shape, but yield easily to pressure.
Heat the ghee in a pan, when its hot add the cumin. Wait for it to crackle. Add in the bay leaf, cloves and then add in the onions and cook until the onions are browned.
Add in the ginger garlic and cook until fragrant. Now, Add in the red chilli and the cumin coriander powder, stir to mix and add in the tomatoes.
Reduce heat and cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring every now and then. When this mix oozes the ghee out, add in the rest of spices, salt and add the beans in along with the broth.
Stir to mix, bring to a rolling boil, cover and cook for 15 minutes on medium low heat.
The ghee separates once again and the consistency look like you see in the picture.
Finish with the cilantro, mix it in.
To serve them how my peeps in Jammu do, take some fluffy basmati, ladel the rajma on top and put some hot ghee on top. Add in a sliced onion and green chillies and understand what the big deal about Rajma really is.

http://www.spiceroots.com/2013/03/rajma-indian-style-kidney-beans/

Makeila Tuanama, Maneesh Srivastva liked this post

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Punjabi chole

Punjabi Chole – A classic dish from the Northern regions of India, especially Punjab, Delhi and Haryana, the taste of which lingers on in the soul. Yes! it is very ’oniony’ and garlicy and may not the first date kind of food. But it is for all those days after – spicy, aromatic, nutty, comforting. It is soulful and comforting to eat chole, just don’t do it at a work lunch. You might wanna raise your feet up and put your head back and not even know when the boss steps in. If you do eat this at work, ensure you have your cubicle armed with a trip wire or if you are the sharing kind, feed your boss first.

Punjabi Chole

This used to be a very popular and much loved Sunday brunch menu for me and my siblings when we grew up. Follow it with a Namkeen lassi (salty Lassi) or even sweet Lassi and you have had yourself a great meal.

This dish can be served as breakfast to house guests or as a main dish on a brunch, Lunch or dinner. I love to use Ghee as the fat for tadka, but that can be easily substituted with olive oil for a vegan dish.

I use the Kabuli channe or the garbanzo beans for this dish. It’s ideal to use store bought dry Garbanzo beans and soak them for a few hours in hot water, boil them in a pressure cooker and then cook with the spice mix. Sounds too much? Well you can alternately use canned garbanzo beans too. Ensure you buy the low sodium ones and rinse them well with water.

channa Masala

I learned to make this dish from my neighbor in Chandigarh, India. She was an elderly lady who was originally from Pakistan and I was a 20 something from Kashmir, newly married and clueless. She and her husband had taken it on to themselves to just be there for me if I needed them. I used to hang out with them and spend a chunk of my evening after work with them, sipping tea, eating snacks that they made and generally making memories. The best part was she just loved to share her knowledge, transfer her expertise and watch you lovingly when you reciprocated the dish. She would then taste and give an honest critique and say now you can cook this for your in laws. ( That sort of meant that I had mastered the dish so well that it could be presented to the in laws) .

My love for cooking would take me to her kitchen at least a few times a week and she would lovingly teach me all that she had perfected in her lifetime. This is one perfect dish from her SpiceRoots to yours! She taught me a lot about food and life, and I know she would be pleased to know that I am paying it forward. Here’s to you Biji!

Punjabi Chole

Serves: 6

Punjabi Chole

Ingredients

2 C white chickpeas/ Garbanzo beans (soaked in hot water for at least 3 hours or overnight)
3 Tbs coriander seeds
2 Tbs cumin seeds
6 cloves
2 tbs Anardana(pomegranate seeds)
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp brown cardamom Powder (also known as black cardamoms .. use just the seeds to make the powder)
2 whole brown cardamoms
½ tsp cinnamon powder
½ stick cinnamon
1 bay leaf (Tej pata - Indian Bay leaf)
1/4tsp Shahi zeera (black cumin)
1 tbs chilli powder (or as per taste) [ try not to use the Kashmiri/degi variety. we don't need a deep red color in this dish]
2 tsp freshly ground pepper
¼ tsp garam masala powder
2 C thinly sliced red onions
¾ cup tomatoes chopped
4- 5 Tbs Ghee or oil [ use less at your own risk]
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
¼ cup finely chopped cilantro

Instructions

Drain the chickpeas and put into the pressure cooker with 5 cups of water. You can alternately slow cook them on low for 10 hours.
Add 2 of the brown cardamoms, 3 cloves, the cinnamon stick and one bay leaf, ¼ tsp Garam Masala. This step helps getting the flavor of the spices right into the chickpeas and also lends a brown shade.
Based on your equipment, set the timing to cook the chickpeas. Usually 5-7 minutes should be sufficient on electric stoves, but this is just a pointer. The consistency you are looking for is tender but not mushy. So it’s better to undercook first and then check if you are not sure.
Heat a non stick pan on medium-low heat and add the anardana, followed by cumin and coriander.
Keep stirring the spices until aromatic, slightly toasted. Do not let them turn burn. Remove from the pan.
Allow to cool slightly, grind in a coffee grinder, to make a fine powder (Or use your favorite electric spice grinder)
Sift this powder to remove any particles that refuse to turn into a fine powder.
Heat a heavy bottomed deep pan on medium high heat and add the ghee/oil.
Add the cloves, Add the thinly sliced onions, stir and cook for about a minute. Reduce heat to medium.
Add the shahi zeera and continue cooking the onions until caramelized .
Add the ginger garlic paste, cook for a minute.
Add the chopped tomatoes and Cook some more.
Once the tomatoes are cooked – read as totally mishamshed into almost a puree and mixed in with onions, Add the chilli powder, salt, ground cinnamon, pepper powder, cardamom powder and stir well for 30 seconds.
Add the ground spices [ the ones you roasted and powdered) and add a little of Liquid from the boiled chickpeas to help the spices cook
Once the spices mix in, add a cup of the liquid from the boiled chickpeas to the pan. Using a Hand blender, blend into a puree.
Now add the chickpeas into this puree along with the remaining liquid.
Add in the cilantro
Cook on medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring once a while.
Just before serving, heat a spoonful of ghee/oil , add in a slit green thai chilli, pour it over the Chole and serve. This my neighbor used to call – Mirch ke Tadke wale chole! ( Chole with Green chilli tempering). Cut up an onion into rings and place over the chole in the serving bowl. The heat from the chole makes them mellow and oh so good to eat.

Notes

For the canned Garbanzo, simply drain and rinse the beans. Boil in two cups of water with the spices ( same as the dry grabanzo) for 2- 3 minutes then follow the same steps.

http://www.spiceroots.com/2008/04/punjabi-chole/

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