Rajma is one of my favorite foods for when it’s rainy and gross (like today). Â My benevolent boss told me to avoid the slick roads and head up to Amherst tomorrow, which means I have to forage my home for a meal.
And after eating and eating and eating in Vegas, all I want is some lovely home-cooked food. Â Comfort food.
Rajma fit the bill perfectly.
As I haven’t been home long enough to grocery shop, I omitted the bell pepper and onion and used frozen mixed veggies, opened canned tomatoes instead of chopping fresh ones, and luckily found ginger root in the freezer (where it keeps longer) and kidney beans in the pantry. Â I added black beans for additional protein and “uumph!” to the dish. Â Served alone or with brown rice, it is the PERFECT recipe for a rainy day. Â Hope you enjoy it as well.
Rajma, adopted from Padma Lakshmi’s recipe
Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup minced onions
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 firm, ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces (canned tomatoes work, but fresh is always better)
2 teaspoons minced gingerroot, or 1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon Garam Masala
1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper (can be omitted)
1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, or to taste (optional)
2 cups drained kidney beans (19-ounce can)
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/2 lemon, juiced, or to taste (lime juice also works well)
3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro (omitted this time, I used frozen spinach to get some greens in)
Directions
In a large saucepan set over moderate heat, warm the oil until hot, add the onions and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
Add the garlic, tomatoes, gingerroot, cumin seeds, Garam Masala, lemon pepper, and dried red pepper flakes, if desired, and simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
Add the beans and salt and pepper to taste, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes more.
Stir in the lemon juice and cilantro.
