If you like Mexican chili, you will love this Punjabi vegetarian specialty. It is robust, nutritious, filling and spicy. Several variations of Rajma are popular in Northern India, and this one is my favorite. I first had this dish in a village in Punjab. It was part of a simple, elegant meal served on leaf plates and unglazed clay dishes. At the end of the meal, we discarded the plates and dishes and washed our hands with lemon-scented warm water. The Rajma was served with Deep-Fried Whole Wheat Bread and Spinach-Radish Salad . The mingling of tastes is good for a brunch on a cold winter’s day. You can also serve Rajma with any bread or rice selection as part of almost any menu.
Soaking time: 8 hours or 1 hour by quick method
Preparation time (after assembling ingredients): 15 minutes
Cooking time: 2½–3½ hours or 1 hour in a pressure cooker
Serves: 6 to 8
For the Beans:
• 2¼ cups (410 g) dried red kidney beans
• 6 cups (1.5 liters) water (5 cups/1.25 liters if pressure-cooked)
• 1 small cassia or bay leaf
• ¼ teaspoon (1 ml) turmeric
• ¼ teaspoon (1 ml) cayenne pepper or paprika
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) butter or ghee
Remaining Ingredients:
• 2½ tablespoons (37 ml) coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) cumin seeds
• ½ teaspoon (2 ml) fennel seeds
• ⅓ teaspoon (1.5 ml) ajwain seeds
• 2–3 tablespoons (30–45 ml) scraped, finely shredded or minced fresh ginger root
• ½ cup (120 ml) water
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) garam masala
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) turmeric
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) salt
• 1½ tablespoons (22 ml) fresh lemon or lime juice
• 5 tablespoons (75 ml) ghee or peanut oil
• fresh panir cheese made from 6 cups (1.5 liters) milk ( page 313 ), cut into ½-inch (1.5 cm) cubes (about 6 ounces/170 g)
• 4 medium-sized firm ripe tomatoes, diced
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) ghee or butter
• ¼ cup (60 ml) chopped fresh parsley or coriander
1. Soak the kidney beans in 4 cups (1 liter) of water for at least 8 hours or overnight at room temperature. A quicker method is to wash the beans in a colander under running water, place them in a 3–4-quart/liter saucepan with 3 cups (710 ml) of cold water, and bring to a full boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to moderate, cover and gently boil for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the beans to soak, covered, for 1 hour.
2. Drain the beans in a colander, collecting the soaking water in a bowl. Add enough cold water to make 6 cups (1.5 liters) and put it, along with the beans and the other ingredients for cooking them, in a 3–4-quart/liter saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and gently simmer over low heat for 1½–3 hours or until the beans are soft and tender but not broken down. For pressure cooking, combine the ingredients in a 6-quart/liter pressure cooker, cover and cook under pressure for 25–30 minutes. Let the pressure drop and uncover.
3. Mash ¾ cup (180 ml) of the cooked beans to a purée. The cooking liquid should be quite thick. If not, ladle out the tender beans with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a bowl. Gently boil the sauce until it is reduced to about 1½ cups (360 ml). Remove from the heat and set aside.
4. Combine the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and ajwain seeds in an electric coffee mill or a stone mortar and reduce them to a powder. Transfer to a small bowl.
5. Place the ginger root and ½ cup (120 ml) of water in a blender, cover and blend on high speed until the mixture is a smooth liquid. Pour it into the powdered spices and add the garam masala , turmeric, salt and lemon or lime juice, then stir. The mixture should have the consistency of thin cream. Add water if it is too thick.
6. Heat 5 tablespoons (75 ml) of ghee or oil in a 3–4-quart/liter casserole or nonstick heavy saucepan over moderate heat. When it is hot, drop in the panir cheese and stir-fry for 5–7 minutes, carefully turning the cubes with a spatula or spoon until they are browned on all sides. As the cubes brown, transfer them to a dish.
7. Pour the spice paste into the ghee or oil and stir-fry for 1–2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and cook for about 8 minutes more or until the tomatoes are reduced to a thick paste and the ghee or oil separates from the mixture.
8. Add the whole cooked beans, mashed beans, fried cheese cubes and 1½ cups (360 ml) of the cooking liquid, reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes. Before serving, stir in 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of ghee or butter and the minced herb.
