Recipe - Rajma (Pinto Or Kidney Bean Curry)

2 ounce Tamarind, * see note
1 cup Boiling water
2 tablespoon Fresh ginger, (1 1/2" piece)
3 Cloves garlic
One fourth cup Butter, or ghee*
2 md Onions, chopped
Three fourths teaspoon Cumin seed
2 Pieces cinnamon stick, (1"
pieces)
4 Black cardamom pods, * see
note
8 Whole cloves
One fourth teaspoon Peppercorns
2 lg Tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 One half tablespoon Ground coriander
1 teaspoon Ground turmeric
2 teaspoon Salt
One half teaspoon Cayenne
2 One fourth cup Pinto or kidney beans, or
rajma*, soaked
3 cup Water
3 tablespoon Fresh cilantro

*Available in East Indian food stores

To cook reduced quantities: reduce all ingredients proportionately but not
below onefourth; then increase water in step 3 by One half cup.

1. Put tamarind in a stainless steel or nonmetallic bowl. Add boiling
water. Keep covered 1 hour.

2. Grind together ginger and garlic into a paste.

3. Melt butter in cooker on medium heat. Add onions and fry till light
brown. Add gingergarlic paste, cumin seeds, cinnamon, cardamoms, cloves
and peppercorns. Stir fry for a few seconds. Add tomatoes, coriander,
turmeric, salt and cayenne pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring
occasionally. Add beans and water. Stir.

4. Close cooker. Bring to full pressure on high heat. Reduce heat and cook
for 30 minutes.

5. remove cooker from heat. Allow to cool naturally.

6. To extract tamarind pulp: Place a sieve over a stainless steel or
nonmetallic bowl. Put soaked tamarind into sieve, reserving liquid. Push
tamarind through sieve adding a little of the reserved liquid from time to
time. Scrap pulp off sieve into the bowl. Using all reserved liquid, keep
rubbing tamarind till all pulp has been extracted. Discard tamarind in
sieve.

7. Open cooker. Add tamarind pulp and coriander leaves. Stir.

8. Place cooker on medium heat. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring
occasionally. Serve hot, preferably over basmati rice.

Soaking beans: To soak overnight, put beans in twice their volume of cold
water and soak overnight. Or put beans in a pan and pour boiling water to
fully cover and allow to stand for one hour. Drain beans before using.

Recipe by: Hawkins Futura Cookbook 1987 Supplement Posted to MCRecipe
Digest V1 #569 by Rooby MsRooby@sprintmail.com on Apr 15, 1997