Rajma or kidney beans are not only tasty, they are great for health as well.
We all love rajma-chawal – it is one of the ultimate comfort foods – spicy rajma served up with fragrant basmati rice and a refreshing raitha. Apart from being a delicious and wholesome meal option, it is a superfood filled with nutritional goodness.
Weight watch
Kidney beans are low in fat so if you are conscious of calories, these are great to add to your diet. And since they are loaded with fibre, they also fill you up. One cup of cooked kidney beans provides 45.3% of the recommended daily intake for fibre. Fibre is known to lower cholesterol and prevent heart disease. Fibre is also good for the digestive system and prevents constipation. While kidney beans have both saturated and unsaturated fats, the unsaturated fat content is very low.
Health booster
Why not add kidney beans to a salad or low cal soup during lunch? You will be quite surprised at the energy burst it gives you! Kidney beans are high in protein too, so they are a great choice for vegetarians. Kidney beans are great for diabetics – its soluble fibre helps to stabilize blood sugar levels. This apart, rajma is rich in iron, magnesium, vitamin C and phosphorus and also provides vitamin A and potassium. So load up on rajma – and boost your health!
Cooking kidney beans
Kidney beans take time to cook. So ideally, spread the beans out on a plate the previous night; check them and remove any damaged beans. Wash and rinse the beans and throw away the water. Then soak them in clean water overnight. For one cup of beans, add three cups of water. In the morning, throw out the water and rinse the beans with fresh water. Add three cups of water and pressure cook for half an hour to 45 minutes. Do not add salt or any spices when cooking the beans as they will harden.
Did you know?
The scientific name for kidney beans and other beans like pinto beans, navy beans and black beans is Phaseolus vulgaris. These beans are called ‘common beans’ – in all probability this is because they are all derived from a common bean ancestor that came from Peru.
Europe was introduced to beans only in the 15th century, by Spanish explorers returning from their expeditions to the New World. Kidney beans came to Asia and Africa thanks to Spanish and Portuguese traders.
Rajma Curry
Serves: 4 persons Ingredients
1 cup rajma (soaked overnight 8 for hours)
2 medium finely chopped onions
1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
2 chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
2 tablespoon oil
1 tbsp butter
2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
Salt to taste
Method
Cook the soaked rajma in about 3 cups of water, ideally in a pressure cooker. It could take anywhere between half an hour to 45 minutes.
Heat oil in a wok or pan and add onions. Fry till they are translucent, then add ginger garlic paste and next the tomatoes. Fry till oil leaves the sides.
Allow the mixture to cool and then grind to a fine paste in the mixie.
In the same wok/saucepan, heat butter and add the onion-ginger-garlic-tomato paste. Add all the spice powders and fry till the raw smell goes.
Now add the cooked rajma and salt and let it simmer. The longer it simmers, the tastier the dish. If you feel the gravy is getting too thick, add more water. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with Basmati rice.
Tips
The dish tastes better if served the next day as the spices soak into the kidney beans.
If you want a richer flavour, add 2 tablespoons of curd and two tablespoons of fresh cream. Two tablespoons of Kasuri Methi will add a lovely fragrance to the dish.
Easy Chilli Con Carne
That famous dish of the American South made easy!
Ingredients
Half a kilo mince meat (ideally beef)
1 cup Rajma soaked overnight
1 onion chopped finely
2-3 garlic cloves crushed
2 red peppers
2 teaspoons chilli powder
1 heaped teaspoon cumin powder
1 heaped teaspoon coriander powder
250 gm tomatoes chopped fine
Soy sauce
Beef stock or water
Oil
2 tablespoons coriander chopped
Method
Cook the rajma with 3 cups of water in the pressure cooker.
Heat oil in a wok or pan and add the onion. Fry till it turns golden brown. Add the crushed garlic and fry for one more minute. Now add red peppers and fry till soft.
Now add the mince meat and fry till the meat turns brown. Add the chilli, coriander and cumin powder.
Add tomatoes and stir in soya sauce. Now add the meat stock, the kidney beans and salt. Let it simmer so that the kidney beans absorb the spices.
Garnish with coriander and serve with long-grained rice and a garden salad.
Kidney beans are low in fat so if you are conscious of calories, these are great to add to your diet. And since they are loaded with fibre, they also fill you up. One cup of cooked kidney beans provides 45.3% of the recommended daily intake for fibre. Fibre is known to lower cholesterol and prevent heart disease
